Max Kerman

REVIEW: Arkells – Campfire Chords (2020)

ARKELLS – Campfire Chords (2020)

March, 2020:  the world came to a sudden halt as the Covid-19 pandemic spread from city to city, nation to nation.  We isolated in our homes and offices to keep our loved ones safe, and we waited it out.  For bands, everything stopped.  Gigs were cancelled, and recordings had to be done remotely from home.  On the bright side, this resulted in some brilliant music from legacy bands.  For the Arkells, it meant stopping all work on the next studio album (Blink Once) and separating for four months.  At the encouragement of bassist Nick Dika, the band got down to their singer-songwriter basics with a series of stripped-down versions of the “greatest hits” (so to speak).  Keyboardist Anthony Carone assembled the individual pieces into something cohesive, and Campfire Chords was born!  The title refers to the “campfire test”:  if a song sounds good done acoustically around a campfire, then it’s a good song.  Bon Jovi have a similar philosophy.

Campfire Chords opens with a surprisingly somber “Knockin’ At Your Door”, which was more of an anthem in its single release.  Souful backing vocals and pedal steel guitar gives it an entirely new feel.  Although everything about the melody is the same, it feels like a new song.

Following this is a brand new song:  “Quitting You”.  This lovely acoustic country ballad is just a beautiful love song.  Fiddles and acoustic guitars ring clean, while tambourines jangle in the background.  “I thought of maybe quittin’…but there’s no quittin’ you.”   Because it’s the Arkells, there are some cool “woah-oh-oh” singalongs too, because what’s a campfire without a singalong?  An Arkells classic.

A second new song, “Years in the Making” opens with harmonica and a strong Max Kerman melody.  This track later appeared on Blink Once in a vastly different arrangement.  A true Arkells anthem, you can hear it on this stripped down version.  It’s all about the melody, and then the hit of the chorus.  The piano break in the middle is really nice.

One of their earliest hits, “Whistleblower”, is slowed down and intensified with soulful backing vocals and steel guitars.  This one simmers, compared to the manic original.  It has a different kind of intensity, but the tension is there.  Another early hit, “Michigan Left” from the same album comes across really well acoustically.  The “woah-oh!” chorus is intact, and though it’s slower, it’s just as uplifting.  An even earlier song, from their debut album Jackson Square, called “I’m Not the Sun” comes next.  It’s gentle and floaty, though the lyrics are dark.  “So don’t let me be your guiding light, ’cause I’ll get you lost in the dark, I’m not the sun, there’s no guarantee, ’cause I burn out hard like a spark.”  Returning to the present day, “Don’t Be A Stranger” from the Rally Cry album is a song that might be an improvement.  Taking off the layers of polish, but leaving the string section in, it just breathes really smoothly now.  It’s the same song, but it hits differently.

An absolute highlight of this album is the new version of “Comes to Light” from their best album High Noon.  There’s a Bruce Cockburn feel to the guitars; quintessentially Canadian.  This one just cuts clean through.  The steel guitar is featured again, and the melodies shine.  “And with my headphones on, as I fall asleep, you’re my barricade from intruding dreams.”  While the original is hard to top, this one has magic to it that can’t be defined.  A masterclass in re-imagining.

Another Arkells classic, “A Little Rain (A Song For Pete)” takes us to church!  The Arkells go gospel, and do it like it’s second nature!  The rich choir-like backing vocals lend it an undeniable authenticity, but Max Kerman absolutely nails it too.  Not bad for a guy who, by the lyrics, “never tried religion”.  A little rain ain’t bringing him down goes the chorus, and that feeling is washed upon the listener like a baptism.  Pay attention to Nick Dika’s expressive and lyrical bass work.

Back to Rally Cry, the anthem “Eyes on the Prize” is stripped down to just acoustic and voice.  Though it was written pre-pandemic, one lyric rings way more true from the perspective of 2020:  “I think I’m done with the motherfuckin’ hiatus”!  The choir returns with Max on the chorus, and a harmony chimes in, but the music remains mostly simple acoustic guitars and soulful singing.

