UK alt-rock vets Maximo Park just released their eighth album, Stream of Life, which they made in Atlanta with producer Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective). “We’ve always tried to document the world around us at each stage of our lives while subtly nudging the music forward each time,” frontman Paul Smith says. “This record continues that mission. It was great to be back in a studio after recording remotely last time. Working with Ben in Atlanta, and Burke in Byker, was as stimulating as it’s ever been, and I think we captured that energy. Thematically, the record covers passion, politics, and privilege amongst other topics.” The album also features “Dormant ‘Til Explosion” which features Pylon singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay. Listen below.
For more on the album, Paul Smith, Duncan Lloyd and Tom English told us about some of the music that inspired Stream of Life, including Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Sundays, Outkast, Smashing Pumpkins, Pylon, Steely Dan, Paul McCartney, and more. Check out their list and commentary below.
MAXIMO PARK – INFLUENCES BEHIND ‘STREAM OF LIFE’
1. Pylon – “Feast On My Heart”
We were very lucky to have Vanessa from Pylon as a guest vocalist on our new album. She sings on a song called “Dormant ‘Til Explosion” and brings her own unique style to it, making it more unusual and mysterious, I think. Her name came immediately to mind when our producer, Ben, suggested having another voice, local to the area in which we recorded (Maze Studio, Atlanta). As someone who grew up in Athens, he had a connection to Pylon, and we were happy and surprised when Vanessa said yes! The song I’ve chosen here is a good example of the fierce and funky style that made us fall in love with their music. [PAUL]
2. Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” (Piano version)
When we were writing the album, I watched Coda, a film about Sakamoto’s gruelling recovery from cancer. It made me think of how we use our time, and how to deal with thoughts of death. Sakamoto’s answer was to throw himself into his work, never losing the thrill of creating art, going about it with what I refer to as “a gentle devotion” in the song mentioned above, “Dormant ‘Til Explosion.” In his later life, he revisited some key earlier works using piano only, and the melody of “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” is one of my all-time favourites. [PAUL]
3. The Sundays – “Blood On My Hands”
During the discussion we had about how to approach the title track of our new album, Stream Of Life, our producer Ben started to strum the song on an acoustic guitar, which was not what I had in mind when writing the song! I had imagined it more like a power-pop song akin to The Cars, but it totally made sense in this new context. It reminded me of a lot of songs from my youth, such as this one from The Sundays’ second record, Blind. I loved the interplay between the overall melancholy and the breeziness of the acoustic guitar. I still do! [PAUL]
4. Paul McCartney – “One Of These Days”
Melody is at the centre of everything we do, regardless of genre – we love a good, hooky pop song! McCartney is probably the master of that approach so I’ve chosen one of his lesser-known solo numbers. Also, I feel like I was somehow influenced by it when singing a song called “Armchair View,” from our new album, which is predominantly acoustic and has a sweet melody, despite its darker lyrics. During the pandemic lockdowns, I hosted a radio show from my attic room to support the Star And Shadow, a local DIY cinema and music venue in Newcastle. In between my chosen songs, I would sometimes record a simple acoustic cover, and this was one of them. [PAUL]
Vessel – “Blonde”
Although not a direct influence on the record, we saw a great Atlanta band called Vessel supporting the fantastic Omni at The Earl. The following day I bumped into the guitarist, Keron, who was working at a local record shop so it was cool to talk a little music, get some recommendations and to tell him I really liked what they were doing. Listen to, “Lost Appeal” / “Blonde” from their album, “Wrapped In Cellophane.” [DUNCAN]
Radioactivity – “Alright”
Tom and I went out for Korean fried chicken one night then went to see where the energy was in East Atlanta, playing darts with locals in a place called Flatiron meeting people involved in Atlanta’s music scene, mainly from the punk and hip hop communities, we exchanged insights and conversations with people that gave you the sense that Atlanta was really on the rise, creatively. I remember hearing “Alright” by Radioactivity blasting into the night, that song echoed through my thoughts as we finished making the album. [DUNCAN]
Television – “1880 Or So”
I wrote most of the music for the album on an electric or bass guitar, in a rapid fire way, keeping ideas flowing, avoiding referencing anything directly. However, there are a couple of songs that needed a dramatic change in feel and pace. “Armchair View” was the first, I wrote it picking through an idea on an acoustic, combining two loops, adding keys & atmospheric pads, leading to a sadder chorus for Paul to write his lyrics to. The other was “No Such Thing As A Society,” which feels more cyclical, I’m sure that has a lot to do with Tom’s drums, very autumnal. When we arrived in Atlanta I was listening to “1880 or So” by Television, not so much the sound but the repetition, atmosphere and air that it has felt very close to what I’d hoped we’d arrive at. [DUNCAN]
Outkast – ATLiens
I somehow managed not to listen to Outkast in the nineties, only discovering the joys of their first three records in recent years. Practicing drums before going to record Stream Of Life, I played along with the beats on ATLiens a few times. It may not have radically influenced the songs but it was a lot of fun, and then we ended up recording in ATL! [TOM]
Smashing Pumpkins – “Drown”
We’ve cited Smashing Pumpkins as an influence in the past but I doubt it’s ever been as audible as it is on “Doppelgänger Eyes.” Knowing glances were exchanged when that guitar sound started coming through the studio speakers. Then came the question: “Should we maybe dial that back a bit?”
“No” was the answer. [TOM]
Steely Dan – “Only A Fool Would Say That”
Again, maybe not a band many people would guess influenced us. But when Burke (Reid, producer) wanted me to try and channel the cyclical groove of this track when we were figuring out a beat for “Favourite Songs,” I knew exactly what he was talking about! [TOM]
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