Quicken The Heart (CD+DVD) [Special Edition]

Third album - will they get so big in sound and produced that they end up sounding stadium impersonal and lose their idiosyncratic charm in the process? I didn't really fear this, since the second album, though definitely given a different production polish from A Certain Trigger, had avoided this hurdle already. But it did make me wonder where the sound would go and how they could push it further.

The answer lies in more keys, less straight guitar and more guitar which often sounds like keys (and even vocal - see "Overland" 's intro) and an unashamedly pop route which takes in early 80s infleunces (Joy Division - "Penultimate Clinch", Blondie - "Calm", Gary Numan - "Let's Get Clinical" and mid 80s A-Ha - "In Another World", "I Haven't Seen Her in Ages") without sounding slavishly derivative and still retaining Maximo's typically quixotic approach to the verse and chorus formula and key and tempo changes ("Cloud of Mystery" in paricular for the key changes). "Overland" is a masterpiece in confidence, taking the Maximo chaos to the limit - you think it's going nowhere but when you get to know it you realise the verse and chorus and it's arguably the one track where straight guitar and keys come out equal.

So, the songrwriting prevails, though possibly the pop strength makes the lyricism of gritty modern urban life a bit less immediate at first. It's interesting that though this is definitely a musical progression there are moments of old school structure and melody that take you back to A Certian Trigger but with a 2009 twist - "Let's Get Clinical" is reminsicent of "I Want You to Stay" while "I Haven't Seen Her in Ages", in its simnplicity (and folkishly beautiful close harmonies), is a "Kiss You Better" for 2009 and, like "Kiss You Better", is a sweet album closer.

In keeping with the unashamed pop feel, I've counted at least 4 songs with enthusiastic "wo-oh"s and oh-oh"s, which somehow sit easily alongside Maximo's ability to produce film noir soundtracks such as "Roller Disco Dreams" (for me, some kind of reprise in feel of Our Earthly Pleasures' "Parisian Skies"). With that and "Cloud of Mystery" I'm sure they've been listening to the music of Konami's horror strategy game series, Silent Hill! A minor minor negative point - "Questing Not Coasting" sounds as though it was recorded at a different time, its production just doesn't have the energy of the rest of the tracks - but it's a small minus in a sea of plusses.

So it's quintesssentially Maximo and yet not just more of the same, though I guess the move to less noticeable guitar and more synth might polarise opinion and leave some harking back to the rawer sound of old. Personally, I'm loving the confidence with which they have been able to deliver something so unashamedly pop. I'm sure I can hear in the tracks that Paul Smith really enjoys singing these songs - and that's singing with a full, lusty karaoke heart. Go and listen on their MySpace for the rest of this week - what have you got to lose? - and buy without regret! It's a rare feat that an album almost immediately catchy also has enough depth to keep you coming back. I've been listening on repeat the past 3 days without a hint of boredom yet and I keep discovering new elements. I can't wait to play it on a music system when I get the cd!

It's an incomparable experience to feel so excited that a new album from a band you appreciate has gone beyond your expecatations - and Maximo, for me, have done it again. Some published reviews have been kinder to this album than the last. I hope this comes off and this is the year Maximo win some high profile accolades. Surely it's time for that Mercury nomination to be turned into a winner.

Having read the other reviews, I'd say that I was somewhere in between in my reaction to the Park's latest.

Given that the release date of this album was in my calendar for months, it would be fair to say that I was very much looking forward to a listen and expectations were high.

I must say however, that I wasn't blown away on the initial play. Yet I think this was more of a case of heightened anticipation and the inevitable comparisons with A Certain Trigger and Our Earthly Pleasures.

What the album does lack compared with those first two is that standout killer track that sucks you into the album and prompts you to compulsively play it. For me, it was Our Velocity and I Want You to Stay on the first two which got me hooked and keen to explore the other tracks.

So in that sense, I'll agree with the negative review here in saying that The Kids are Sick Again isn't the strongest single Maximo Park have ever released.

But don't despair... to nick one of Paul's lyrics "it's a grower" and my persistence has paid off in hitting the repeat button. The sound is still them (if a little less guitar heavy) and the lyrics still mark them out as one of the most insightful and poetic bands we have in this country.

There's some cracking tracks which I've really warmed to - Let's Get Clinical, I Haven't Seen Her in Ages, Calm - and I've got a funny suspicion that they will all sound great when I go and see them live tomorrow.

Whether the new tracks will match up to their predecessors however is another matter.

To put it simply, if you like the Park, you'll probably like Quicken the Heart, though you might not like it as much as their previous albums.

Not having been a large fan of the park up until early this year I couldn't believe just what I had missed. Fantastic lyrics, a gorgeous voice singing, stunning sounds. And a keyboard player. A tiny detail to some but as a keyboard player myself I'm finding there are less bands including said players anymore.
I was eangerly awaiting this album, having pre-ordered as soon as I heard it was out. I steered clear of any reviews until I'd heard it myself. Wraithlike and The Kids Are Sick Again had already been blasted through my speakers from youtube, giving me a fairly good idea of what to expect.
Unfortunately I have to say I wasn't grabbed when hearing it first. I put it on repeat and soon found, to my surprise, I was singing the words. As he says, If it's a grower, why can't we take things slower? Well, Mr Smith, I was prepared to take Quicken The Heart slowly, and found it really was a grower.
Delving further I fell quietly in love.
Calm.
One of their best songs yet? I think so. Those beautiful melodies, the sweet lyrics and that tiny keyboard pattern that totally makes the song. That, and Questing, Not Coasting (thank god it's a single!) are the two highlights for me. Something else I've recently discovered: That Beating Heart - B side to Questing. Such a shame it wasn't included on the album, as soon as the piano began I was hooked. Also if not buying from iTunes I thoroughly recommend Lost Property: a quiet song, but lovely in its own right.
Weak points: Wraithlike, The Kids Are Sick Again and Overland. On their own they're superb, but next to the other songs? Not quite.
So, their best album? Better than their second, and probably on a par with their first.
A simply beautiful album.
Oh, and the dvd. It's a shame it didn't have live footage of the new album, but when you watch it, that doesn't seem to matter anymore. They create such an atmosphere, performing almost better live than on record. It's nice to see footage from two completely different gigs intertwined. Again, highlights: I Want You To Stay and Acrobat.
It's brilliant to not only have them on record, but also see them live. Really there isn't much difference.
Such an underated band, but maybe it's better like that. No radio stations playing them to death like they do to so many other songs.
Go buy this album now, you won't regret it and the songs will stay with you long after you heard them.
Next stop: seeing them live for myself!