Maximo Park - Quicken the heart

Maximo Park are a north east indie band, which have come out with some great indie tracks with the sharp bite of punk combined with some pop sensibilities. Their opening album 'A Certain Trigger' fit this description to a tee, with songs such as apply some pressure and graffiti packing the punch of their live shows. The second album 'Our Earthly Pleasures' took the band in a different direction, although 'Our Velocity' followed the formula that proved succesful with the fans, other tracks took a much more sensitive and mellow approach. Each album offered something different for the fans to warm to, however it was unclear which direction they would take in their 3rd album.
Opening track Wraithlike chucks listeners straight into the mix with jangling guitars and an ever present war siren sound grabbing you by the throat as Paul Smith sings with trademark passion 'A list of wraithlike things, That quicken the heart!'. A tale of a forgotten love as he sings 'She said i'd forget her voice, that's untrue, it's just not as clear as before'. 'The Penultimate Clinch' shows the bands more intelectual angle, with a sophisticated name and a Joy Division-esque bassline. Following the pattern is a over intelectualised analogy of love 'But it's like dismantling
A decommissioned spacecraft,Some parts you can't destroy' not the most romantic of analogies. Ultimately this track is forgettable with what seems like a forced chorus. Fortunately the next track that comes along is single 'The Kids Are Sick Again' a track whose depressing message of a meaningless life for children of this generation is covered by jangling guitars and pounding drums. The pace is relentless throughout with a swirl of instruments, along with the sing-along build up lines 'I-Don't-Mind, Losing self respect, i've done it before and i'll do it again' and 'The kids are sick again, Nothing to look forward to' that are just aching to be screamed live. A good choice for a single, however it doesn't quite hold up to previous singles such as 'Apply Some Pressure' and 'Our Velocity'. The more emotional vocals that were displayed on the second album are displayed in 'Cloud of mystery' a track with funky instrumentals with smith cooing 'Why can't we always meet, Under a cloud of mystery' a sentiment to grab hold of the moments of intrigue in the openings of romance. The passionate singing and upbeat instumentals make this one of the standout tracks on the albums showing a growing maturity in the bands style.
'Calm' is a steady song, that only really kicks into anything worthwhile about half way, with the line that marks out Smith as different from the loud rowdy indie crowd 'I don't know much about bravery, but I'll raise you up with my bad jokes and loose promises'. Similarly bitter track 'In another world' only really picks up any originality in the second half, once the melody picks up some pace. Smith opens with aggresion 'Your looking so pleased with yourself, I'm gonna come over there and wipe that smile of your face' with the contrast of more yearning vocals by smith 'In another world, you'd have found yourself by now'. An unspectacular pair of songs, if only to fill the gaps in the album between the more impressive songs such as next track 'Let's get clinical' again with funky basslines and Smith showing he has some vocal talent singing 'Oooo it's criminal, Ohhh let's get clinical' with a toe tapping melody and echoing Ooo's making this one of the standout's for a second single, with some cracking lyrics 'Bare ankles used to mean adventure, with you they still do'. Smith again flexes his lyrical muscles in 'Roller Disco Dreams' with the lyrics 'We shared a bed but never touched, Next time we compensated in a rush'. A relentless flurry of guitars and passionate vocals 'I just wanna kiss youu!' and lyrics 'And if its a growerr, Why can't we take things slower' in trademark northern tones make this another strong track. The pace slows with tanned as Smith longily sings 'She was my reward, And i was hers' along with adolescent memories where 'Her mother let me stay, After the disco made us deaf' another average song to fill in the gaps along with 'Questing, not coasting' with not enough intention and passion to grab the listener. 'Overland, West of Suez' takes up this mantel however, with a frenetic pace and well sung vocals, however where this is let down is with uninspiring lyrics 'I thought I saw your older sister, I was gonna ask after you, North of Suez west of britain'. Final track has one of the most literal names in the music business (I haven't seen her in ages) fortunately however it is a highly enjoyable song with a plodding and pleasant melody with further yearning 'I would put my arms around you, by the kitchen sing, I would hold on until you start to dream' and a playful chorus 'She ripped me to shreds, I haven't seen her in ages', ending the album on a high.
All in all a tricky album to review, standout tracks have to be Wraithlike, The Kids Are Sick Again, A Cloud of Mystery, Haven't Seen Her in Ages and strongest track Let's Get Clinical. However for all that these songs show promise there are far too many average tracks on this album to rate it too highly, though if heard seperately each song may have listeners toes tapping put together they show too little promise. Therefore Maximo have created an album that will not rule them out of the race just let, relying on their stronger songs and their live performances for now, however next time around they need to up their game : 6.5/ 10