A big thanks to Boppin, who got my 7.1 surround sound receiver working again.
“What’s the make and model?” he asked.
I squinted and shone a light with my phone.
“Denon AVR-1910,” I emailed back.
He responded with two possible solutions.Β One of which was simple:Β a reset back to factory settings.
I asked what good that would do?Β I was sure it wasn’t a settings issue.Β Bop said that sometimes these things go into a “protected mode” after a power surge.Β OK, that’s reasonable.
After returning home, I did a factory reset, and reconnected everything.Β (I also replaced the cables in the troubleshooting process.)
Suddenly, everything came back to life!Β Audio, video – all working again.
“Hey guys,” said Mike as he entered the Writer’s Room.Β The sullen faces of Harrison, Aaron, and the Metal Man looked back at him.Β Missing, however, was their companion John Snow.Β How should Mike begin?
“How should I begin?” he asked rhetorically.Β “Last time we all met up, our friend John T. Snow was kidnapped through a multiversal portal.Β You all saw it.Β It was like our stories come to life.”
There was muttering around the table.Β Troubled muttering from the smaller group of friends.Β It was Harrison who brought the table to order.
“I don’t understand,” he said with unusual worry in his voice.Β “It was as if my own Lego art had come to life.Β The orange portal.Β It opened right behind John.Β Then I saw a pair of hands snatch him away as he screamed for help.”
“I saw it too,” said Aaron.Β “I still can’t believe my eyes.”
“Nor I mine,” agreed the Metal Man.Β “I am worried about the fabric of our reality.”
“What’s the latest report from the police?” asked Harrison of Mike.
“Where do I begin…again?” signed Mike.Β “Both Canadian and American police forces are still looking at all of us as suspects.Β They have the video footage from Holen’s webcam.Β They all saw what happened.Β They just don’t believe it.Β And I can’t blame them.Β To them, all they know is an American citizen walked into this room and never walked out.Β And we were the only people to witness it.”
As if on cue, Holen’s monitor came to life.Β As usual, his image was distorted and noisy, but that only added to his sense of mystique.
“Hey guys,” he greeted the table.Β “Sorry I’m late.Β I’ve been working and I have news.”
“Holen, thank goodness, please, tell us,” said Mike to the screen.
“Well,” began Holen, “I have done some digging around the Dark Web, and I can tell you something very interesting.Β These orange portals…it was not an isolated incident.Β There are 14 reports from 11 different countries, of similar phenomenon.Β A bright, orange, circular portal opens and someone or something emerges from the other side.Β Now, this is where the reports start to differ wildly and we must be scrutinous.Β Some people reported robots coming through.Β Others saw Satan himself.Β One guy claimed that Elvis, Bruce Lee and Liberace were on the other side, drinking margaritas.Β I think we can discount that one.Β But here’s the thing guys.Β Five of the reports could be interpreted to include characters from our stories.Β I’m not kidding.”
There were gasps.Β A few jaws on the floor.
“Go on Holen.Β Which characters?” asked Metal Man.
“Satan is one.Β The robot is two – relating to a story that Harrison and Mike are writing.Β Tommy Lee appears in one report, that’s three.Β A monster resembling our parademons was sketched by another witness.Β And finally…finally…”Β Holen paused.Β “Well, see for yourself.”Β Holen put the image from the report on the screen.
“That’s…that’s…” said Mike in awe.
“Yes.Β It is.Β A clean-shaven Harrison Kopp,” finished Holen.Β “Just like our character of Shinzon.Β A character we invented.Β Or rather, a character Mike invented.Β And now here he is in a portal report from, you guessed it, Australia.”
“Impossible!” said Mike, pounding his fist on the table in frustration.Β “Impossible!”
“But there it is,” said a solemn Holen.
The usual stoic Harrison was rattled.Β He was clearly shaken by the image before him.Β He hadn’t seen himself clean shaven since he was a child.Β He hardly recognized himself…but he did.
“I elect we shut down the Adventures of Tee Bone Man immediately,” said Harrison, very quietly.Β “This has gotten out of hand.Β We are meddling with powers greater than that dreamed of in our philosophy.Β If what we are writing becomes real…well, it’s all over.”
