I Want That You Are Always Happy

The Middle East’s first full-length sounds so different than their EP, The Recordings of the Middle East, that it’s easy to be impressed by the ambition on display here. The change also makes this Australian sextet difficult to categorize. I Want That You Are Always Happy is a long and complicated album with many elegant twists and turns. It begins slowly with three lush, atmospheric tracks filled with haunting piano, gentle acoustic guitar, and mysterious lyrics. The album changes direction with the up-tempo “Jesus Came to My Birthday Party” and then continues to morph and flow from one folk-influenced song to the next. Along the way are many interesting moments — strong harmony vocals, sweet melodies, ambient sounds, and highly textured instrumentation including saxophone, fiddle, lap steel, and accordion. The recording closes with the introspective 8-minute acoustic ballad “Deep Water,” a suitably dramatic end to a carefully paced and absorbing album that takes a few listens just to get a handle on. And by then, you’re hooked.