I to, used to dream of girls playing guitars (Our Earthly Pleasures - Maximo Park)

Member Name: mtpatton

Product:	Our Earthly Pleasures - Maximo Park
Date:	08/03/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Really catchy songs, thought provoking lyrics

Disadvantages: A couple of average tracks

I love this album, its really catchy and with thoughproking lyrics at the same time. The current line up of the band is that of a five piece

Tom English - drums
Duncan Llyod - Guitars
Paul Smith - Vocals
Archis Tiku - Bass
Lukas Wooller - Keyboard

Track by Track Listing
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1) Girls who play guitars - An excellent start from the band. A nice guitar rift leads in to a nice melody. This song is based on a couples past experiences about dreaming about girls who play guitars or talking about plans in tiny bars. A really good way to kick off the album and a song that is played in indie/rock clubs 9/10

2) Our velocity - Wow! There is so much energy in this song and is a real floor filler from the band. The energy seems to get more intense throughout the song. This song is all about some speed and velocity as the band point out in the chorus. Excellent track and the best one on the album 10/10

3) Books from Boxes - The energy deployed in the first two tacks quickly vanishes with a nice slow opening to this track, which after the first verse does increase but never quite reaches the first tow tracks. There are some quite thought provoking lines in this track my favourite is 'from the air, stadium lights stand out like flares' Another good track 8/10

4) Russian Literature - modern architecture, already left to decay is the opening line of this song. The band also display my first glimpse of their northern eastern location by the line of travelling trans-pennine, which is a train I have been on many times, whilst the friendly northern accent is almost hidden. Another good song from the band 7/10

5) Karaoke Plays - A real slow start to this song with an acoustic guitar starting the song off before a steady drumbeat livens the song up. The lowest charting single released by the band to date and I'm surprised that this one was picked as a single - 6/10

6) Your urge - A change of intro to this song gives a different feel to it from the off with a nice melody of a keyboard playing this track in. Favourite line on the album is hidden in this thoughtful gem as 'people are judged on their mistakes and the money that they make'. Put simply peoples opinions suck, why do we focus on the negatives? Right up there with the best with a more chilled out feel to it. 9/10

7) The Unshockable - As you can probably tell by now, I love this album, but this is one of the weaker tracks on it. This is still a good track but it never quite reaches the heights of the other massive tracks on the album. Stills gets a 7/10 though

8) The Monument finds another song, which gives an image of the upbringing in the Northeast as the monument, is found in the centre of Newcastle. A more up-tempo feel to this song. This song paints so many scenes of when I was growing up and is one of my favourite tracks on the album 9/10

9) Nosebleed - a slower song where I think Paul Smiths vocal range is shown off perfectly with loads of pace changes. Again another song where the lyrics provide imagery which is one of the bands top traits. 7/10

10) A fortnights time - This song is less about guitars but the keyboard plays more of a role. A nice chorus to this song about an old fashioned gentleman who actually asks a girl on a date. That is a rare thing these days! But in a fortnight's time she will be mine is the underlining thought. 7/10

11) Sandblasted and set free - This is a song that doesn't sound like the band (unless you have heard the previous album that is). A whole lot more mellow and is an excellent change of pace and tempo by the band where the backing vocals play the biggest part on any song on the album. Nice location in the album listing order as well. 8/10

12) Parisian skies - A guitar intro to a song that is an excellent track to finish the album off. A good up tempo track to finish the album with. 8/10

Maximo Live
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I was lucky enough to catch the Park at the Oxford Academy in December. Firstly because the tickets were sold out in record time and secondly because this band seriously rock. The energy displayed on the album is cleanly carried through to the live performance where Paul Smith gives a spirited and energetic delivery as a front man. I have seen many bands live in the last 2 years and these, in my opinion, are easily the best. The energy also passed itself among each and every member of a transfixed audience.

The live performance spans all of the two albums by the band and includes songs from Radio one live lounge. For value for money it is excellent. If you got a chance to see them live again, I would go without hesitation. The bands website can be found at http://www.maximopark.com/ and a quick search on you tube finds all of the bands singles videos

Interesting facts
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Archis Tiku was the original frontman of the band until the band decided to change as they were close to splitting up.

Paul Smith was discovered by Tom England's girlfriend whilst singing in a pub to Stevie Wonder's Superstition.

Maximo park were asked by the brewers of newcastle brown ale to design a Maximo Brown ale which was on sale for one month only

The band have so far released 10 singles in the UK from two albums. Only one of these has reached the top spot, which was our velocity, and Our Earthly pleasures reached number 2 in the album chart.

Summary: great album and a great band.