Mike turned white as a ghost.
“Harrison…it’s not real.Β He’s not real.Β The Eater of Worlds.Β He’s not real,” cautioned Mike.
“But what if he is?” asked Harrison without a hint of rhetoric.Β “We have to consider the possible.”
Aaron raised his hands.Β “Excuse me.Β Who’s the Eater of Worlds?”
“He’s the Big Bad at the end of the Multiverse Saga of Tee Bone Man,” answered Mike.Β “We stole a character from another franchise to be our villain behind everything.”
“Like Galactus?” asked Aaron.
“Like Galactus, yes,” answered Mike.Β “But he’s not real.Β He’s a character they invented back in the mid-80’s to sell toys to kids.Β He’s not real!”
“But if he was…” said Harrison in the most ominous voice anyone had ever heard from him, “…he would be our ultimate doom.”
Mike got a shiver up his back.Β But it was impossible.Β They were just a group of friends, making up a story.Β None of it was real.Β In real life, Tee Bone was just a guy, a nice guy who didn’t fly or battle dragons.Β John T. Snow…was just a guy who collected music; he wasn’t an eccentric billionaire.Β How could these characters they were writing about be appearing in real life places?
Metal Man spoke in a calm, rational voice.Β “It could be these are all just coincidences.Β I think for now, we should discount them, and return our focus to the search for John Snow.Β Has anyone resembling him or Richard Dreyfuss appeared in your searches, Holen?”
“I hadn’t thought of searching for Dreyfuss sightings.Β Let me run a few keywords,” said the image on the monitor.
Aaron sat silent, solemnly waiting.Β Not a single “Wahoo!” or “Give’r!” from him this time.Β He then spoke.Β “I have to be honest, I’m more worried about John than I am of the suspicious cops, thinking we did it.Β We didn’t, and there’s no evidence.Β We’ll be fine.Β But John…I saw him disappear!Β Before my eyes!Β I’ve never seen anything like it and I hope he’s OK.”
Suddenly Holen spoke.Β “Guys…we just had a Dreyfuss sighting.”Β Holen pointed from his screen, to a point behind the men sitting at the table.Β They all turned, and looked.
“Hi guys,” said a voice as a man stepped out of an orange portal.Β “I’m back!”
The Richard Dreyfuss lookalike waved and smiled.Β The orange portal closed behind.Β John T. Snow was back!
TO BE CONTINUED…
THE ADVENTURES OF TEE BONE MAN:Β PHASE ONE β THE SQUIRREL SAGAΒ
Hey, Metal Roger here (holy shit, I have way too many nicknames)!Β My picks for 2023 tell a bit of a story about my year. What a batshit crazy year it was. Each month had crazier shit than the last.Β These albums helped me get through this crazy year.Β Here’s my list of my favourite albums of 2023
#5. Blink 182 – One More Time
Blink 182 is a bucket list band of mine.Β I’m finally seeing them in 2024.Β I love this album.Β It sounds like a Blink-of-old album.Β It also sounds like an evolved version of Blink.Β When the “One More Time” single was released, boy did everyone cry.Β What a beautiful message behind the song. Whoever is reading my words right now — Hey, if you have friends or family that you care about, and you haven’t talked to them in awhile for whatever reason, don’t wait for something shitty to happen tell them you love them and how much they mean.
#4. Better Lovers – God Made Me An Animal
It’s an EP, but it’s my rules.Β The Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die had a baby — I HAVE to mention this.Β Good God does this kick ass.Β “God Made Me An Animal” makes you wanna run through a wall and punt the first person you see across the room. I can’t wait for the full length to come out in 2024, and throw around more heavy weights while it’s on.Β [Roger lifts weights – Mike]
#3. Sleep Token – Take Me Back to Eden
You either love these guys or cannot stand them, to the point you would rather listen to Nickelback.Β Just kidding — nothing is that bad.Β This album makes zero sense.Β The songs are made in the most random ways you can possibly conceive in your brain.Β There’s singing, there’s eletronic parts, there’s heavy-as-hell something out of a death metal album parts, and there’s even jazzy parts. The vocalist Vessel is an awesome singer, who should be applauded for his vocals. Seriously, i have no idea why i enjoyed this so much because its out there. I bet Harrison the Unicorn loves this album.Β It’s that out there.
