Outside Notion
As a kid growing up in the noughties, I was 16 when Maximo Park formed back in 2005, of course I was a fan. They were so good and fresh. I think I Graffiti was on permanent repeat on my original Ipod Classic. Remember those? Those glory days before spotify!
So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard the news that Maximo Park guitarist, Duncan Lloyd, has released another solo album. ‘Outside Notion’ is a beautiful piece of art. It is a definite move away from the indie rock sound that Duncan is known for; it is a more mature sound. Orchestral movements are included giving the album a bigger soundscape.
The opening track ‘Historic Elements’ begins with distorted strings and a dream like guitar that really pulls you into a transient, lucid dream state. The vocals are light and floaty which only add to this dream like feeling.
The album floats on and arrives at ‘Young Dreams’. At this point, we’re half way through the album and what song. It evokes feelings of summer, I can imagine standing at a festival on a hot summers evening with this song floating over the crowd. The song feels almost psychedelic, with its ambient soundscapes and vocal harmonies although it ends in almost frenzy with some truly masterful guitar playing.
The juxtaposition between ‘Young Dreams’ and the next track, the title track of the album, is staggering. ‘Outside Notion’ is no longer riding the wave of that dream, it has woken up, and the song has an urgency about it. It is quick and punchy, which is exactly the right change of pace that the listener needs. Journey B is another lovely surprise, having an almost folk feel with long trailing strings over an acoustic guitar. It does exactly what it says on the tin, Journey B is a journey to another place, musical it is the bridge to the remaining three songs of the album.
The final three songs are somewhat rockier than the rest of the album. With a very sixties feel, think The Doors or The Byrds, it feels like we have a natural conclusion. The drums are definitely more present on these final tracks and although we haven’t lost the strings, they are still very much included; they are not the centre piece as they were before.
Outside Notion is an album that really takes you on a journey whilst you’re listening to it. It has a very clear beginning, middle and end and the songs wouldn’t work so well if they weren’t in that particular order. It is an album to listen to in its entirety and I thoroughly enjoyed the wholly immersive experience listening to it.
