Greg Dona
05/16/07, 09:54 AM
And we return yet again to the same stage: another one of the 2005 UK darlings, another sophomore album. This time we examine the efforts of Newcastle upon Tyne quintet Maxïmo Park. The question? To slump, or not to slump.
Much like the beloved Arctic Monkeys, Maxïmo Park’s debut effort charmed listeners with endearing British accents and instrumental rawness. Paul Smith and co. abandon a significant amount of that coarse disposition this time around, employing the assistance of famed producer Gil Norton, architect of work by groups such as Pixies and Dashboard Confessional. The result? A hint of overproduction and heaps of accessibility.
Maxïmo Park starts out rolling with the energetic “Girls Who Play Guitars.” The crew masterfully blends simple synthetic wails, angular guitar work, and neatly timed vocal bits. This ends in a highly enjoyable and impressive track. Yet another outstanding song follows. “Our Velocity,” the first single, charges rambunctiously throughout. Powered by rampaging strings and blips that increase and decrease rapidly in volume, Smith smartly offers just enough vocal intensity to match but not overwhelm his band mates.
However, from “Books From Boxes” on, the team takes a much more decelerated approach to songwriting. The tune lollygags along in a lazy but still orderly haze. Ultimately it satisfies but fails to excite. The ensuing “Russian Literature” harnesses frantic piano twinkling to accelerate an otherwise relatively slow track. These two efforts showcase the young men’s ability to craft impressive slow songs.
“Your Urge” fails to further improve upon this new side of Maxïmo Park. Instead it clumsily plods along. Smith proves incapable of salvaging the tune with the urgency prevalent in more successful tracks, and thus the ditty flops. However, the Brits hit their rock bottom with the borderline insufferable “Sandblasted and Set Free.” Once again, Smith simply seems incapable of singing slowly enough to both keep pace with his band and exhibit his outstandingly emotional cries.
However, for the most part Smith impresses greatly. Whereas much of the despair and elation of A Certain Trigger departed with the arrival of Norton’s calculated approach to hit-making, the front man and his fantastic Geordie accent still present a distinct authenticity. This makes some otherwise lackluster tunes perfect for easy, casual listening. Essentially Smith’s genuineness provides a dash of that rawness that made Maxïmo Park so great in the first place.
Lyrically though, he plays it far too safe. We hear him speak about coming to terms with fame, struggling with girls, and otherwise hacking through the typical struggles of a depressive, intellectual Englishman. Listeners grow so accustomed to and, at times, weary of the trite lyrics that the somewhat clichéd and naïve “A Fortnight’s Time” seems, in comparison, legitimately inspired by a pure love.
In the end, Smith and his peers follow the familiar path of the 2005 British indie rocker: grow to fame with an intense and infectious debut, then continue with better songwriting and a more polished sound. Luckily for Maxïmo Park, his vocal work maintains some of the band’s simple emotion that initially collected a large fan base. Our Earthly Pleasures pleases but never overwhelms – though hardly a masterpiece, it finds its way into even the most selective of rotations on a consistent basis.
Much like the beloved Arctic Monkeys, Maxïmo Park’s debut effort charmed listeners with endearing British accents and instrumental rawness. Paul Smith and co. abandon a significant amount of that coarse disposition this time around, employing the assistance of famed producer Gil Norton, architect of work by groups such as Pixies and Dashboard Confessional. The result? A hint of overproduction and heaps of accessibility.
Maxïmo Park starts out rolling with the energetic “Girls Who Play Guitars.” The crew masterfully blends simple synthetic wails, angular guitar work, and neatly timed vocal bits. This ends in a highly enjoyable and impressive track. Yet another outstanding song follows. “Our Velocity,” the first single, charges rambunctiously throughout. Powered by rampaging strings and blips that increase and decrease rapidly in volume, Smith smartly offers just enough vocal intensity to match but not overwhelm his band mates.
However, from “Books From Boxes” on, the team takes a much more decelerated approach to songwriting. The tune lollygags along in a lazy but still orderly haze. Ultimately it satisfies but fails to excite. The ensuing “Russian Literature” harnesses frantic piano twinkling to accelerate an otherwise relatively slow track. These two efforts showcase the young men’s ability to craft impressive slow songs.
“Your Urge” fails to further improve upon this new side of Maxïmo Park. Instead it clumsily plods along. Smith proves incapable of salvaging the tune with the urgency prevalent in more successful tracks, and thus the ditty flops. However, the Brits hit their rock bottom with the borderline insufferable “Sandblasted and Set Free.” Once again, Smith simply seems incapable of singing slowly enough to both keep pace with his band and exhibit his outstandingly emotional cries.
However, for the most part Smith impresses greatly. Whereas much of the despair and elation of A Certain Trigger departed with the arrival of Norton’s calculated approach to hit-making, the front man and his fantastic Geordie accent still present a distinct authenticity. This makes some otherwise lackluster tunes perfect for easy, casual listening. Essentially Smith’s genuineness provides a dash of that rawness that made Maxïmo Park so great in the first place.
Lyrically though, he plays it far too safe. We hear him speak about coming to terms with fame, struggling with girls, and otherwise hacking through the typical struggles of a depressive, intellectual Englishman. Listeners grow so accustomed to and, at times, weary of the trite lyrics that the somewhat clichéd and naïve “A Fortnight’s Time” seems, in comparison, legitimately inspired by a pure love.
In the end, Smith and his peers follow the familiar path of the 2005 British indie rocker: grow to fame with an intense and infectious debut, then continue with better songwriting and a more polished sound. Luckily for Maxïmo Park, his vocal work maintains some of the band’s simple emotion that initially collected a large fan base. Our Earthly Pleasures pleases but never overwhelms – though hardly a masterpiece, it finds its way into even the most selective of rotations on a consistent basis.