Our Earthly Pleasures
Encyclopedia
Our Earthly Pleasures is the second album
by Newcastle
-based Alternative rock
band Maxïmo Park
. It was released on 2 April 2007 in the UK (and May 8, 2007 in the US), being preceded by the single "Our Velocity
", released two weeks previously, on 19 March 2007.
's website on 22 January 2007. as well as the band's official web site. The album was leaked in various places across the internet in March 2007.
Vocalist Paul Smith states that the title of the album stems from the idea that we are bonded by our experiences, and that several tracks were written to embody specific human emotions. The title of the album appears in the lyrics of "Russian Literature".
The band did an album launch party at the Baltic Flour Mill
, the contemporary art gallery in Gateshead
on 28 March 2007. Another album launch gig took place at HMV
Newcastle at midnight on 2 April, to release the album, hometown fans were the first to get a hold of Our Earthly Pleasures. A third launch party took place in London, at the 100 Club
on Oxford Street
, on the evening of 2 April.
The tracks "Our Velocity
", "Books from Boxes
", "Girls Who Play Guitars
" and "Karaoke Plays
" have been released as singles.
Tickets to the April/May Our Earthly Pleasures Tour went on sale at 9am, 2 February 2007. Tickets sold out within one hour to the majority of the venues.
The two US bonus tracks were mislabeled on iTunes Music Store, with track 13 being labeled "Distance Makes" when it was actually the song "Pride Before A Fall", "Distance Makes" was included as the other bonus track.
A Special Edition was also released exclusively in Australia, containing the bonus track "Robert Altman" (Track 13 - 2:24)
The song "The Unshockable" features in FIFA 08 playlist and a Johnny Test
commercial on Cartoon Network
.
The song, "Our Velocity" is featured on the soundtrack for 2007 Xbox 360 game, 'Project Gotham Racing 4".
's album Because of the Times
. The album reached number two on the UK album charts. Sales for the record was a success going double platinum, meaning it sold over two million records world wide. Overall critics generally gave positive reviews for the album, the average number of stars given was just over 3.5 out of 5.
Rolling Stone
(p. 62) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "The U.K. indie band's second album has beefed-up sound and increasingly brilliant, not-at-all-pretentious gems like 'Girls Who Play Guitars'."
Spin (p. 86) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Maximo Park bring plenty of recognizable spark and smarts to their second album....The record barely pauses for breath."
Amazon.com
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "The second album from Newcastle's Maximo Park, Our Earthly Pleasures confirms its creators to be one of the UK's more idiosyncratic indie outfits--the sort of bookish, educated rockers for whom intelligence means something more than reading a book while you're having your photo taken."
BBC
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "It’s certainly an album that evokes visions of delirious summertime hedonism: its momentum designed for haphazard jumping about in crowds, one sweaty fist in the air whilst the other grapples with a plastic cup of warm lager. Bring it on."
Contributions:
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
-based Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Maxïmo Park
Maxïmo Park
Maxïmo Park are a British alternative rock band, formed in 2000. They are signed to Warp Records. The band consists of Paul Smith , Duncan Lloyd , Archis Tiku , Lukas Wooller and Tom English...
. It was released on 2 April 2007 in the UK (and May 8, 2007 in the US), being preceded by the single "Our Velocity
Our Velocity
"Our Velocity" is the first single from Our Earthly Pleasures, the second album from the band, Maxïmo Park. The single was released two weeks prior to the release of the album, on 19 March 2007....
", released two weeks previously, on 19 March 2007.
Album information
Album details, including track listing, were released on the NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's website on 22 January 2007. as well as the band's official web site. The album was leaked in various places across the internet in March 2007.
Vocalist Paul Smith states that the title of the album stems from the idea that we are bonded by our experiences, and that several tracks were written to embody specific human emotions. The title of the album appears in the lyrics of "Russian Literature".
The band did an album launch party at the Baltic Flour Mill
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom...