#2. Beartooth – The Surface
Speaking of demons. This might be the first CD ever to make me wanna cry.Β The lyrics — holy shit do they ever resonate with me. At the time of my life that I listened to this album, I NEEDED to hear lyrics like these. A little background about me is that I could have had everything in my life that I wanted and more, but I decided I would let my demons drive for awhile. When I first heard the song “Riptide”, I cried. Then when I listened to it again, I said to myself its finally time to let go and become something people are proud of. Enough is enough. No more excuses no more saying I’m back, only to fall down again. Then when I heard the whole album I thought, “Holy shit, this is exactly how I’m feeling right now.” That it’s time to rise. “When I Was Alive” is the perfect way to end this album. It has the lyrics:
Not gonna be on my deathbed Knowing I’ll be buried in regret Thinkin’ ’bout the things I never did While I’m taking my last breath No need to fear the end ‘Cause I’ll know I didn’t just live When I die, I’ll know I didn’t just live I was alive, I’ll know I didn’t just live I was alive, live Not gonna be on my deathbed Wondering why I was always scared To say those words I never said To the ones I loved while I was there When I die, I’ll know I didn’t just live.
There’s so many things times I’ve held myself back because of fears or taking chances. No more holding myself back. 2024 will be the year this koi swims up the river and becomes a dragon. I want my wife to meet the true me. That song woke me the fuck up.Β If I wasn’t so biased towards Metallica, this likely would be number 1.
#1. Metallica – 72 Seasons
If you have watched some of the shows I’ve been on (for whatever crazy reason), you would know my love for Metallica has no bounds. Actually, it does.Β St. Anger is garbage, and Lulu is some kind of alien abomination that should have never been created. If you take this CD for what it is, it’s a great hard rock/NWOBHM-inspired love letter in my opinion.Β “Lux Γterna”Β (I’m not doing that stupid font, Mike you do it!):Β Very Diamond Head-ish.Β “Inamorata” is a Black Sabbath sound-alike to me. The lyrics on this album are both dark and uplifting. To me it tells a story of a man that had demons from his father abandoning him, and eventually fighting back his demons, realizing he’s not too far gone, and not needing the pain and misery to keep carrying on. Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but it sure helped me get through a beyond crazy situation, that whenever I tell people they yell “What the fuck!”Β Thank you Metallica for helping me keep pushing through this year
Honorable mentions: Β some heavy shit
Unearth – The Wretched; The Ruinous
Fires In The Distance – Air Not Meant For Us
Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
On Friday night, shortly after Grab A Stack of Rock concluded, the city of Kitchener was hit with a power outage and a surge to match!Β Jen and I called it an early night and hit the sheets around 9:30.Β We hoped the power would be back later in the night, but no such luck.
I woke shortly after 5:00 AM to discoverΒ that the city’s power was restored, but our building had an electrical issue.Β I called the appropriate numbers to report it and hoped for the best.
By 7:00 AM I was restless.Β It was too dark to read a book, and all my devices were running out of power.Β Even my headlight affixed to my toque!Β (Which was a life saver by the way, thanks mom and dad.)Β I woke Jen up and we went out in the cold icy rain to charge our devices in the car, and make our way down the street to Wimpy’s diner for some hot food.Β Neither of us had a proper meal before the lights went out.
I had the omelette with all the fixings.Β Jen had three eggs with four sausage links and a pancake.Β It hit the spot.
Upon our return, power had just been restored!Β My laptop was charging again and my PC was undamaged from the surge.
My 7.1 receiver unfortunately…it may have bit the dust.Β It doesn’t seem to be receiving any signals…or maybe it’s not putting out any.Β I’m not sure how to diagnose this thing but I think it’s dead.
But we survived the first big storm of 2024 with determination on our faces and food in our bellies.Β Thanks Wimpy’s!
How much music constitutes too much music?Β This was a question I asked rhetorically during the recording of this 50 minute episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.Β It is clear, whatever the number is, I have hit it and then some.
