Maxïmum Fun

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 17, 2005 11:06PM

Maxïmo Park is yet another in the seemingly endless stream of new new-wave groups to come crashing the party in the last year or so. With an album that sounds a bit like The Clash and The Jam falling down a flight of stairs and a live show generating pretty routinely positive reviews the time is obviously ripe for them to take over America.

Or at least be yet another in a seemingly endless stream of new new-wave groups to try their luck bouncing around this great expanse.

Their debut, A Certain Trigger came on the heels of a few singles heavily fawned over by the English music press. Unlike most English music press fawning, though, these accolades actually had legs. The disc opens with the slow build and exuberant crescendo of “Signal & Sign” and things promise to only get better from there. Lead-off and follow-up singles “Apply Some Pressure” and “Graffiti” (respectively) cement that promise as the band continues to writhe with energetic and angular tunes that sound equal parts fun and torment. The guitars chug under the constant umbrella provided by an organ straight out of yet another Rhino garage-rock collector’s set -- sorry for the clumsy reference but who knows whether “the kids” would understand a Nuggets or Lenny Kaye reference -- but the tunes are full on the Mod Sounds of Now with way more attitude.

Tomorrow night Maxïmo Park plays an early show at Bottom Lounge (people weren’t meant to rock and/or roll before nightfall but for these guys we recommend you make an exception) and local folks University and Popsick open.