Revisiting the early years again, the light and airy “Book Club” is a delight.  The backing vocalists enhance its soulful feel, which was always there on the album version.  Following this is the slow and moving “And Then Some” from Morning Report.  One of the Arkells most beautiful love songs, it falls in the category of “personal favourite”.  The original has a real pulse to it, and this one is quite different in that way, but there’s also a newly acquired softness to it.  “Kiss Cam” from Michigan Left works well, given the lyrics.  “This campfire won’t last forever, the Hip have only wrote so many songs.”  Sadly true.  “We can’t stay up north for the summer, head back to the city, find a job.”  Can relate!  Speaking of personal favourites, Jen loves “My Heart’s Always Yours” in particular.  This acoustic version is transformed into much softer fare, like a dreamy morning anthem.

A steel guitar-laden version of the anthem “Hand Me Downs” is a back-end highlight.  Then “11:11”, already a brilliant single in its own right, is enhanced by the acoustic treatment.  This is another one that may in fact surpass the original.  At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste.  If you have more attachment to one version of another, that’ll colour what you prefer.

Finishing out the CD are the anthem “Relentless”, which always had a soul/R&B flavour.  Here it simmers intensely like hot pavement.  The closing track is the immortal “Leather Jacket” from High Noon, known to laymen as the “pay phone song”.  Steel guitars take us out to the country and that’s where the album goes as it rides off in the sunset like some kind of Canadian cowboy driving a dusty pickup truck through the gravel.  This is tagged by a lovely singalong (with horns) of the main hook, “You call me up from a pay phone, and I said who the fuck uses a pay phone!  There’s a crazy New Orleans outro like you’ve never heard, and that’s it!

These kind of “re-imagining” albums (if you will) can be so hit and miss.  I mentioned Bon Jovi earlier.  Remember that atrocity they did, This Left Feels Right?  It was so, so wrong.  The Arkells made no such mis-step here.  They key is…they didn’t have to take a left turn.  They just needed to turn to a different side of their sound, and focus in like that for a whole album.  The result is an acoustic album that has depth, variety, and in some cases, some versions that could top the originals.

You can’t get “Quitting You” anywhere else; to date this is its only release.

4.5/5 stars

REVIEW: Arkells – “Hand Me Downs” (2019 digital single) ft. Frank Turner

ARKELLS – “Hand Me Downs” (2019 iTunes)

“Oh-oh-oh!” sings Max Kerman in his most anthemic of choruses.  “When your head gets dizzy and you can’t get right.  Oh-oh-oh!  But you push on through, don’t be denied.”  This single from Rally Cry is an obvious highlight.

Kerman has always stood up for the little guy, in the face of banks and landlords.  “First of the month gets you stressed out, and moving trucks bring you right back.”   That’s what “Hand Me Downs” is.  You get the impression that these characters in these songs are amalgams of people that Max knew.  Most importantly, even more than the lyrics, is the power of the music.  “Hand Me Downs” is one of the Arkells most immediate, most catchy, most powerful songs to date.  And that’s saying a lot.  If there was a quintessential “trademark” Arkells song, “Hand Me Downs” would be among them.

This 2019 digital single came with three versions.  The album version, a live version, and a duet with English punk-folk rocker Frank Turner.  The Turner version is an entirely new recording, not just a remix.  A little more acoustic, a little less ornate, a little more live.   Very much up Frank’s alley.  It’s a little jarring to hear his accent on an Arkells song, but it’s a quick adjustment.  Turner grabs the verses by the balls and makes them his. He mixes well with Max on the chorus.  A brilliant version, and perhaps should have been released as a single in its own right.

The third and final version is an acoustic take from Clubhouse Austin (you can see a photo of Max on their website), and it’s perfectly recorded.  Very little noise, very clean.  Small rooms often make for the best live recordings.  Their vocals are absolutely perfect.  Arkells have proven time and again how talented they are in the studio, but it is live that counts the most.  “Hand Me Downs” live is flawless, yet not:  those vocal quirks that only come from a live performance, and only serve to sweeten the song, are everpresent.