, the contemporary art gallery in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
on 28 March 2007. Another album launch gig took place at HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
Newcastle at midnight on 2 April, to release the album, hometown fans were the first to get a hold of Our Earthly Pleasures. A third launch party took place in London, at the 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
on Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, on the evening of 2 April.
The tracks "Our Velocity
Our Velocity
"Our Velocity" is the first single from Our Earthly Pleasures, the second album from the band, Maxïmo Park. The single was released two weeks prior to the release of the album, on 19 March 2007....
", "Books from Boxes
Books from Boxes
"Books from Boxes" is the second single from Our Earthly Pleasures, the second album from the band, Maxïmo Park. The single was released on June 11, 2007 and became their fifth UK Top 20 single, peaking at #16 in the UK Singles Chart.-Track listing:CD...
", "Girls Who Play Guitars
Girls Who Play Guitars
"Girls Who Play Guitars" is the third single from Our Earthly Pleasures, the second album from the band Maxïmo Park. The single was released on 20 August 2007.-Track listing:CD# "Girls Who Play Guitars" # "An Unknown"...
" and "Karaoke Plays
Karaoke Plays
"Karaoke Plays" is a song by Newcastle-upon-Tyne band Maxïmo Park. It is the fourth single released from their second studio album, Our Earthly Pleasures...
" have been released as singles.
Tickets to the April/May Our Earthly Pleasures Tour went on sale at 9am, 2 February 2007. Tickets sold out within one hour to the majority of the venues.
The two US bonus tracks were mislabeled on iTunes Music Store, with track 13 being labeled "Distance Makes" when it was actually the song "Pride Before A Fall", "Distance Makes" was included as the other bonus track.
A Special Edition was also released exclusively in Australia, containing the bonus track "Robert Altman" (Track 13 - 2:24)
The song "The Unshockable" features in FIFA 08 playlist and a Johnny Test
Johnny Test
Johnny Test is an American/Canadian animated television series. It premiered on Kids' WB, on The WB Television Network, on September 17, 2005. Five months later, it was introduced to Cartoon Network UK on January 12, 2006, first, as a sneak preview on Jungle Saturdays Block, and then on June 5,...
commercial on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
.
The song, "Our Velocity" is featured on the soundtrack for 2007 Xbox 360 game, 'Project Gotham Racing 4".
Reception
Released in April 2007, the album was successful, entering the charts at number two behind Kings of LeonKings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
's album Because of the Times
Because of the Times
-Charts:-Certifications:...
. The album reached number two on the UK album charts. Sales for the record was a success going double platinum, meaning it sold over two million records world wide. Overall critics generally gave positive reviews for the album, the average number of stars given was just over 3.5 out of 5.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(p. 62) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "The U.K. indie band's second album has beefed-up sound and increasingly brilliant, not-at-all-pretentious gems like 'Girls Who Play Guitars'."
Spin (p. 86) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Maximo Park bring plenty of recognizable spark and smarts to their second album....The record barely pauses for breath."
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
- 4 stars out of 5 -- "The second album from Newcastle's Maximo Park, Our Earthly Pleasures confirms its creators to be one of the UK's more idiosyncratic indie outfits--the sort of bookish, educated rockers for whom intelligence means something more than reading a book while you're having your photo taken."
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "It’s certainly an album that evokes visions of delirious summertime hedonism: its momentum designed for haphazard jumping about in crowds, one sweaty fist in the air whilst the other grapples with a plastic cup of warm lager. Bring it on."
Track listing
Personnel
Maxïmo Park:- Paul Smith – vocals
- Duncan Lloyd – guitars
- Lukas Wooller – keyboards
- Archis Tiku – bass
- Tom English – drums
Contributions:
- Laura Reid - Strings (Cello) on 'Sandblasted and set free'
- Nell Catchpole - Strings (Violin) on 'Sandblasted and set free'