Maximo Park - Books From Boxes (Warp)
4/5
By: Alex Lee Thomson
You have to admit that Maxïmo Park are awesome at what they do. No. Shut up. They just are. Their jerky and angular rock music has graced the nation for three ceaseless years and although this isn't their biggest tune, we still have 'Apply Some Pressure' for that bracket; it is their most instantly adorable. Paul turns up the loving natural benevolence of his voice for this perfectly elegant ballad, allowing some tenderly nostalgic lyrics to lace a reoccurring REM-like guitar riff which crops up between the delicate drums and kitsch, broken Simon and Garfunkle-like melodies which all sound reassuringly familiar. This is a rare moment of relaxation for a band famous for nose-bleed-inducing anthems, and a massive u-turn from their previous single 'Our Velocity', the first tune to be taken from their well-received second album, 'Our Earthly Pleasures'.
'Books From Boxes' is a welcomed change of pace, and shows Maxïmo as a band capable of so much more than power-chord descending shout-out-loud numbers. This song is a pursuer of the best Dylan influenced records and takes the band from their diamond-edged pounding comfort zone and into the musical monarchy you feel Smith would be more at home in - this after all is a guy who'd gladly stand onstage and read from a poetry book (for real) if his band mates would let him. Smith is a great poet himself and at last we get to hear, cut back to bear minimal, albeit perfectly executed music, his verse beating at the centre of a single without an obvious crowd pleasing lick or screaming chorus... both of which this song avoids, purposely and wonderfully.
Watch the video to 'Books From Boxes' on Rockfeedback HERE.
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