We had an interesting show and tell tonight, including the below:
Stir of Echoes, a 2008 band of Ray D’Auria’s (Mystique)
A Harem Scarem box set
A Max Webster box set
A defective Black Sabbath CD
An Iron Maiden bootleg with Blaze Bayley
Some gifts from Rob Daniels
White Snake
A Def Leppard bootleg
Some Rush and some jazz
Japanese import Deep Purple
Promo DLR
Deluxe Foo Fighters
Alice Cooper
Greta Van Fleet
A gift from Kevin Simister
A lot, lot, lot, of sealed Marillion
An avalanche!
This pre-recorded episode was an experiment and I think it went very well.Β I was able to interact via the comments on YouTube and we had a lively discussion on the side.
While I will always prefer going live, these shorter solo shows will offer an alternative way of making it through the cold snowy winter together.Β Thanks for watching and dropping the comments.Β This was fun!
Next week will be a re-run, but Mike and the Mad Metal Man will be back on January 26 with John Snow and Tim Durling to show off music DVDs.Β Then, on February 2, Marco D’Auria will be back to talk about the new 95 minute version of the Mystique movie that has been getting glowing accolades at festivals.Β These will both be live shows and I hope you can join us!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 47:Β Too Much Music?
A must-watch for fans of Harem Scarem, Marillion, Deep Purple/Whitesnake, and the CD format!
Trying something different tonight.Β Regular viewers know the original concept of the show (courtesy of Uncle Meat) was to just “grab a stack of rock” and talk about it.Β Strangely enough, we never really just grabbed a random stack of discs from my collection to go through them.Β Β So that’s what I did this time!Β Instead of going live, I recorded this episode ahead of time.Β It took 45 minutes to go through a stack and a half of neglected CDs from my collection.Β It’s my first solo show in a couple years.
What may shock and appall you is how many discs from these stacks are unplayed and unopened.Β Too much music?Β I believe this episode makes a case for that.
I also unboxed a surprise care package from Marco D’Auria (The Contrarians) and what a cool surprise it was.
Tune in tonight at 7:00 PM at the regular places!
Friday January 12 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic. Β Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!
ARKELLS – Apple Music Home Session (2022 iTunes EP)
The Arkells have a number of download-only live EPs on iTunes.Β The most recent one is 2022’s Apple Music Home Session which boasts three tunes:Β Two from their Blink Twice album, and one exclusive cover.Β And damn, you won’t believe what they covered!
The EP opens with a laid back, horn-laden “Reckoning” from Blink Twice.Β The horns on this song are the real candy.Β Rolling low and punching high, Arkells usage of horns is very effective.Β And the chorus kick!Β “Blink twice! There’s gonna be a reckoning!” croons Max Kerman on this irresistible hit.Β Drummer Tim Oxford thunders out a smooth groove punctuated by his unusual kick drum pattern.Β This is how pop rock should be – musically inventive with impressive playing.Β This is how the Arkells do it.
Track two is “Past Life” performed just by the Arkells, and not with the Cold War Kids as on the Blink Twice album.Β It’s a little tougher in this guise, with a lot more texture, dynamics and unexpected instrumentation.Β Mike DeAngelis’ guitar break is tasty as hell and Max Kerman handles all the lead vocals himself.Β This could end up being your preferred version of the song.
The big surprise is the cover:Β “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA!Β Max doesn’t swap genders for the lyrics, just as it should be!Β Β The horn section delivers a good chunk of the melodies, but Anthony Carone perfectly duplicates the main keyboard hook.Β Meanwhile, bassist Nick Dika lays down the funk in a flawless groove.Β Dika gets a cool groovin’ spotlight moment just before the understated sax solo.Β That leaves Kerman to deliver the indelible chorus, which he unflinchingly succeeds at.Β Let’s face it, ABBA were extraordinary songwriters and “Gimme Gimme Gimme” is one of their all-time best.Β The Arkells version is an undisputed triumph.
