Two years ago Maximo Park were a poor man's Futureheads. While their Tyne & Wear counterparts guzzled from indie-pop's golden chalice the Geordie quintet merely sipped from its stale dregs. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Dropped from their label, The Futureheads are now in freefall and with new single Our Velocity, The Park have been gloriously revitalised. Searing with frantic guitar crunches and twisting Casio synths, this is the sound of a band escaping from the shadows into a blinding light of ravenous melody. In three minutes, these paupers have become extremely wealthy. [Billy Hamilton]