Weekly > Reviews
Maximo Park - Quicken The Heart
If I was nineteen and studying pre-war German architecture at Manchester University, with a weekend job as a resentful sales assistant at H.M.V , and with an unhealthy interest in the late Ian Curtis, Maximo Park would be my favourite band.
They’re young, they’re thrusting, they’re a bit like the Kaiser Chiefs (but with a humour by-pass).
This third album contains twelve chirpy innofensive sing- a -long jerky pop songs that range from the merely formulaic to the even more formulaic. unfortunately there is nothing here to set my pop heart on fire, its all pretty standard fayre, i’m sorry but i’ve heard it all before, (mainly between 1992 and 1998)....its Brit Pop but with a nicer line in keyboards…..and another thing why are the yanks so much better at jerky pop than us ? Is it something to do with the weather?...discuss.
I hear echoes of Shed 7, The Buzzcocks and even Mansun (younger viewers may need to consult wikipedia !)...i’m not saying it’s bad but to these aging cynical ears its deja vu on an industrial scale.
Having said that, there are some irresstable anthemic nuggets ‘Calm’ ...‘In Another World’ and the delightfully titled ‘The Kids Are Sick Again’ are especially groovesome, you can imagine the ensuing moshpit mayhem scenerio when these are aired live.
- Maximo Park
- Quicken The Heart (2009)
- Category: Album
- Label: Warp Records
- Reviewed by: john haylock
- Published on: 02 Jun 2009
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
Weblinks
Add to favouritesProbably the best thing about the album is Paul Smiths nonchalant vocals, the way he phrases ‘come over here my dear, I need to have a word in your ear’ (in another world) is a great pop moment.
Hang on! I’ve changed my mind, all those resentful sales assistants and smart young pop kids are right, Maximo Park are really fab and Quicken The Heart is the greatest album ever made. I’m an old fart and im going to kill myself. Next.
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