Maxïmo Park
A Certain Trigger
Warp / 2005


As is the current trend with nascent UK bands, Maxïmo Park predicated (and, to some extent, abrogated) the release of their debut full-length with a string of three, exceedingly strong singles, "The Coast is Always Changing / The Night I Lost My Head," and "Apply Some Pressure." All released by Warp, these tunes ignited the usual maelstrom among UK cred-mongers, and even succeeded in turning a few US hipsters' heads. "Apply Some Pressure" is assuredly the best of the set, and even scored the band a UK Top 20 hit. It's easy to see why. With its jangled guitar riff, pounding bass line, and exploding chorus it resonates with everyone's pop-pleasure sensibilities, and the vocal interplay of its close is so catchy, it may never manage to unhinge itself from your memory. To a lesser extent, "The Coast is Always Changing / The Night I Lost My Head" follows suit, providing these Newcastle-upon-Tyne (yes, they want you to know they're not from London) boys a bona fide raison d'etre (umlaut not included).

A Certain Trigger continues to demonstrate Maxïmo Park's adept songwriting abilities, and listeners will surely find rewards with each spin. The band’s noteworthy singles are joined by a solid cadre of standout performances. "Limassol" is built upon a spiraling line of squelching synths, but later brims with angular punk energy. "I Want You to Stay" is a bit more heartfelt than one would expect from a band so concerned with the anti-London aesthetic, but its chorus is a luscious, well-executed mix of fragility and force. The forthcoming single "Graffiti" fails to capture the intended tone of the 1968 Paris riots (yeah, I know), but will surely hit a chord among single-conscious audiences and may even cause the girls to go a tad faint in their Chuck Taylors.

Yet what curtailed a full-blown frenzy (like what occurred with Bloc Party's pre-LP singles "Banquet" and "Little Thoughts") over Maxïmo Park is their unyielding rigidity. Unlike modern reference points the Futureheads, whose vocal harmonies add immense space to songs, and (the grossly under appreciated) Tangiers, whose focus on grittiness give songs room to breathe, Maxïmo Park reveled in their claustrophobic tendencies with their initial tunes, and A Certain Trigger fails to break the habit.

Overall, A Certain Trigger is a rewarding listen. Yet its stiffness precludes it from transcending the already overcrowded new wave retread landscape.

-- Phil DePaul, 4/17/05