Artist: Maxïmo Park
Album: Quicken The Heart
Year: 2009
Grade: 2.5 pretzels
The “Entirely Forgettable Brindie Rock Album Of The Month” Award is being given out early this month. May’s big winners (by which I mean “losers”) are Maxïmo Park and their new album, Quicken The Heart. However, the good news is that Maxïmo Park have managed to throw together an album with a few redeemable points. As usual, it’s a lackluster British indie rock album that will soon be appearing in used CD racks near you, but Maxïmo Park benefit from being one of the more talented British acts running around these days.
Despite having the same tired formula (staccato guitars, eighth-note basslines, shiny production) as similar acts, Maxïmo Park grabbed attention with their 2005 debut, A Certain Trigger. What really set them apart in my mind was their stunning grasp of melody and ability to craft those melodies into catchy tunes. With punchy anthems like “Apply Some Pressure” along with tender, ballad-ish songs like “The Coast Is Always Changing”, Maxïmo Park were one of the early standouts from the British indie rock mob. They even had a secret weapon: frontman Paul Smith’s ridiculously charming North English accent, proving you can be awesome even in the face of such a bland name.
Sadly, Maxïmo Park have spent the past four years undoing all the good work their first album accomplished. Their follow-up, Our Earthly Pleasures, is one of those albums you’d rather just never talk about again. Aside from the semi-acceptable single “Our Velocity”, it was a crushing disappointment. All those catchy tunes were seemingly thrown out the window. Quicken The Heart is plagued by the same problem. The band seems more sure of themselves now, but the actual songs are fairly weak. Even Smith’s ever-charming voice can’t hide the fact that there isn’t much depth to this album.
The best part of Quicken The Heart are the song titles. “Wraithlike” and “Let's Get Clinical” both make me smile and the album also gives us the head-scratch-inducing “The Penultimate Clinch”. Smith has always had a flair for language, which only adds to his general charm. If only these songs could sound as good as their titles. Instead, “The Penultimate Clinch” (and the others for that matter) is a routine piece of Brindie noodling, with a jumpy bassline and spiky little bits of guitar sprinkled around. Even the passable lead single "The Kids Are Sick Again" has a tendency to become boring after only a minute or so. For a band that rarely exceeds two-and-a-half minutes on their songs, that’s a huge problem.
Still, for all my whining, the album isn’t terrible. Smith’s voice and lyricism are still in top form, even with drab music behind him. There are the occasional moments where the furious guitar rush actually becomes fairly thrilling. But, far too much time is wasted on Brindie-by-numbers playing. Maxïmo Park have always been more promising than their peers, but since their first album, they have yet to realize that potential. I believe they still have the ability to make great albums. However, if they release a few more in the vein of Quicken The Heart, I may be forced to change my mind.
Despite having the same tired formula (staccato guitars, eighth-note basslines, shiny production) as similar acts, Maxïmo Park grabbed attention with their 2005 debut, A Certain Trigger. What really set them apart in my mind was their stunning grasp of melody and ability to craft those melodies into catchy tunes. With punchy anthems like “Apply Some Pressure” along with tender, ballad-ish songs like “The Coast Is Always Changing”, Maxïmo Park were one of the early standouts from the British indie rock mob. They even had a secret weapon: frontman Paul Smith’s ridiculously charming North English accent, proving you can be awesome even in the face of such a bland name.
Sadly, Maxïmo Park have spent the past four years undoing all the good work their first album accomplished. Their follow-up, Our Earthly Pleasures, is one of those albums you’d rather just never talk about again. Aside from the semi-acceptable single “Our Velocity”, it was a crushing disappointment. All those catchy tunes were seemingly thrown out the window. Quicken The Heart is plagued by the same problem. The band seems more sure of themselves now, but the actual songs are fairly weak. Even Smith’s ever-charming voice can’t hide the fact that there isn’t much depth to this album.
The best part of Quicken The Heart are the song titles. “Wraithlike” and “Let's Get Clinical” both make me smile and the album also gives us the head-scratch-inducing “The Penultimate Clinch”. Smith has always had a flair for language, which only adds to his general charm. If only these songs could sound as good as their titles. Instead, “The Penultimate Clinch” (and the others for that matter) is a routine piece of Brindie noodling, with a jumpy bassline and spiky little bits of guitar sprinkled around. Even the passable lead single "The Kids Are Sick Again" has a tendency to become boring after only a minute or so. For a band that rarely exceeds two-and-a-half minutes on their songs, that’s a huge problem.
Still, for all my whining, the album isn’t terrible. Smith’s voice and lyricism are still in top form, even with drab music behind him. There are the occasional moments where the furious guitar rush actually becomes fairly thrilling. But, far too much time is wasted on Brindie-by-numbers playing. Maxïmo Park have always been more promising than their peers, but since their first album, they have yet to realize that potential. I believe they still have the ability to make great albums. However, if they release a few more in the vein of Quicken The Heart, I may be forced to change my mind.
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