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Quicken The Heart Image
Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

  • Summary: The third album for the English indie rock quintet.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. You know everything is going to be OK within seconds of the surging, tidal riffs of ‘Wraithlike’, and what follows is simply a fine-tuning of what the Park have done before.
  2. Throughout the course of Quicken the Heart, Maximo Park prove they still haven’t rectified their quivering post-punk with the anthems they are concurrently and desperately trying to craft. But despite that conflict, they can still occasionally pull it together long enough to bang out some good ones.
  3. 70
    Quicken The Heart has allowed Maximo Park to showcase all their strengths, some harder, more distorted anthems, and some gentler, livelier ballads.
  4. Uncut
    60
    There's nothing here as good as 'Nosebleed,' the standout from 2007's "Our Earthly Pleasures"--but there are still some good points here. [Jun 2009, p.92]
  5. Mojo
    60
    There are perky alt-pop nuggests aplenty here, so it's a shame the momentum can't be maintained. [Jun 2009, p.96]
  6. The painstaking introspection here seems to stem from a need to use their success and exposure to deliver some definitive, U2-sized message when really they're so much more relatable when they're awkwardly sorting out their psychological messes on the fly.
  7. It feels as if Smith is drawing from long-gone, innocent, pre-fame events in his life, but as they recede, his stance becomes more wistful and increasingly confused. The music, unfortunately, follows suit.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. georgen
    May 26, 2009
    9
    Pop melodies and catchy riffs ain't really that bad. You can sing along or just listen to the whole album with the same interest from Pop melodies and catchy riffs ain't really that bad. You can sing along or just listen to the whole album with the same interest from start to end. Expand
  2. Mar 21, 2021
    7
    I just got into Maximo Park and I was very fascinated with the first 2 records. This is album is still good, but it sounds pretty forgettableI just got into Maximo Park and I was very fascinated with the first 2 records. This is album is still good, but it sounds pretty forgettable and only has a few stand out tracks. Expand
  3. JeffB
    Jun 6, 2009
    3
    Very disappointing.