Maximo Park "Our Earthly Pleasures" (Warp)
By Ryan Harig
Monday. May 21, 12:02 AM
Only 50% awesome.

I remember walking through record stores when I was in high school. It was a golden time when I could literally buy eight or 10 albums in one run, blowing a whole two weeks’ check and not caring one bit, cuz goddamnit it was worth it and all I really needed was music anyway. During this period, I came across A LOT of stuff that I still listen to today (namely Hum, Shiner, Mogwai, Vast, and Radiohead). One of the first albums I tripped over in my freshmen stupor was OK Computer, and from that album a stereotype of England was born: one that I believed, for the most part, produced more meaningful music than any that could be made here in No Man’s Land. Hell, we were producing bands like Creed, and in all honesty we Americans will never live that boo boo down.

Then I got older. I realized that America’s got just as big a pumping heart of musical genius as most countries, and in fact there’s just as much – if not more – shite over in the land of tea and crumpets as there is in the ol' U.S. of A.

I have heard of Maximo Park. I remember thinking, "Hmmm… this might be good. The guy sounds English." Then I put it in, and much like a few past albums I have heard from the UK, it lit up my face and I was ready to fall in love with a new Radiohead all over again. It’s a “first song” thing, I guess. A song that hits me like a hammer. Much like "Airbag" or "Like Eating Glass" (Bloc Party) or whatever albums Travis, Stereophonics, and Blur put out. But are Maximo Park the real thing or just another carbon copy, once the initial infatuation wears off? I mean, "Girls Who Play Guitars" is a bad ass song, but is it something special? It took me nearly three weeks of listening through the whole album to decipher what my thoughts are on Our Earthly Pleasures.

In a nutshell, it teeters on the edge of being too much of everything most of us have heard before. "Russian Literature" brings it up a bit, "Karaoke Plays" brings it up even higher, but then "Your Urge" gets annoying and takes it down, playing a bit too much on a Keane sounding brand of poo. I’m halfway convinced I like this band, but I never find myself pushing to listen to Our Earthly Pleasures. And when I do, it’s only to be pumped up by the singles, which are great. But do quick fixes last a whole meal? No, and “Girls Who Play Guitars” unfortunately can’t hold up for the rest of the record.
www.maximopark.com
www.warprecords.com

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Ryan Harig

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