Midlake

Hailing from the Texan creative hub of Denton (a small town with a couple of colleges and a whole bunch of resident musicians), Midlake began life as a jazz-funk quintet in which current frontman/guitarist Tim Smith played sax. Things started to change, though, when Smith rebooted his record collection with a folk/indie-rockin' influx of classic albums (everything from Björk and Radiohead to Led Zeppelin and Crosby, Stills & Nash), and a whole new set of directions started to open up. Debut studio album Bamnan & Slivercork (2004) crosses the suspension bridge that links groovy folk to rustic electronica (check out "They Cannot Let It Expand"), follow-up (and breakthrough) The Trials of Van Occupanther sets out its harmonious stall in a shady Southern Californian grove ("Branches"), and 2010's The Courage of Others stirs some British folk seasoning (and a sprinkling of flute) into their already delicious pot ("Winter Dies" is a gently melancholic standout).