“Hand Me Downs” makes for a brilliant three-song single.  It is still available for purchase.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Arkells – Rally Cry (2018)

ARKELLS – Rally Cry (2018 Universal)

In a sense, Rally Cry is the last Arkells album that was made conventionally.  Campfire Chords, Blink Once, and Blink Twice were all recorded during the pandemic.  Laundry Pile was unplanned.  Rally Cry is the last one recorded during quote-unquote “normal times”.  It is 10 songs, 36 minutes, and clearly focused on pop rock with a soul/R&B influence.

This album is loaded with Arkells-style anthems, and leads off with one:  “Hand Me Downs”.  Their working-class social consciousness creeps into the lyrics, but most people won’t be paying attention when the chorus hits:  “Woah-oh-oh!” shouts singer Max Kerman in a fashion he almost could have patented.  “Ain’t no shame in some hand-me-downs!”  Yet the words are some that any can relate to.  “First of the month gets you stressed out, and moving trucks bring you right back.”  Musically, this is not that different from the prior album Morning Report, though perhaps more direct.

“American Screams” juxtaposes irresistible dance music with a shot at organized religion.  “You got your good book all wrong. You wanna do God’s work, it’s gonna be hard work.”  The big thick dance beat though!  The thing about Arkells music is that the it is so strong, the lyrics can be ignored if you so choose.  It’s way more rewarding to look into what they’re saying.  Unfortunately, this single is just three minutes long!

“Relentless” hearkens back to the bands’ youths.  Ambitiously, it contains a sample “Sixolele Babe” by South African artist Chicco.  The sample is not obvious at all, and somehow fits right in with this pop rock anthem.  How do they find these records?  Musically illiterate, the Arkells are not.

Moving on momentarily to a more straightforward Arkells sound, “Only For A Moment” is softer, and driven by beats and piano.  A good time party tune, but with interesting things going on rhythmically.  The lyrics are not too heavy, though the theme is letting your stresses and anxieties go, if only for a moment.  Then a U2-like guitar lick chimes forth, while Max sings a melody that Bono could have written (but didn’t).  It’s hard not to compare to the Irish quartet; even certain inflections in the voice.

Flip the side of the record, and you are back in the disco with the big single “People’s Champ”.  It’s political, but not specifically so.  It’s just about a candidate who’s no good:  “You’ve got no vision for the long run, you’ve got no sense of history.”  And then the chorus, “I’m looking for the people’s champ, and it ain’t you!”  And then in the same song:  “All my girls say woah-oh!  All my dudes go, woah-oh!”  So, it’s a rally cry, but it’s also a hell of a good time.  And why not?  Do you have to be dead serious musically when your lyrics are cutting slices out of the elite?  Why not let that bass drum hit!  Why not let that bass thump!  Tim Oxford and Nick Dika oblige on both counts, while a horn section blasts in your ears.

“Eyes on the Prize” could have been a single too.  This is more R&B than rock and roll, with loads of soulful backing vocals.  This one sounds autobiographical.  “I was repeating conversations with a chip on my shoulder, replaying the scene over and over.”  But there’s those upbeat horns and lush backing vocals!  Halfway through the song, Max takes us to church.  Just like a preacher, he goes off on his tangent.  “And the man behind the counter turned up the radio, one of those old AM/FM boomboxes, the kind with the cassettes.”  Yes, he really sings that, with the soul backing vocals making it seem like the most important scene you’ve ever heard.  Though at its heart, “Eyes on the Prize” is a hit-worth Arkells anthem, it’s chock full of diverse musical ideas, expertly executed.  Genius songwriting and performance.

If you’re looking for a perfect summer soundtrack, check out the bass-driven “Saturday Night”.  Again, Max’s lyrics are interesting and fun.  “You and me talking about conspiracy theories, you said ‘I don’t give a fuck about a man on the moon.'”  Again the punchy horns deliver the 80s, like a song right out of the summer of ’85.  It sure feels the way I remember.  The party comes to a stop on the darker “Company Man”, as the messages return to the forefront.  Yet the music goes full 1970s, with rolling drums, bangin’ piano and horns blasting.

