Maximo Park

For those who’ve longed for the poetic license of Morrissey crammed into the keyboard-tinted riffs of the Cars, leave it to the limeys to satisfy the demand. Maximo Park has already received panting pre-emptive praise, and A Certain Trigger actually bears out much of that premature ejaculation. “Apply Some Pressure” will doubtlessly pack every venue in Britain with its smart-assed one-liners (“I hope that I am still alive next year”), muddy, grinding riffs, and a beat that sends you on a tempo roller coaster. Lead singer Paul Smith delivers his snide literary lyrics with hot Cockney contempt, which is exactly what we like our British rockers to do. At times, the art-school rhythm kinks can impede listening, but the act’s anthemic pop instincts consistently lay waste to the easily discarded, pretentious wrapping.