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By: Jan Bunny
Date: 16th Nov 05
Release: Album
To Cure: An empty dancefloor
What:
A Certain Trigger
Who:
Maxïmo Park
On:
Warp
The difficult second album is often the death knell for bands. There is always another younger band with tighter jeans, sharper haircuts, and an album full of classic tracks that aren't yet being flogged on Austereo (sorry, Franz).
Enter Maxïmo Park. They've got an umlaut, style, and with A Certain Trigger, a killer debut album that is crammed with edgy hooks and lyrics that read like a cultural studies textbook for jaded romantics. Produced by Paul Epworth who cut his teeth on Bloc Party and the Futureheads' debuts, A Certain Trigger features a razor sharp balance between rhythm and ruckus, depth and danceability.
Singer Paul Smith's Northern British accent and underdog stoicism channels some of the same charisma as Morrissey, Cocker and Smith (of the Cure variety) albeit with a shot of new-wave/post-punk energy.
Bandwagon or not Maxïmo Park deserve their 39 minutes of fame, just don't wait till album number two before jumping on board.