Too Much Information… Should you razor few bob to buy it, or shave your money?
Review: Maxïmo Park – Too Much Information
Published on February 6th, 2014 | Jonny Abrams
Too Much Information, not enough imagination? Sorry, but listening to Maxïmo Park’s fifth album straight after the new Bombay Bicycle Club LP is to shine a light on its deficiencies.
“You give a little, you get a little” sings Paul Smith on opener “Give, Get, Take”, but give Too Much Information your attention and all you’ll get in return are pleasant but predictable songs with overfamiliar synth sounds tacked halfheartedly onto them.
That Maxïmo Park recorded this in Field Music‘s studio reflects similarly poorly upon them, specifically because they sound light years behind their fellow Mackems in terms of ambition, creativity, execution…everything, really.
Smith’s vocals for the most part settle into an agreeable timbre – as opposed to the kind of Futureheads-y spluttering which to be fair we only draw comparison with out of geography – and there are some strong-ish moments.
“Brain Cells” is a sultry surprise that might very well have stepped in off the new Bombay Bicycle Club album (albeit it’s followed by a succession of similarly rendered diminishing returns), while “I Recognise the Light” and “Her Name Was Audre” at least get nice and lively.
On the other hand, “Lydia, the Ink Will Never Dry” belies its Morrissey-esque title by providing little of interest, while the rubbery ’80s synth of “Is It True?” sounds distinctly like uninspired shorthand for experimentation, the likes of which comes naturally to Field Music but just feels like an afterthought in Maxïmo Park’s hands.
Too Much Information is out now on Daylighting.
BUY: Too Much Information on iTunes and on Amazon.
Rocksucker says: Two and a Half Quails out of Five!
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
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