Album closer “Don’t Be A Stranger” is catchy, with a big drum beat like an old Beatles song.  It ends the album on something of a somber note, but also a hopeful one.  There’s a quaint keyboard part that gives it that throwback vibe.

Rally Cry, though musically and lyrically ambitious, does lack the emotional impact of Morning Report and some of the other preceding albums.  It is a trade-off.  The Arkells are somehow both streamlined, and expanded.  The melodic construction of the songs are more emphasized than ever before, but beneath that lie layers of musical experimentation, mostly in the direction of Motown.  As such, we don’t get heart-rending slow-burners like “Passenger Seat” from the prior album.  The guitar riffs aren’t on the forefront.  A good album it is, though perhaps by being so accessible, it loses that challenge that sometimes keeps an album in your deck for decades.

4/5 stars

RE-REVIEW: Arkells – High Noon (2014 + iTunes bonus tracks)

ARKELLS – High Noon (2014 Universal/iTunes)

My 2016 album review of High Noon did not do it justice.  I hadn’t had the time yet to fall in love.  Now I have, and it’s time to look at the CD and iTunes versions of High Noon, and give it the praise it truly deserves.  A few months ago, I wrote up a “Just Listening To” post, but that too failed to really capture this special album.

Arkells, from Hamilton Ontario, are a special band.  In my original review, I touched one special aspect.  “A band can make or break based on the lead singer.  I really like the expressive and sincere singing style of Max Kerman.  He stands out from first listen.  It’s hard to say exactly what makes him stand out, but he certainly does.”

While I was right about Kerman (and I was right to use the word “expressive”) I hadn’t accounted for the rest of the band.  All brilliant in their own right.

On guitar:  Mike DeAngelis, who also provides a lot of vocals.  The guy knows how to write a catchy lick, and he has many on High Noon.

On bass:  Nick Dika, the guy who is always pushing them to do whatever other bands are not.  He also happens to write great basslines, and provides some serious bottom end on songs like “Come to Light”.

On drums:  Tim Oxford, who always plays for the song, but never plays it straight.  There’s always something interesting going on with the percussion parts.  I’ve heard him called Canada’s greatest drummer.

On keyboards:  The new kid, Anthony “Tony” Carone.  I can only speculate as to his impact on this album.  Original member Dan Griffin left the band to finish school and become a successful entertainment lawyer.  Pre-Carone Arkells are less pop, and have fewer keyboard hooks.  Is that Carone’s influence?  Whatever the case, he’s been a crucial member ever since, providing far more than just keys.

My history of the band is brief.  I loved their 2012 single “Whistleblower”, and 2014’s “Leather Jacket” even more.  But what really made the band stick out in my mind was watching the NHL Awards one night with Jen, when Max Kerman shook hands with #99 Wayne Gretzky himself.  Seeing a gleeful Max lose his shit in front of Gretzky just made me fall in love with this band.

Kerman managing to keep his shit together on national TV with The Great One

In spring 2023, I had a craving:  a craving for something upbeat, positive, deep, and Canadian.  I put on High Noon one day in May and I have not looked back since.

Up first is “Fake Money”.  In 2014, Kerman was clearly pissed off about the banking crisis.  “Oh you’re just a boy, a little banker boy, everything’s a game and everyone’s your toy…”  It’s a pretty scathing attack, but within the confines of an upbeat, powerful song akin to old-school U2.  There’s a chunky bass hook that sounds like “Where The Streets Have No Name”.  But this song is its own beast, a ferocious indictment set to an anthemic singalong.  “You’re playing a board game, up in a board room…”  Max studied poli-sci in school, and it definitely comes out in his words.

Just as I think of U2 on “Fake Money”, I think of 80s Bowie on “Come to Light”.  “Modern Love” kinda Bowie.  There’s some 80’s Elton John in the piano too.  This was the first of four singles.  The of mix of Kerman and DeAngelis’ vocals on the chorus is so satisfying.  Then the band comes in with those “ooh, la la’s” that are so tasty.  And Oxford?  Brilliant on this.  The single cymbal crash when Kerman sings “The words hit me hard, like a one-two punch” is just so perfect.