5/5 stars
Reckoning (4:22)
Past Life (3:55)
Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) (4:06) Arkells, the Beaches & July Talk
Blink Once was a surprising pleasure.Β Given how far the Arkells have sailed through the seas of rock, pop and blues, they seemed to be content circling ’round various genres of pop now.Β Experimenting with hip-hop vibes, soulful backing vocals, dance beats and loops, the Arkells still managed to keep catchy guitar hooks as part of the mix thanks to Mike DeAngelis.Β The bass thump of Nick Dika is still there, while Tim Oxford refuses to play anything simple on the drums.Β Max Kerman’s lyrics still bite, but Anthony Carone’s keyboards now make up a large share of the hooks.Β It’s still rock, but definitely far removed from their first track on their first album.Β Β Blink Twice is largely composed of short songs, none reaching four minutes, and over half featuring guest performers from the world of pop.
Blink Twice opens seamlessly, exactly where Blink Once left off:Β “Last Night I Heard ‘Em Sing” closed the former, a brief snippet of the latter’s opener “Reckoning”.
“Blink twice!” announces Max.Β “There’s gonna be a reckoning!”
Strings, horns and thick backing vocals adorn this soulful rock song.Β An instant classic.Β Though far more vague than past political songs, it’s clear that Max is taking shots at the upper crust.Β “It’s a drop drop in the bucket for you, becomes a knock knock on your ocean view.”
Though Max warns of a reckoning, track two brings this back home to more personal topics.Β “Past Life” is a duet with Nathan Willett of California’s Cold War Kids, a band I’ve never heard of before.Β The two work well together with distinctly different voices and styles, singing the same melody.Β Mike DeAngelis provides a nice thick guitar hook that the song orbits, but this is upper echelon pop rock. One lyric that sticks out is when Nathan sings “Feel like Bob Dylan’s son, always in the shadows.”Β Elsewhere,Β Max proclaims “Iβm a little Wallflower, singing βOne Headlightβ.”Β Jakob Dylan did deserve stardom, but the line “Iβve gotta find my own way to write a song,” seems misplaced.Β The Arkells sound like they’ve mastered that already.
“Take Back Everything” has an older-school Arkells sound.Β This brings us back to the Morning Report days, perhaps the band’s finest hour.Β It’s important to listen to all the instruments and hear what each member of the band brings to the table.Β From day one, the bass has provided interesting textures and it’s still doing that here, while Mike DeAngelis explores his fretboard for new melodic compliments.
Hip-hop rears its head a lil’, on “Human Being”, a duet with Canadian electronica star Lights.Β Her vocals are sublime, but the chorus of “I’m just a fuckin’ human being,” doesn’t quite hit the spot.Β The song has its moments, including a catchy keyboard melody by Anthony Carone.Β It’s a shorty, over in just 2:34.Β We know the Arkells love Drake and that whole genre, but if I am going to have rap in my musical diet, “Human Being” isn’t so bad.
For duets, the high point of this album is the ballad “Teenage Tears” featuring Tegan and Sara.Β Not a duo I have heard before, but of course every Canadian knows who Tegan and Sara are.Β The twins sing as one here on a delicate ballad that boils tension and exhaustion together into a nourishing audio broth.Β Too much metaphor?Β Well you describe it, then. All I can tell you is that “Teenage Tears” is a classic; it hits you fast and doesn’t let go. You feel its familiar warmth immediately.Β It’s a “greatest hit” if you ever wanna compile one.Β The haunting music video is filmed in an empty mall, which certainly reminds of the pandemic days.
“Miracle” marks the midpoint of the album and the last song on side one.Β It blends the bluesy bent of their early albums with modern production.Β There’s guitar crunch but also the loopy melodic plinky bits that are popular in music today.Β Pretty good song, but it ends abruptly, and is surrounded by superior material.
“Nowhere to Go” crashes the party, opening side two with an upbeat pop rocker like the Arkells are prone to do.Β Wesley Schultz is the singer from the Lumineers dueting with Max, and their voices just add a little texture and variety to a song that otherwise might have got lost in the shuffle of similar bangers.Β However, the sax solo by Jake Clemons is a jumper!Β Nephew of Clarence, and member of the E-Street Band today, you know what you are in for.Β Just hit the “back” button a little bit and play that sax solo one more time!Β It has the exact same energy as classic Springsteen.
There is even a dance remix called “Danser avec toi” available on an iTunes single, with more lyrics in French and more instrumental grooves.
