The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight

The Airborne Toxic Event come from Los Feliz in Los Angeles, which, as Joel Fabian recently mentioned on air, is a hot bed for great music at the moment. They have been around since 2006, and have two albums to their name, with a third untitled album under way…

The song “Sometime Around Midnight” is a stand out track of their first self-titled album “The Airborne Toxic Event”, and it got rave reviews online, apart from one prick from Pitchfork called Ian who said they were shit because the band was a culmination of the worst bits of Arcade Fire, The Strokes and Interpol. Nice.

Obviously Ian Cohen had his ears clogged that day, because this song at least, is a fine track which is actually a true story as described by the lead singer Mikel. Him and his band mates one night went to a bar and he saw his ex, only to realise that he still totally was in love with her. This song, was his instant response, and within three days, “Sometime Around Midnight” was penned.

It’s a fantastic melody which progresses into a high-powered, rocky, and almost shoegazing piece of music, which offsets nicely with the orchestral opening that you hear right at the beginning of the track. Mikels gravelly vocals are deep, emotion filled, and then practically explode around 3min 8sec when he realises that the ex is leaving the bar with another fella, and he describes what his band mates said to him “…and when you’re friends say what is it, you look like you’ve seen a ghost”.

The pure feeling and emotion that comes out through this truly believable vocal is a testament to a band that is authentic and totally honest. Lyrically, I find it quite a simple yet outstanding piece of writing, however, when twinned with the pulsating and rapturous chorus, you get a song that is 11/10 (not 1.2 out of 10 at Ian Cohen wrote)

And it starts, sometime around midnight.
Or at least that’s when you lose yourself
for a minute or two.
As you stand, under the bar lights.
And the band plays some song
about forgetting yourself for a while.
And the piano’s this melancholy soundtrack to her smile.
And that white dress she’s wearing
you haven’t seen her for a while.

But you know, that she’s watching.
She’s laughing, she’s turning.
She’s holding her tonic like a cross.
The room’s suddenly spinning.
She walks up and asks how you are.
So you can smell her perfume.
You can see her lying naked in your arms.

And so there’s a change, in your emotions.
And all these memories come rushing
like feral waves to your mind.
Of the curl of your bodies,
like two perfect circles entwined.
And you feel hopeless and homeless
and lost in the haze of the wine.

Then she leaves, with someone you don’t know.
But she makes sure you saw her.
She looks right at you and bolts.
As she walks out the door,
your blood boiling
your stomach in ropes.
Oh and when your friends say,
“What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Then you walk, under the streetlights.
And you’re too drunk to notice,
that everyone is staring at you.
You just don’t care what you look like,
the world is falling around you.

You just have to see her.
You just have to see her.
You just have to see her.
You just have to see her.
You just have to see her.
You know that she’ll break you in two.