This year heralds the tenth anniversary of the release of Maximo Park’s A Certain Trigger. The album is now a Platinum record in the UK. However, Paul Smith, Maximo Park’s frontman isn’t resting on his laurels and releasing the same sounds a decade after his band’s debut. ‘I love to challenge myself, collaborate with others and push my boundaries. If you’re not excited by what you’re doing, then surely the eventual product will be substandard.’ says Smith.
Much like ‘The Coast’ in Maximo Park’s debut single, Smith too is always changing. ‘I’m always looking to excite myself. I created an album using a string quartet with Peter Brewis. Now, I’ve created an album which is personal to me, more reflective. Not everyone has to change but for me, it allows to me feel like I’m progressing; as a human and as a musician. ‘
And Smith really has adapted. Despite still touring with Maximo Park, Smith (the musician) has found a new sound with his latest album ‘Contradictions.’ His first single from the album ‘Break Me Down,’ has a jangly melody that drives the very poppy single but the song’s lyrics reflect Paul’s true creative flair as a solo lyricist. His delicacy with wordplay and reminiscent nature of this single are lain bare. This album will see Smith and his band strip back the usual stage-sprint-marathons to a much more relaxed, intimacy that still allows memorable moments that Maximo Park’s stage shows are renowned for.
‘I’m still looking to create that moment. If I can take people away from their 9-5’s for an hour whilst I’m on stage or even just wrapped up in my melodies for three minutes whilst listening to my record on the radio, then I’ve done my job. It’s an honour to play live to people and I wouldn’t change it for the world. My successes with Maximo Park have allowed me to be creative with this. But I always want to throw my all into everything I do.’
In that sense, Smith is your typical Northerner. He wants to put his blood, sweat, tears and much more into every single piece of his artistry. ‘I don’t want to become stale, stunted and predictable’ Smith states defiantly. Recent comparisons have drawn Smith’s stage presence alongside that of Britpop supremo Jarvis Cocker and the ‘idiosyncratic’ Morrissey, but the Newcastle man just wants to be himself. ‘In all honesty, I just try to steer clear of comparisons and throw myself into the music. I might look a little daft sometimes, dancing and moving, but I just want to have a good time with my creations. I suppose in that sense, the Morrissey comparisons aren’t that far away, in the sense that I try to wear my heart on my sleeve when I get out there.’
The group who travel with Paul Smith, The Intimations (which this author awkwardly mispronounced whilst speaking to the musician) similarly hints at the subtlety that Smith is looking to achieve with this record. ‘The creative process on this record was great with Andy and Claire [the two members of the Intimations]. As I was kind of in control of the destiny of this record, any sparks of creativity I had could take their natural course and grow, adapt, alter and evolve naturally to their conclusion.’ However, Smith certainly hasn’t done this all on his own.
‘I can throw the gauntlet down to Andy or Claire and say ‘Do you have a bassline for this?’ or ‘What ideas do you have?’ It’s very relaxed process. It’s taken me four years to come to this final conclusion and now the record’s finally coming out, I feel like it’s perfect for what I wanted to achieve.’
This creative freedom has allowed Smith to take his time, whilst on tour with Maximo Park. ‘Thanks to the successes of my time with the lads on the whirlwind that is Maximo , I’ve been allowed time to slowly chip away at this record and create what I wanted. But I think artists in the future will struggle to be able to do that. Artists in the future will be limited by budgets and time lapses and economic factors. We were lucky when we started in 2004, that Warped Records gave us funding, press and support slots and gave us complete free roam on the album that we wanted to create. Arts funding is being cut now, so record labels won’t take a gamble.’ Smith reminisces about the past, fondly and with great affection, but understands the struggles of the present, under a government and society that labels any difference in the working norm as a ‘criminal.’
‘Independents or DIY music will start becoming more and more difficult to discover, despite the fact the internet is booming. In the 80’s, huge labels would take a gamble on a Nick Cave or a PJ Harvey, because they were making profits on mega bands. But these records were quality, experimental and beautiful.’
The conversation briefly and beautifully drifted into musical politics and economics that could have been a whole separate piece on its own. Smith is certainly a man of great intellect, wit and interest in all things art. His passion in pop-art, photography, drama and music will certainly make a view on this tour and with the release of Contradictions. ‘The LP is an art form.’ This crossed the phone line and linked this writer and Paul in a brotherly bond of artwork, dusty vinyl and record players. The cover art of Contradictions is a mustard yellow photograph taken by Smith whilst ambling about on his last tour and he’s paired this with a sunshine yellow vinyl. ‘I love objects. I love the personal nature of Peter Blake’s work and I’ve tried to achieve that from base CD to deluxe edition level of this record. I’ve begun to question a culture that will spend £4 a day on a flavourless coffee, but won’t spend £10 on a piece of pop-art and music together.’ This view has been echoed many a time, but hearing it from Paul held such resonance. Once again, Paul talks about ‘the moment’ and ‘a whole experience.’ ‘Records are a package of emotion and experience, Spotify simply doesn’t achieve that.’
Birmingham will welcome Paul Smith with open arms and hope to create an experience for him, the same way he aims to create a great one for his crowds at the Institute on the 7th September, a venue new for Smith to test out with his new tempo. ‘The crowds in Brum have always been warm and welcoming since my early days in music. I love the clashes of brutalist and Victorian architecture. It’s just a great city like Newcastle and the warmth of the crowds in Birmingham has given me confidence in my experimentation and more challenging work.’
Who knows then what Paul Smith’s sound will adapt to, Chameleon-esque, outside of his work with rockers Maximo Park, but maybe a personal photograph of the Selfridges building will end up on the cover of his next solo work to be cherished for years to come!
Paul Smith and the Intimations ‘Contradictions’ is out now on CD, Download and Yellow Vinyl through Billingham Records and Paul plays The Institute on September 7th 2015.
Dan Shorthouse