“Running Scared” is another ballad, but completely different from “Teenage Tears”.Β Laid back sax and an easy tempo render a song for the night time.Β It’s immediately followed by an upbeat pop rocker:Β “Something’s Gotta Give” featuring Joel Plasket.Β As we race towards the close, this catchy singalong serves as one last blast-off before we face the end.Β “Blink once!” announces Joel.Β “Then I black out!Β Blink twice, ’til we cash out.”Β It’s just a party tune.Β But something’s gotta give…
“Lost my guitar, lost my keys, lost my favourite pair of jeans…”Β The finale “Floating Like” is about all those things that bring us down…but then that upbeat soul chorus hits and it’s like, “who cares!”Β There’s a cool “These Eyes” kind of vibe coming from the piano, but the chorus is pure soul.Β Sunshine and breezy days in the form of song.Β “Now I’m feeling weightless, like I’m gonna make it!” says Max.Β This is a song to help get you there.
Blink Twice is another triumph.Β Completing the Blink duology with an album full of duets seemed uneven considering the first album only had one.Β Instead, both albums do sound cohesive when played together, but the duets on Blink Twice seem to allow the album to build towards something.Β Towards a conclusion.Β A hopeful conclusion.Β After the pandemic weighed so heavily on us all, music was (and still is) a reflection on what we endured.Β Blink Once and Twice might be played together as a soundtrack from those days.Β While both albums are strong, diverse, pop-centric and experimental, Blink Twice is the climax.
“Blink Once is about resilience. Itβs about grieving with loss and fall outs and finding your way back. The making of the album began before the pandemic, but the material seems to hit harder after everything weβve been through over the past 18 months. These songs are about finding comfort in your family, community and music.”– Arkells
ARKELLS – Blink Once (2021 Universal)
Blink Once is the album on which you can definitively say the Arkells transitioned from a rock band to a pop band.Β Historically this is the kind of move that earned my wrath, but I’m a lot more chill about it now.Β Opening your ears to new kinds of music can’t hurt you, and you may in fact find that you like what your eardrums are beating into you.Β When you already love the singer, the drummer, and the other musicians, it’s a lot easier to make that leap.
And Max Kerman is one hell of a singer.
Rather than review in track order, I thought I’d start with what I think is the best song and the clear highlight of Blink Once.Β The single “All Roads” is stunning.Β Just have a look at its music video, shot by drone over a local landmark:Β the Devil’s Punchbowl in Hamilton Ontario.Β The band members all make appearances as the drone flies overhead and then zooms down for their closeups.Β It’s a remarkable video fitting a very special song.Β (I forgive Max Kerman for being in his shorts-and-gym-socks phase.)
You couldn’t name a price, You couldn’t buy me off, Don’t need to read my mind, There’s only one thing that I want, All roads will lead me to back you.
Don’t let the opening bloops and blips of programmed music fool you.Β Once the guitars kick in, the song takes off just like the drone in the video.Β Soaring through the clouds on muscular wings of melody, “All Roads” is nothing short of a masterpiece.Β “All Roads” sounds like a #1 pop hit from 1988, with the production values of today.Β Those “huh!” backing vocals are absolutely from the 80s.Β It’s cinematic, as if it came from one of the great romance movies of the decade.Β Β This song is huge and impossible to forget.
Incidentally, I like the production on the lead vocals.Β It’s as if you can hear the room that Max is singing in, instead of being uber-bright and clean.
Fortunately, the album is stacked with memorable material.Β The opener “Liberation” boasts catchy verses over programmed beats and synths, but then breaks into a chorus that sounds Caribbean in original.Β After this, a massive drum beat maintains a tenuous link with rock music.
One of the big singles was “You Can Get It” with American Doc-boot-stompin’ singer and rapper K.Flay (Kristine Flaherty).Β She has an interesting breathy style, but this is the song that requires the biggest listener adjustment.Β The horn section helps, as does the entertaining “Wheel of Fortune” music video.Β Really, it’s all about the horn section.Β Live, I’m sure that “I don’t give a fuck, tell me what you want, you can get it!” part is fun to sing along to.Β On album, it’s all the horns!