Another brilliant song called “Cynical Bastards” is surprisingly upbeat considering the title!  The piano and keys deliver the main hooks here, full of the glow of summer.  Max references “Jackson Square dropouts avoiding police” in the opening lyrics.  Oxford keeps the snare pumping, with Dika thumping the bass by his side, and Max sings the indelible chorus:  “If you want me to boil it down, all you cynical bastards move right out of town now!”  What I like most are the references to living in the golden horseshoe of southern Ontario.  “Oakville moms, they stick up their nose, and those Burlington dads keep their daughters at home.”  I wouldn’t know about that, but I worked in both towns.

Have you ever heard about that superstition that you’re supposed to make a wish when the clock shows 11:11?  Arkells wrote a song about it.  “You made a wish at 11:11, I held your hips at 12:34,” goes the fabulous chorus.  One gets the impression that Kerman has danced with a lot of girls over the years.  This song is a bit slower and more contemplative, but not without those awesome Mike/Max harmonies, and massive choruses.  More “woah, ohs” and I’m fine with all that.

Dika’s bass is a major component of the ballad “Never Thought That This Would Happen”.  I really like what I said about this song in my “Just Listening To” post, so I’ll go ahead and quote myself:   “‘Never Thought That This Would Happen’ is one of most poetic yet colloquial songs about a one-nighter that I’ve ever heard.”  It’s also the only song on the album that exceeds four minutes.  There’s a great string arrangement by Carone, and a really impassioned lead vocal from Max.

We go back to the 80s on “Dirty Blonde”, which is just a catchy pop rock tune.  Nothing wrong with that at all.   It’s fast, and you can dance to it.  (Personally I prefer playing air bass.)  This is as close as we get to a throwaway on the album, yet it’s awesome.

“What Are You Holding On To?” opens the second side on the vinyl version.  Jen likes the Dirty Dancing reference, “You put Baby in a corner, we’ll be Dirty Dancing all night…”  Once again we’re stuck in the 80s, and we’re definitely at a party.  If you still wanted to dance, but needed something that isn’t as fast as “Dirty Blonde”, then here’s your ticket.  Horn section arranged by Carone.  Horns have become more and more integral to the Arkells sound over the years since.

Piano takes the fore on “Hey Kids!” which sounds like a band jamming in a bar.  It has that vibe, but much cleaner and tighter.  The “Ooh, ooh ooh’s” return, and Max even sings my name in one of the lyrics.  The strings return to augment the sound, and you can’t ignore the backing vocals of the band, always there in all the right places.

The “big single” was the infallible “Leather Jacket”.  This is the one that people remember for the line about the pay phone:  “You call me up from a pay phone, and I said, ‘Who the fuck uses a pay phone?'”  An instant favourite, impossible to forget, and really indicative of everything that makes the Arkells great.  The 80s influence in there is the guitar hook.  The lyrics are relatable.  The chorus is fused into your neurons after one listen.  Oxford’s drum part is integral to the song, as is Dika’s bassline.  If there was just one song I’d play to get someone into the Arkells, it would be “Leather Jacket”.

There are a lot of fast tunes on High Noon, but “Crawling Through the Window” is one of the coolest slow songs I’ve ever heard.  There’s a digital pulse, and nice chunky guitar chords, employed sparingly in the back.  Oxford’s snare drum is nice and loud, like he’s leading the procession.  Max’s lyrics are once again relatable.  “We bunkered down in this shitty apartment, utilities included, all that we wanted.”

The dance rock of “Systematic” ends the album on a surprising note.  It’s unlike any of the previous songs, demonstrating that the Arkells are willing to sample the flavours of every section in the record store.  This is something they have embraced further and further down in their discography.  “Systematic” has a dark vibe, but the Arkells tend to go for unusual closers.  It’s no less catchy, and the strings return for a cool disco effect.  Now that I think of it, this really sounds like the Arkells version of Dynasty-era Kiss!

