There were a few sniffy reviews when Maxïmo Park's second album was released, and while it's true that Our Earthly Pleasures wasn't quite the track-after-track stunner that their debut was, there was still a fair amount of gold dust sprinkled there.
Books From Boxes was one of those special moments, another slice of wistful melancholy with some verySmiths-era Johnny Marr guitar licks and Paul Smith's deep, rich voice sounding better than ever. Smith is one of those lyricists who isn't afraid to throw some imagery into his words - sometimes it doesn't work, but lines like "From the air, stadium lights stand out like flares and all I know is that you're sat here right next to me" can't fail to tug on the heartstrings.
It's not as frenzied as previous single Our Velocity but it's more proof that Maxïmo Park should really be one of our most treasured British bands.
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