Quicken The Heart - Maximo Park

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== Quicken the Heart ==

'''Wraithlike'''

We kick into the album with a nice little guitar riff, leading into the drums. It is immediately obvious that they have managed to keep their lively sound through to a third album, something bands seem to gradually lose overtime, as success kicks in. It is from this song that the album’s title is taken, something they have done with all albums – pinching the title from ...
...a strong guitar riff behind it, which is both lively and fresh sounding. Smith’s vocals add the Maximo magic, giving it a great depth, provided by great indie music, nice sounds from the Keyboards and his lyrics. It works great, and is an excellent way to open up an album…

'''The Penultimate Clinch'''

Opening with a strong bass line which keeps firmly in the background as the high pitched notes from the guitar gradually ... more

It was with great excitement, that when looking up new albums on the NME website, I saw that Maximo Park were releasing their third album in May this year. Having been a big fan since their début album “A Certain Trigger” and even more of a fan once they released their second helping of indie rock “Our Earthly Pleasures”. I became even more of a fan, when I then saw them perform in Cambridge in 2007, which remains to this day one of the best gigs I have been to.

Who are Maximo Park

First off, for all reading this as “Max-i-mo” it is very important, according to singer, Paul Smith, that you pronounce it properly – “Max-e-mo”. Now we have that down, I can tell you a bit about them.

They are a five piece band, consisting of the standard set up of Guitarist, Bassist, Drummer, Keyboardist and Singer, who mostly hail from the northern part of England. Paul Smith, has a distinctive Newcastle accent, which can be heard in all his vocals –and is one of the attributes of the bands music. The band formed in 2000, and they spent some time looking for a singer before a friend noticed Smith singing along to a Stevie Wonder track. Long story short – Maximo Park was born.

In 2005 they released their first album, which sold over 500,000 copies, their next release was out in 2007, which proved even more popular.

Quicken the Heart

Wraithlike

We kick into the album with a nice little guitar riff, leading into the drums. It is immediately obvious that they have managed to keep their lively sound through to a third album, something bands seem to gradually lose overtime, as success kicks in. It is from this song that the album’s title is taken, something they have done with all albums – pinching the title from a line in one of the songs. The track has a strong guitar riff behind it, which is both lively and fresh sounding. Smith’s vocals add the Maximo magic, giving it a great depth, provided by great indie music, nice sounds from the Keyboards and his lyrics. It works great, and is an excellent way to open up an album…

The Penultimate Clinch

Opening with a strong bass line which keeps firmly in the background as the high pitched notes from the guitar gradually creep in. Musically, it is blissfully simple, but works perfectly to create the backing for Smith’s awesome voice, and while simple, is definitely very catchy. The vocals have this dark air to them, which fits the song brilliantly, until the chorus when it picks up, there is then a little filler piece of music, which is so-so, it’s not a roaring solo from the guitar, but it isn’t shit either. The song quickly ends after that. These songs really aren’t very long – none pushing the 4 minute barrier, and few daring to go much over 3 minutes.

The Kid’s are Sick Again

The first song I heard from the album, since I ran out and grabbed it from HMV, this was the first single from the album, and I brought 2 of the 3 “collectors” 7” singles. 7”’s being the only thing I really collect. At first, I wasn’t taken with it, it seemed to lack that something which I had attributed to Maximo Park, but on the tenth or so listening, I got into it, realising more than anything, that it is both true Maximo, and shows a natural maturing in sound. It opens with a small riff and plenty of drumming. Smith creeps in with his vocals, in the verses there is a strange sound from the keyboards, which reminds me of one of the tracks from “A Certain Trigger”. The keyboards remain varying in the background with the guitar, as Smith’s vocals lapse over them, it is very melodic. The actual chorus is near the end of the song, and is a simple four line refrain, and it is here that the true Maximo Park sound really comes out. My only criticism is that it takes so long to get to that awesome sound, and that it’s short lived, I wouldn’t have minded the choruses being interspersed through the song.

The kids are sick again
Nothing to look forward to
They jumped the cliff again
Future sinks beneath the blue

A Cloud of Mystery

It opens with another very Maximo Park sound, a heavy bass line edged beneath a quirky little guitar riff. The verses feature a very electric sounding bass line to complement the bass guitar, and they feature a steady plod of words. The chorus, with the guitars playing nicely and the tempo slightly lifted it pure Maximo Park, it has this jolly beat to it, which you can hear in most of their tracks, and is one of their credits. Musically, the song really isn’t anything hugely special. It has a nice guitar riff in places, and good solid bass line, but nothing that a small garage band couldn’t throw together if they had a smidgen of talent. It isn’t a favourite track of mine, but is by no means a weak link in the album.

Calm

Opening very electronically, with a synthesised sound waving around in the background, and a clean guitar sound gently sitting above it, the drums very simple. It has a calmer pace than the previous tracks, its verses flowing very smoothly, but when it hits the chorus, it picks up slightly, and has a really appeasing sound, from then on, the tempo is slightly raised, and the chorus continues to have the same great sound to it – so far, it is the best sound from the album. It just has this simplicity and great melodic qualities. Towards the end of the track is a further raise in the tempo, with a small musical piece, which again sounds rather great, a repeat of one of the bridges, and the song begins drawing to a sudden close.