Why does this album sound so good?  Mastering engineer – Harry Hess!  The album was produced and mixed by Tony Hoffer.

There are two added bonus tracks on iTunes, both acoustic versions of the album tracks.  “11:11” is stripped down, and shows that the song still has all its strength even without all the bells and whistles.  It really allows the vocals to come out more, both lead and backing.  “What Are You Holding On To?” is the second acoustic bonus track.  It has a lot more bop here, as it’s basically just piano and vocals in this arrangement.

When I reviewed this album the first time, I rated it 4.5/5 stars.  Not bad.  But wrong.

5/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Arkells – Laundry Pile (2023)

ARKELLS – Laundry Pile (2023 Universal)

Arkells didn’t set out to make a record.  They’d been pretty prolific, with Campfire Chords, Blink Once, and Blink Twice coming out in rapid succession during the pandemic.  As they sat down to rehearse some acoustic arrangements of the Blink material, they found themselves jamming on new ideas.  Singer Max Kerman had already been writing demos, which the band jumped on.  The result is a softer, more contemplative album without the Arkells usual bombastic rally cries.  10 songs, 36 minutes.

Max compared this album to a journal that “documents some of the messy parts that end up teaching you a lot: love, regret, desire, shame, and the longing to get it right.” With that in mind, let’s have a listen.

A simple acoustic number, “Life Is” is a beautiful, quiet and contemplative number.  The sweet and subtle backing vocals recall the greatest folk albums of Canadian tradition.  “Life is short sometimes,” sings Kerman.  “You make mistakes along the way, and I love you ’til my dying day.”  A classic to be, “Life Is” might be one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever heard.

The single “Skin” is a fuller arrangement, with piano, bass and drums.  While it starts fairly ordinarily, the chorus really kicks.  “I thought I knew, I thought I knew what I wanted when I started,” sings Max, while pianist Anthony Carone punctuates his words magnificently.  A soft synth kicks in with the bass and drums, and the song becomes softly electric.  Mike DeAngelis lays down one of his best, most emotive guitar solos while drummer Tim Oxford plays with expert subtlety.  This is the brightest, most upbeat song on the album, and the only one of its kind.

The title track “Laundry Pile” relies of a soft piano backing, as Max muses on spending time with his true love.  “It’s OK if you’re not always at your best.”  Most poignantly, “I already love the parts that you don’t like in yourself.”  It reads like a personal letter.  The minimal accompaniment is perfect.  “Wash Away” also has minimal accompaniment, with percussion and light drums.  “I’m still in love with you,” proclaims Max.  “I’m not ready to let go.”

“Your Name” features organ, and dreamy keyboards.  “My whole world is inside your name,” declares Kerman.  Light strumming guitars and laid-back drums make for the perfect arrangement.  At the end of the song you can hear someone say “I’ll be back in an hour,” right before you’d flip the LP side.

“Beginner’s Mind” has a sad melody, with dark piano accompaniment.  When a strange keyboard sound kicks in, Marillion comes to mind.  The progressive rock band from Aylesbury often do songs like this, and the keyboards do add a progressive edge to this dusky pop song.  It has a vibe like a cold rainy day, especially when the full band comes in.  Wait for the trumpets!  Though this song is not inviting at first, by second or third listen it starts to hook you in.

The music picks up on “Shot In the Dark” (not the Ozzy song!), which is just a nice summery rock song for the countryside.  Electric guitars, punchy drums, thumping bass by Nick Dika…but it’s not a loud song.  It sounds like you’re in the back of someone’s pickup truck, driving up a long dirt road on a bright, blue summer morning.  This is followed by the twangy “Time”, and that’s probably not a coincidence.  There’s also some serious soul/blues roots on “Time”.  What is wild is that sometimes, Anthony Carone’s keyboards sound like they’re ripped from some old 1940s record.

