The two albums I’ve been listening to most recently are Favorite Worst Nightmare and Our Earthly Pleasures.
The albums and their bands have much in common. Each is the second album by a band from the north of England. Each band has a singer/lyricist with a way with words and a northern accent that enhances the lyrics.
The northern accents may strike a particular chord with me at the moment, since I just booked plane tickets to fly back to England for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. They were both born in Sheffield.
I don’t think that Maximo Paul’s lyrics stand up as well to quotation as do Arctic Alex’s. But to hear Paul sing “Are you hopeful or just gullible?” is a delight.
Similarly, the couplet “The path of excess just led to boredom/You live you life with your mouth wide open” sounds great when Paul sings it. I think it works even better when you see him singing it. But judge for yourself…