MAXIMO PARK - NATURE ALWAYS WINS
Maximo Park are gearing up to the release of their seventh studio album this month, Nature Always Wins. With an array of components forming the record, it was never going to be anything other than great.
Maximo Park are gearing up to the release of their seventh studio album this month, Nature Always Wins. Recording their individual contributions to the album from their own homes, the band had to send audio files over to Ben Allen, Grammy winning producer of Gnarls Barkley (and musician in his own right). Recordings were happening in Newcastle and Liverpool, whilst Allen resided in Atlanta, Georgia. All the different components that make up this record show for themselves what a difficult task this must have been, but one they’ve pulled off nonetheless.
Opener ‘Partly Of My Making’ begins with a raw, indie twang that leads into a couple of quite safe songs - your classic, identifiable Maximo Park songs but nothing too out of the ordinary, although lyrics such as “I can barely comprehend all these versions of you / When you were still brand new / Well I couldn’t picture you / But now I’m seeing in my dreams all these versions of you” prove Smith knows how to write a bloody good tune.
As the album progresses, it’s clear to see they’ve taken influence from a multitude of genres, yet there’s a distinct 80s sound throughout. ‘Placeholder’ was the first tune to really jump out as along these lines, where the guitar sounds jangly and uses a chorus effect. ‘Meeting Up’ has more of a disco feel, with electric drums and synths making up the main body of the song, accompanied by lovely, soft vocals. It was at this point it started to become more obvious that this wasn’t a ‘safe’ album at all, but one that’s experimental and different to what was expected.
The last two songs of the LP are my personal favourites, ‘Feelings I’m Supposed To Feel’ features some light vocals yet again, but this time alongside harmonies and spoken word. ‘Child Of The Flatlands’ is the final, longest and most innovative track of them all, including string instruments, rainsticks and shakers all on top of reverse guitar effects. It feels quite intense as there seems to be a lot going on, but it all fits so well together and partnered with Paul Smith’s distinctive voice, it was never going to be anything other than great. In saying that, writing a review, “how objective can I be?”
Elisha Cloughton
★★★★☆