“Tango Waltz” features strings to create a haunting atmosphere.  You’re fooled into thinking it’s an instrumental, but after more than half the song expires, finally Max comes in.  The words are somewhat rapid-fire, and this song comes across as more of an atmospheric interlude before the closer “Quiet Love”.  Tim Oxford ticks away in the back, while Max and the band create a delicate acoustic tapestry of music to wrap the words in.  “Is it too late?  Can you look at me like you used to?”  There’s a certain epic quality to this album closer, though not in a traditional sense.  It’s certainly one of the best tracks of the ten.

At the start of this review, Max was quoted as saying that this album “documents some of the messy parts that end up teaching you a lot: love, regret, desire, shame, and the longing to get it right.”  You can certainly hear that, and see it in the words.  There are no anthems here about politics, class, societal ills, or finance.  There are no soundtracks to going out to the club and meeting a girl.  Laundry Pile is a very different album for the Arkells.  Yet it somehow sounds like them and only them, and fits right in with everything else in their catalogue.  The shout-along anthems will return one day, but this album is unique.  It deserves intense listening over this coming winter.

4.5/5 stars

REVIEW: Arkells – “Ticats are Hummin'” (2012 iTunes single)

ARKELLS – “Ticats are Hummin'” (2012 iTunes single)

Disclaimer #1:  I hate all sports.

Disclaimer #2:  Of all the sports, I hate football the most.

I do love the Arkells, and for them, I’ll download a song about football, and dang it, I’ll even enjoy it.

“Ticats are Hummin'” is a tribute to the Arkells home team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.  They have a rivalry with the Toronto Argonauts.  And that’s about all I can tell you about the Ticats.  I do like this song.  Alot!  It is a bright, boppy and upbeat tune with a guitar and piano delivering the main musical hooks.  Of course, there are plenty of those patented “woah, oh oh!” vocals that Arkells fans adore.

Saw some old friends,
From down in T.O.,
But old Queen Lizzy,
Will take them back home!

They look so sad,
At the end of the night,
Blown out like Pink Floyd back in ’75!

“Queen Lizzy” refers to the Q.E.W. – the Queen Elizabeth Way, a major highway connecting Toronto and Hamilton.  I sometimes wonder if the Arkells staunch commitment to local references in their lyrics has held them back from international success.  I think these references only enrich the music and add to their down-home vibe.

“Ticats are Hummin'” would have been one of the band’s first recordings with new keyboardist Anthony Carone.  It preceded their excellent High Noon album by a couple years, but you can hear elements of where they were going, with the indelible pop melodies.

This track was released to iTunes with proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton.  It also received a physical release, on a rare 2 CD compilation called Everybody Dance Now – Songs From Hamilton, Volume 8.  Be on the hunt.

5/5 stars

RE-REVIEW: Arkells – Morning Report (2017 vinyl deluxe edition + 4 bonus tracks)

ARKELLS – Morning Report (2017 Universal vinyl deluxe edition)

Last time I reviewed Morning Report, I mentioned that the first two songs, “Drake’s Dad” and “Private School” were my least favourites.  Ironically Morning Report became my favourite Arkells album despite this.  When I re-bought it on a vinyl reissue, I was surprised but pleased to see that the running order had been altered!  Now, a new single called “Knocking At the Door” was track #2, with “Private School” moving on to #3.  This really changes things and makes the album a much more consistent listen from the start.

Y’see, I’ve discovered that I don’t particularly like when the Arkells get too much into modern mainstream pop.   Despite its powerful soul chorus, “Drake’s Dad” falls into this category for me.  It really does have a great chorus, a powerful soul/gospel chant of “I just wanna hold you, so high!” that raises the roof.  It also has a lush arrangement with strings and samples.

“Knocking At the Door” has modern elements too, but my attention is drawn to the blast of the horn section, and the impressive and aggressive drumming from Tim Oxford.  The track is just a banger.  The chorus is as powerful as the Arkells get.  Never a dull moment in this song.  Listen to the horns and drums, trust me!  Like “Drake’s Dad”, this one also features soul/gospel vocals.

