Midnight Masses – Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body

Some records are just records – pleasant to listen to, with a good beat. Maybe you can dance to it, maybe you can use it as the backdrop to more illicit activities, and maybe you’ll listen once and then forget it altogether. But some records are transformative, not only for the audience, but the artist as well. Midnight Masses’ four song EP Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body is one of those records. Written as a Requiem for cornerstone Autry Fulbright’s father, who died in 2008, the record tells a story of despair, grief, and hope.

The collection of songs begins with the dreamy, lush layers of the mournful “Walk On Water”(featuring TV on the Radio’s Jaleel Bunton signing lead vocals), then pushes roughly into the gloomy despair of “Preacher’s Son” and “I Was A Desperate Man” (which are so rich with classic rock overtones that they should have been performed at Woodstock) before culminating in gorgeous harmonies with the hazy, neo-soul Do You Believe In Rapture.

Brought to life with the help of Fulbright’s close friends, this record is a testament to the bittersweet beauty of loss, and moving through the life that comes after.

Walk On Water

Catch Midnight Masses live as they take up a residency throughout the month of February at Brooklyn’s Union Pool. You can also find them on MySpace (and you can keep your hipster cred intact by snagging the vinyl on Amazon).