Born To Just Be

Maximo Park
A Certain Trigger (Warp)

For the past month or so, I've been listening to the newest post-punk pre-poster band, Maximo Park (forgive the lack of umlauts, I don't know how to work such things in the "blogisphere"). Their debut album A Certain Trigger is very enjoyable, and that's pretty much all I have to say.

You see, like every catchy, hooky, dancy record that frosts my cake, A Certain Trigger dropped out of the rotation after a couple of weeks, destined to sit next to the half finished plastic jar of red vines and what's left of fizzed-out lukewarm 2-liter bottle of Tahitian Treat soda pop. Sometimes an overload on the sweetness is just too much to stomach.

Why did I listen to the album so much? Well, clearly it's appealing to me. Here we have a band heavily compared to Bloc Party, but in my eyes follows more in the path of The Futureheads (who might I add played a their best SF show to date last weekend and continue to wow me even if their light show can induce the the most epileptic of seizures, which might be confused with robotic post-punk dancing, I suppose). Despite a simliarity (with thick English brogue) in voices between Paul Smith and Futurehead Barry Hyde, Maximo Park don't own the harmonies Sunderland's finest do, but bands seldom do. But with robotic rhythms over hooky guitar lines, the Newcastle quintet do just fine. Single "Apply Some Pressure" is a charmismatic punky-synthy track while other single "The Coast is Always Changing" is a Cure-like, new wave pop song. See, they already have multiple singles.

And of course, every good post-punk has influences, many the same. I bet I can get the boys from 'Da Park (I think that's what the kids are probably calling them) to name their desert island discs faster than a Matt Tong hi-hat assault. Shit, I could probably guess them. "Graffiti", featuring an insanely catchy chorus that is way too short, references The Clash ("Lost in the Supermarket" specifically) while using the word "blatant" would not begin to describe the instrumental breakdown in "Once, A Glimpse" (borrowing from Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart", not even Paul Banks has that little shame). Though all is forgetten will the near perfect "Now I'm All Over the Shop". Though not entirely original at all, this is upbeat pop music at its finest.

Even with a good two handfuls of gems, this album is just there. Nothing more. It just exists to be a continuation of the soon to be faded post-punk rebirth. Though it'll probably not be monumental enough to hold up with the Franzies, Blockies or Futurehead... ies, it serves has a pretty decent album. It's got shortcomings and brilliant moments to match. It's the regular joe of post punk bands, I don't hate it, I don't love it, but I think I kinda like it. In fact, this is not really much of an album review as it's a declaration: "Here it is! It's the Maximo Park record, A Certain Trigger! It's... an album!"" I listented the album to its quick death because I was waiting to review it. So the real question arises: why did it take me so long to review A Certain Trigger? I'd like to say it was that I like expend all my energy entering an album and becoming one with it, no matter what vibe it sends, but really it's much more simple and honest if I say it was laziness.

Maximo Park plays Popscene @ 333 Ritch St. on 6/30/05 to the joy of college students and record nerds alike.

Maximo Park: http://www.maximopark.co.uk