But I've answered enough phones for one life
I've worn too many ties around my neck

In Another World (You'd Have Found Yourself By Now)

Kicking straight in with a good beat, and a fresh series of chords on the guitar, the track wastes no time in leading into the first verse, which sounds average. It doesn’t begin to be a hugely exciting track for me. The chorus goes someway to fix the boringness of the start, but it doesn’t quite achieve it. It just has this “heard it” quality to the whole thing. It sounds done. It sounds like I have heard it before in other, decent, Maximo Park songs, which is sincerely disappointing. I am really struggling to write anymore about the track – it just doesn’t inspire me.

Let’s Get Clinical

It opens with a raising drum beat, which culminates in a drum beat very similar to their previous song. Oh no. The music is again simple, it has a nice sounding keyboard piece, and the bass line just sits somewhere so buried behind it, I can’t distinguish it. Oh no oh no. It is another track I cannot get into, the music is actually pissing me off, there is too much keyboard, it has such an electronic feel to it, that other than vocals- it doesn’t sound like Maximo Park. The song seems to have too much of a void of guitar, and the keyboard just cannot fill this gap. It is so bad actually, I am really bored of it, bored of the album almost. The lyrics aren’t doing anything for me either…

Ooh! It's criminal
Woah! Lets get clinical
I'd like to map your body out
Inch by inch
North to south
And I'm free for circumnavigation

See what I mean?

Roller Disco Dreams

It starts a little more promisingly, with a decent layering of guitar music, and a much more exciting drum beat, although that shitty electronic sounds do make an attempt at encroaching, which is a real shame, as it detracts from the decency in a horrible way. If I was to ignore the keyboards, then the track definitely sounds better, but it still isn’t giving me a buzz, it isn’t making me want to jump up around, it isn’t making me want to dance. It isn’t doing much other than further tiring me out from an already exhausting day. It does have one redeeming feature though, and that is that the chorus pieces do sound rather decent, but with what they are surrounded by, it is like dipping a strawberry in playdough – that which is nice in the middle is masked by something vulgar and salty…

Tanned

It opens, yet again with that shit electronic keyboard rubbish, which fortunately subsides into a verse which sounds very reminiscent of their previous album, which is nice. It has a good tempo, and sounds very Maximo Park, unfortunately, the electric bit isn’t away for long, and keeps making swift reprises – not nice, but overlookable. The track has a nice feel to it, and maybe it is more because I detested the previous tracks so, that it sounds decent, maybe it is indeed a good track, all I know, is that it really isn’t quite up to their standard, but not as far from the mark as others.

Questing, Not Coasting

The second single from the album, released a couple of weeks ago, it opens promisingly, with a very nice sounding riff on the guitar, and an equally nice bass line below it. The verse has a good tempo, and the music fits it very nicely, albeit that the keyboards are trying to push a little, but at the chorus, the keyboard is naught but a memory, while it isn’t an amazing song, it is definitely a cut above the previous few, and something I can quite easily listen to and enjoy. It runs consistently, with the music not falling too much into the evil realms of the keyboard, which is the main reason that I can say they did well in picking their second single from the album.

Overland, West of Suez

It opens with a sound too electronic for me to have any optimism for the track, but that soon disperses for the guitar which thunders through with a pleasant sounding riff, which sets the verse in good stead. Unfortunately, the song is given to having little breaks from decency in favour of having some keyboard sounds, why? I wish I knew what they were thinking. It isn’t a diabolical track, and in fact in some parts is definitely a good piece, there is even a time when the keyboards are used properly, creating a decent melody which compliments the music! But, it is nothing phenomenal.

I Haven’t Seen her in Ages

Can we finish with a good one? It opens well enough, the guitar with a good riff, and a catchy bass line, the drums as standard as ever. The verses are going well too, it has a catchy sound to it, which carries the song nicely leading into a same sounding refrain. It is said to say, that they are not ending it on a high, but I can at least say it isn’t a low either.

My Final Thoughts Then

The first thing I though, when I started listening to the album and getting disappointed was, “maybe I am not in a Maximo Park mood”, so I put on some of their older stuff, and it was awesome. That is when it hit me. I don’t really like this album.

Sure, it has a couple of good tracks, I would say, 4. The two choices for single are great, especially “The Kids are Sick again”, which I really like, they open the album with a high, then there is “Calm” which just has a nice melody which I personally find appealing. But other than that, it seems to be a collection of songs that I probably won’t bother listening to again, and that is a really disappointing thing to say.

Their last album, produced a couple of songs which remain to this day some of my favourite songs, and I had expected them to continue this, I mean after two great albums, why let your third slip, isn’t it suppose to be the second that is the hard one?

Maybe it is just me, NME said it was the first “great album of this recession” but I don’t see that, some of it sounds unoriginal, the overuse of electronic sounds from the keyboard just pisses me off, and I don’t like it. They can get away with it on a couple of tracks, same as you could get away with using a trombone if you wanted to, but on every track? No, sorry guys.

This is the second album so far this year, to have really disappointed me, the first being the latest offering from The Decemberists. Maybe 2009 is going to be a bad year for music, maybe when Brand New release their new album, I will be disappointed (I will kill if that happens…) maybe Frank Turner’s album in September will be talentless and mediocre (and then cows everywhere will grown pink hair). I more think that some bands might have, for now, expired, passed their greatness, and slid over into mediocrity.

I won’t be listening to this album over and over like their previous pieces, I won’t even bother going out and getting it on CD, my download more than sufficed. When they release another album, I will listen, but have such low expectations, since this album has just lowered my opinion on Maximo Park as they are today. I cannot say I recommend it, I think that if you love their past two albums as much as I did, it will disappoint you. I think that if you are looking for a great album full of energy and ingenious lyrics and unique sounds, you are looking in the wrong place, it ain’t here babe…
 

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