After releasing 300 copies of two of their songs, the band was discovered by, and eventually signed with, independent label Warp Records in 2004, releasing their critically-acclaimed debut album A Certain Trigger" in May 2005. Widely described as one of the best British albums of the year, the album helped the band develop a strong and diverse fanbase both in the UK and abroad, and also earned them a nomination for the coveted Mercury Music Prize. Three songs from the record, Apply Some Pressure (re-released), Graffiti and Going Missing, reached the Top 20 in the UK music charts in 2005. Maxïmo Park also contributed a song titled Wasteland to the War Child album Help: A Day in the Life, midway through that year. The final single from A Certain Trigger, I Want You To Stay, was released in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2006.
Maxïmo Park's second album, Our Earthly Pleasures was released on April 2, 2007. Singles included Our Velocity, Girls Who Play Guitars, Books From Boxes and Karaoke Plays. In August 2008 Paul Smith announced that the band had finished recording their third album and were looking for someone to produce it. It is expected for release in early 2009.
As a result of their rapidly increasing popularity both in the United Kingdom and overseas, 2005 also proved to be a highly exciting year for the band from a touring perspective, with a number of successful tours of Europe, as well as supporting The Bravery in the United States and performing a number of sellout shows in Japan and Australia. While performing across Europe at the Glastonbury and Lowlands music festivals and the Carling Weekend, their enormous success in the United Kingdom was confirmed through their place as support for Kaiser Chiefs on the NME Rock and Roll Riot Tour, and their appearance at the XFM Winter Wonderland shows in London in December of 2005. In a similar vein, the band headlined the NME Awards Tour in the UK, featuring Arctic Monkeys, Mystery Jets and We Are Scientists, and expanded their presence in Asia by performing in Thailand as part of the Rock 100 Festival in Bangkok.
The The National Health Songfacts reports that Maximo's Park fourth album relates to the state of society at large: "The nation is out of control," said Paul Smith, "and the record is about taking back control, and being a force for change in your own life. It can't speak for everybody but it has its eyes and ears all around us. Our songs are built on empathy. I would hope it's as vital a music as people would want to hear." The National Health will be released June 11, 2012.
The band also enjoys playing in their hometown, Newcastle. In early 2007, despite global success, they decided to play in three small venues and price tickets at only £5. These venues were The Head Of Steam, The Cumberland Arms and The Cluny. The band also headlined Freevolution 2007, a free outdoor music festival in Newcastle/Gateshead sponsored by Orange phones.
Warehouse
Maxïmo Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With surprise on your face
The lamplight
Throws familiar shapes
Right and wrong
A fake partition wall
A slim hope
At the root of it all
How could I forget your name and your reputation?
How could I gauge how you felt with no indication?
I don’t care what we’ve been through
I can’t sleep without music
I feel strangled when I’m with you
The days are stacking up slowly
Life is a warehouse as much as anything else
Life is a warehouse as much as anything else
So little left unsaid
Just the important things
You were the engineer
Of thoughts that I can’t control
It’s a conversation that’s just been waiting
You thought that I was a hardback kind of guy
But paperback books are all that I ever buy
I don’t care what we’ve been through
I can’t sleep without music
I feel strangled when I’m with you
The days are stacking up slowly
Life is a warehouse as much as anything else
Life is a warehouse as much as anything else
I don’t care what we’ve been through
In these lyrics, Maxïmo Park delves into the complexities of relationships and how they can leave us feeling suffocated and trapped. The first stanza sets the scene with imagery of a lamplight casting familiar shapes. The line "Right and wrong, a fake partition wall" seems to suggest that the separation between right and wrong is arbitrary, and that this separation creates a division that is not entirely real. The "slim hope at the root of it all" could refer to the hope that despite the difficulties of the relationship, there is still a chance for things to improve.
The second stanza brings the focus onto the relationship in question, with the singer wondering how they could have misunderstood their partner's feelings so completely. The lines "I don't care what we've been through / I can't sleep without music / I feel strangled when I'm with you / The days are stacking up slowly" convey a sense of frustration and weariness in the relationship, with the singer feeling suffocated and trapped.
The repeated refrain "Life is a warehouse as much as anything else" further emphasizes the feeling of being trapped, comparing life to a warehouse where everything is stacked up and it can be difficult to find what you're looking for. In the final stanza, the singer reflects on the conversations they have had with their partner, acknowledging that there are things they can't control. The final line "But paperback books are all that I ever buy" could be interpreted as the singer rebelling against the expectations their partner has of them.
Overall, the lyrics of "Warehouse" use vivid imagery and metaphor to convey the complexity and frustration of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
You look up
You raise your head and direct your gaze upward
With surprise on your face
Your expression shows shock or amazement
The lamplight
The light emitted by a lamp or light fixture
Throws familiar shapes
Produces known or recognizable forms or images
Right and wrong
Moral or ethical dilemmas
A fake partition wall
A barrier that is not real or not truly dividing things
A slim hope
A small chance of something positive happening
At the root of it all
The center, cause, or origin of everything
How could I forget your name and your reputation?
Is it possible for me to have forgotten who you are and the way people perceive you?
How could I gauge how you felt with no indication?
It is hard for me to know your emotions without any hints or clues from you
I don’t care what we’ve been through
I'm indifferent to our past experiences and how they've affected us
I can’t sleep without music
My ability to fall asleep is linked to the presence of music
I feel strangled when I’m with you
Being around you suffocates me
The days are stacking up slowly
Time is passing by and accumulating at a snail's pace
Life is a warehouse as much as anything else
Existence is akin to a storehouse of goods, where things are placed and kept
So little left unsaid
Almost everything has been expressed or communicated
Just the important things
Only the significant or weighty matters remain
You were the engineer
You were responsible for designing, creating, or directing something
Of thoughts that I can’t control
Of ideas that I'm unable to manage or govern
It’s a conversation that’s just been waiting
It's a discussion that has been postponed or delayed, but is now ready to be had
You thought that I was a hardback kind of guy
You assumed I was a person who preferred hardcover books
But paperback books are all that I ever buy
Contrary to your belief, I only purchase softcover books
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Sylvanus
This song rules!
J-Fletch
Thanks for this upload! Made my day! :)
Richard Sylvanus
Greetings from the future!!!