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Album Details

• Artist: Maximo Park
• Album: Our Earthly Pleasures
• Label: Warp
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: mschmitt on 2007-03-20

Brace yourself for this one. Fusing a delicious union between the crashing post-punk of The Futureheads the pop-friendly dance-driven rhythms of Bloc Party, Maximo Park burst their way into 2007 with Our Earthly Pleasures. And what pleasures indeed! Vocalist Paul Smith's style in tracks like "Girls Who Play Guitars"? and "Our Velocity"? possess a smack of Futureheads' vocalist Barry Hyde, and explosive guitar instrumentals follow a vein of The Futureheads ("A Fortnight's Time"?)--but toned down, giving the overall impression of a pop-indie sound delicately toeing the post-punk waters. Drum-beat led tracks ("The Unshockable"?) allude to A Weekend in the City or even Franz Ferdinand, but fall short of being as eruptively monumental. "Russian Literature"? and others are more modest (think a more interesting Razorlight, or a modern Smiths) and spill out horrendously catchy melodies that will surely haunt your thoughts long after listening. Smith's vocals are always easy on the ear, and quieter pieces such as "Your Urge"? work beautifully where Barry Hyde or Kele Okereke may possibly falter.

Maximo Park pepper-spray Our Earthly Pleasures with a favorable mix of contrasting songs to keep things interesting, and by the closing riffs of "Parisian Skies"? your only thoughts will be of starting the whole thing over again. A release that will surely attract more than its share of comparisons to The Futureheads, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Withdrawal, and others, Maximo Park's second full-length is strong where the previously mentioned heavy-hitters are weak. Our Earthly Pleasures may not rocket up the charts as fast as A Weekend in the City or News & Tributes, but it is a delightful treat for anyone who loves what's been coming out of England lately--and will surely generate some positive buzz.

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