Maxïmo Park
Our Earthly Pleasures

THE REVIEW

Maxïmo Park are a solid entity in the indie rock scene from across the Channel. They emerged a couple of years ago (even under Warp!) with a very pleasant and interesting debut, that "A Certain Trigger" full of catchy and well-crafted melodies that are never banal. They attempt to establish themselves with this new "Our Earthly Pleasures". A work that does not overthrow the coordinates set by the first album but tries to enrich and (especially) thicken the debut's sound with a greater guitar sheen, sometimes even to the detriment of the immediacy of the compositions, which are less digestible on first listen compared to those of the debut.

Surely not part of this latter category is the single "Our Velocity," a truly immediate indie-rock gem that immediately strikes with a refrain of notable melodic impact. The opening "Girls Who Play Guitars" is also pleasant, maintaining the characteristic "nervous" pace of Smith and associates' compositions. Introduced by a guitar arpeggio followed by Archis Tiku's pulsating bass, "Books From Boxes" is a more reflective episode that unfolds supported by a discreet six-string and a barely suggested keyboard. The following "Russian Literature" (which the title reveals the intellectual-leaning nature of leader Paul Smith) is a more frenetic song characterized by continuous rhythm changes, ultimately turning out to be among the best of the lot. The intimate vein of the Newcastle combo resurfaces instead in "Karaoke Plays," despite a chorus that raises the tone with offbeat drums and well-present guitars; here emerges, for example, the aforementioned lesser attention to catchiness (it also proves, as proposed, to be the longest track of the work, more than four minutes...).

"Your Urge", on the other hand, seems rather forced with its not particularly brilliant and incisive melody; contrary to the following "Unshockable," which features truly captivating vocals and riffs (chorus, instead, perhaps pulled a bit too much). "By The Monument" (intro like LunaPop's "50 Special," try it to believe it!!!) turns out to be the best episode of the album; a beautiful piece that reveals itself as a handy guide on how to write a perfect pop song, among perfectly timed handclaps and a melody that approaches perfection. It would be an explosive single. The subsequent "A Fortnight's Time" steps on the purely indie accelerator, focusing on an "irregular" rhythm and a decent melodic opening in the chorus; ending with "Sandblasted And Set Free" (monotonous and excessively cliched - a shame because the idea of the spoken response to the sung verse is great, but it is ruined by a really too cheesy refrain) and "Parisian Skies," which bids the listener farewell without mixing the cards too much.

A good work from Maxïmo, showing a growing combo and confirming the goodness shown in "A Certain Trigger" while showing hopeful signs of growth. Nice confirmation.