Maximo Park - 'A Certain Trigger' (Warp)
4/5
By: Matt Tomiak
Some debut albums want to change the world. This one doesn't. Although Maximo Park seem fairly content to sit quietly(ish) at the back of the nu-Britpop classroom, 'A Certain Trigger' ranks with the other great UK debut records of 2005.
It fuses the spirit of Roxy Music's Geordie rock, Pulp's outsider defiance, Franz Ferdinand's arch wit, fellow north-easterners The Futureheads quickfire pop sensibility and all the best bits of The Smiths to rather fine effect. Indeed, it's enough to make even Mozzer sit up and take notice: all those knowingly clever lyrics, a sense of wistful, quintessentially British nostalgia and, on 'Apply Some Pressure' singer Paul Smith's (oh, the irony) pleas to some unattainable partner to take their clothes off - all most familiar territory to Stephen Patrick.
And in the finest traditions of the Great British Singles Band, Maximo Park draw upon the mundane to create something that transcends it. 'Graffiti' channels the frustrations of English provincial life ('Nothing happens in my town') into a rip-snorting glam charger; 'The Coast Is Always Changing' manages to be somehow both very romantic and very sad. Blokes from Newcastle aren't necessarily known for their ability to lament the end of personal intimacy and lay bare undisguised emotional vulnerability. 'Acrobat', however, does just that - Smith slowly chronicling his woes ('This can't be what you want - but you didn't have to demolish me') over abrasive, My Bloody Valentine-style guitars. He Knows It's Over, alright.
Nevertheless, the divulgence of the death of this particular relationship could just herald the start of a far more rewarding bond between Maximo Park and the record-buying public.
Artists in this article: Maximo Park
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