One of my complaints about the prior album Rally Cry was that didn’t have any truly sad tear jerkers, emotional songs that just make you break down.Β Blink Once returns to that territory with “Strong”.Β This is a song I can relate to — staying strong for members of your family.Β “Here’s the rules:Β stay strong for me, and I’ll stay strong for you.”Β Most poignantly, as I remember the summer of 2018 (that summer that never was):Β “Summer is here but it’s sleeping away, why would we want to miss a good day?”Β Chills, tears, you name it:Β they’re all here.
A short acoustic interlude of “Liberation” called “Little Moments” makes you wish for a full-on acoustic version.Β This transitions to a necessary party song called “One Thing I Know”.Β A good time piano bopper with samples and loops, like many Arkells songs, the chorus is as big as the sky is wide.Β A more beat-driven song called “Truce” follows, with slinky horns again delivering the hooks.Β The lyrics are as relatable as always:Β “We both say that we fucked up, can we call a truce?”
One of the more interesting songs is “Nobody Gets Me Like You Do”, which seems to relate lyrically to other songs.Β The line “I’ll follow you down any road” recalls “All roads will lead be back to you”.Β The words “But you’d tell me straight if I fucked up,” bring us back to the previous song.Β Most importantly, it’s another melodic summer champion, gliding on mighty wings of pop music.Β The saxophone solo is right out of 1985.Β You can almost visualise the sunglasses, colourful tee-shirts under white suits, and deck shoes (no socks).Β Another album highlight.
“Swing Swing Swing” is one of the only album mis-steps.Β It starts with what sounds like studio outtake chatter:Β “OK I wanna try to do one of these kinds of songs where people are like, happy and dancing, but everyone’s like really fuckin’ sad when they listen to the lyrics.”Β That they accomplished, with the line “a long winter learning how to be alone again” giving you an idea.Β Musically it’s another horn-driven R&B style pop song, but not one of their best.Β The awkward reference to the Beatles’ “Let It Be” seems forced in an attempt to seem cool.
Fortunately, “No Regrets” puts the album back on track.Β A dance beat is accompanied by synth and, yes indeed, more unforgettable Arkells melodies.Β The chorus is huge, and just enough to remind you that this album has some great pop songs on it.Β Brilliant disco-like strings add to the whole and bring it up to another level.
“Years In the Making” was previously heard on 2020’s Campfire Chords, the acoustic “lockdown” album.Β Here is it fully dressed with horns and programming.Β The acoustic version might the superior one for purists but there is little wrong with the Blink Once recording.Β The choice is yours.
Another brief interlude called “What the Feeling Was Like” talks of hardships, but the closing song “Arm In Arm” is all about overcoming them.Β “Not gonna lie I’ve been fucked up.Β Not gonna lie it’s been a long year,” sings Max.Β And indeed, 2020 was a little fucked up, and it was a numbingly long year.Β The music is bright, with those necessary “woah-oh-oh” Arkells backing vocals.Β It feels like triumph.
That’s not the actual closer:Β An outro sample of a string section from “Reckoning” alludes to the next album, when Max says “Blink Twice…”Β Truly, it’s a two-album set, but we’ll get there next time.
If you’re into iTunes, check out a completely different version of “All Roads” called the “Night Drive” version.Β They even made a music video for it.Β It’s not a remix, but a completely different recording.Β A completely different mood.Β It doesn’t have the impact of the original, but it is a very cool supplemental.
Blink Once seems split between three directions:Β Extremely upbeat happy pop songs, kinda corny and semi-successful R&B forays, and a really sad ballad.Β At times it feels like these directions don’t mesh.Β It was a weird time.Β We needed upbeat music like this at that time.Β We were all dealing with a lot of shit.Β This is an album to pick you up on a bad day.Β Mostly, anyway.
Welcome to Arkells Week!Β We will be completing the Arkells Album Review Series this week, and diving into one of their EPs!Β Four days, four reviews, for you!Β By all means, not a complete series yet – Arkells have expensive EPs I am still in need of and am hunting for.
ARKELLS – Jackson Square (2008 Dine Alone)
Confirmed:Β The Arkells were already brilliant from starter’s gun.Β Their remarkable debut album Jackson Square (they had an EP before this under the name Charlemagne, that has since been partly reissued as the Arkells Deadlines EP) displays a formidable band with a strong handle on writing great songs.
