Maximo Park – ‘Our Earthly Pleasures’ (Warp) Released 02/04/07

Maximo Park were last heard headlining a certain tour that also featured the new indie superstars the Artic Monkeys. Due to the hysteria surrounding the Sheffield lads’ inclusion, a near criminal act was witnessed all across the country - scores of dim-witted gig-goers were leaving venues before they even took to the stage. Those who stayed left dumbfounded by the brilliance and energy of the Newcastle five-piece’s live performance, which was perfectly encapsulated in their debut Album ‘A Certain Trigger’.

Changing producers from Paul Epworth to Gil Norton has seen a marked change in their sound. Whilst the output is unmistakably Maximo Park you can feel that every element is included for a reason and through deep consideration which results in a richer and more defining sound. The most noticeable development is the exaggerated use of Lukas Wooller on keyboard, whom it seems dictates the pace and rhythm of the proceedings such as on current single ‘Our Velocity’.

Whilst opener ‘Girls Who Play Guitars’ then ‘Our Velocity’ grow on you immensely after a couple of listens, ‘Books From Boxes’ marks the moment where you sit up and take notice and start to appreciate the simplistic intelligence of Paul Smith’s lyrics. It’s a song that oozes the class that escapes the majority of their contemporaries and does so with such ease that you are reaching for the ‘back’ button as soon as you hear the outro.

When you finally escape the clutches of ‘Boxes From Boxes’ you are thrust straight into ‘Russian Literature’ where again Wooller’s influence is felt more than any song off ‘A Certain Trigger’. It may take a while to get as far a ‘A Fortnight’s Time’ due to all the repeat plays but when you finally get there you hear a song that typifies the difference between Maximo Park and every other indie band out there. Who else sings lyrics like “So would you like to go on a date with me?/ Don’t you know it’s old fashioned to say so?/Five times five equals twenty five/ Don’t you know your times table by now? Ohh ohh ohh oh oh”, without sounding ridiculous? Another hard skill is rhyming hypothetical, alphabetical, theoretical, dialectical without sounding like a total ****.

In short, this album is a joy. Like Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon with their new long-players, Maximo Park have shown how to keep true to their roots whilst taking their sound on several levels. They are not a band to churn out an album that simply says “here is the next Maximo Park work by numbers.” By the time ‘Parisian Skies’ comes around you are truly saddened that it’s the last track.