Jackson Square (the name of a neighbourhood they used to frequent in Hamilton) opens with the slamming “Deadlines”.Β First it’s Nick Dika’s bass rumbling through, then Tim Oxford goes hard-hitting on a drum into.Β Singer Max Kerman’s lyrics are his first in a career-long attack on the guys in the suits.Β “They’re sitting up in the board room, and you sit like a fly on the wall.Β You can hear the man in the suit say we don’t have time to stall.Β We got deadlines to meet.”Β Musically it’s one of the Arkells heaviest tracks and the bass is just omnipresent.
Immediately things lighten up with “Pullin’ Punches”.Β A fast punky beat is crossed with a pleasant guitar melody.Β There’s a reference to Kingston, Ontario, home of the Tragically Hip.Β Again, drummer Tim Oxford gets singled out for his inventive beat.Β Max Kerman even references Elton John’s “Your Song” in lyric and melody, in a clever way.Β See if you catch it.
The big single was called “Oh, The Boss Is Coming!”Β A heavy blues rocker about getting busy on the job, it was also the Arkells first of many comedic music videos.Β For using the office safety video tape to record one of their jams, the band are called into the boss’ office!Β They are tasked with creating a new safety in the workplace video by Monday morning!Β Mostly, it’s fun to observe just how young they were!Β Musically, this track recalls the Zeppelins of yore.Β Nick’s bassline certainly recalls some of John Paul Jones’ of the past.
Arguably the Arkells’ best song in these early days was the Beatles-Meets-Arkells bop of “Ballad of Hugo Chavez”.Β The piano line by Dan Griffin recalls some late era 60s hits, while the “hey hey hey” refrain is pure Arkells.Β Though not mixed prominently enough in the song, there’s also the Arkells first horn section to enjoy.Β This laid-back classic is a singalong favourite.
Things get fast again on “Tragic Flaw”, a punchy little number.Β A melodic chorus keeps it in Arkells-land, but musically there’s a lot of cool stuff going on here with the bass, drums and keyboards.Β Guitarist Mike DeAngelis always holds down the fort with catchy little guitar lines, which he does here on the outro.Β “Tragic Flaw” flows straight into “No Champagne Socialist”, a harmonica-inflected slow burner.Β Again the bass and drums really dominate the mix, but the harmonica work gives it a bit of a Black Crowes vibe.
A soft ballad called “Abigail” boasts a really strong chorus, while the verses simmer under the soothing throb of bass.Β A stunner of a song from the early days that perhaps foreshadowed some of the powerful, dramatic songs the band would later write.Β Β Then it’s time for an anthemic blast called “Heart of the City”.Β A prototype for later Arkells powerhouses, the chorus is an absolute banger.Β A great song for singing along to, pounding your fists, in the house or in the car.Β (Especially the car.)
The ballad “I’m Not the Sun” has a lovely, but sad sound.Β It has one of Mike DeAngelis’ biggest and best guitar solos, recalling the tone of Neil Young.Β This powerful song is a slow burner, but burn it does.Β This suddenly transitions into “The Choir”, which has a completely different feel.Β It bubbles under, but has a heft to it.Β These early songs all have a lot of weight, even the lighter “John Lennon”.Β “I’m John Lennon in ’67,” goes the chorus, and you just can’t help but bop your head along.
A final song, “Blueprint”, turns up the tempo and brings back the horns.Β This is a blast of a song, pedal to the floor and off to the races.Β Those “hey hey hey” refrains firmly cement it as an Arkells song, but what a way to close an album!
Two observations about this album in general.Β A couple songs aside such as “Oh, the Boss is Coming!”, Max doesn’t really belt it the way he later would.Β As a singer he was still finding his voice and perhaps didn’t have the confidence he would later display.Β Second, the production on this album is very powerful but basic.Β Later Arkells albums would have many more layers of vocals, keyboards and effects.Β That’s not a strike against Jackson Square; just an observation.Β There’s a sonic power to this album that the others don’t have.
4/5 stars
There is a double vinyl reissue of this album with a live EP that is still on my wantlist. The Charlemagne EP is a holy grail item.
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