The forgettable drinking anthem “Private School” has a fun hook of “Ah, fuck off, don’t say I’d do the same!”  Silly fun.  It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and soon makes way for the incredible ballad “My Heart’s Always Yours”.  This suave pop rock heart-tugger just hits all the feels.  Max Kerman has a way with words and I’m certain that the ladies love him for it.  Though keyboards are the prominent hook-delivering instrument, the pure passion and panache of this song just elevates it to the clouds.  As you’ll see later on, it doesn’t need the keyboards.  A brilliant song, made indelible in the brain and heart!

Things get even better on “Savannah”, the fast acoustic-based song with killer lyrics.  “She was named after, she was named after her dad’s favourite city.  I was named after, I was named after the fact…”  How does Max come up with this stuff?!  He paints a picture of characters, often female, drifting in and out of his life.  He tells their stories, often depicting musty old apartments, messy beds, and empty refrigerators.  Musically, “Savannah” is even better than lyrically.  It’s powerful and it has a trumpet solo, so what more could you want?  The chorus is probably the most immediate one on the album.

Then…get ready for chills, for it is time for “Passenger Seat”, the most haunting song on the album and easily one of the most chill-inducing I’ve ever heard.   Then the chorus comes, with Max in a high falsetto, accompanied by sparse piano and keyboard effects.  “Driving on the highway home, this time alone, doesn’t mean the same without you.  I turn on the radio, to somethin’ slow, just to let it fuck with my mood…but songs don’t sound the same without you in the passenger seat.”  Who can’t relate to that?  (People without driver’s licenses I suppose.)

Brightness returns on “Making Due”, like the light peaking through the blinds after a long night.  The music is pure uplifting magic, and the lyrics cut clean through.  A sunny guitar hook opens the track, and then Max delivers some of his best melodies and words to date.  That falsetto really nails the hooks home.  Favourite lines:  “I thought we made a deal, you were crossin’ your fingers!”  Or  “Got a pulse, but there’s a few beats missin’.”

Acoustics come to the fore on “Round and Round”, a folksy number (at first) that serves to bridge two very upbeat pop songs.  The band comes in partway and it becomes a little more late Beatles-y in a weird way.  Horns come blastin’ through, then synth, and it grows into something else entirely: something birthed in the early 80s, but also talking about MuchMusic’s Electric Circus TV show circa 1999.  An interesting track that is more than meets the ear.

“Hung Up” is impossible not to dance to.  “The gatekeepers are keepin’ me out, let me in!  Who made you the president, well fucker?”  The horns also return, along with the synth, creating a modern pop rock classic.  And I just love Max Kerman’s trio of “Well fucker?” at the end of the song.  (Also listen carefully for a reference to “Fake Money” from the prior album High Noon.)  No folks, he may be no Axl Rose, but Max Kerman is not afraid of dropping F-bombs right and left.  Fortunately I’m easily entertained and I find his use of the word (usually) effective and not overdone.

A beauty called “Come Back Home” is a quieter, slow ballad, with a thrumming bassline that provides a dreamy foundation, like a pillow.  “All would be forgiven if you’d come back home,” begs Max.  “‘Cause I just wanna be yours again.”  Filled with regret, Max is looking for reconciliation.  Morning Report could in fact be a concept album about shattered relationships and our reactions to them.  “And I thought about all the ways I could hurt you, to even the score of feelin’ deserted.”

The upbeat moods return on “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete)”.  Max has indicated he’s probably an atheist in past lyrics, but here he says “I stumbled in St. Peter’s Cathedral, there I was.  I never tried religion but man, I’ll try anything once.”  I can’t tell if this song is about someone name Pete, or if Max is singing as if he’s having conversations with St. Pete himself.  It means whatever you want it to!  This incredibly catchy tune has a fun, bouncy beat and a suitable synth riff to go with it.  Drummer Tim Oxford is definitely an underrated percussionist who doesn’t play it simple and always has catchy fills.

A slower but powerful song called “And Then Some”  is next to last.  This romantic dreamer is so good!  “And I love every inch of you, and then some and then some.”  Beautiful song and I can’t help but think of Tom Cochrane on the chorus.  Something about Max’s delivery sounds like the Red Rider frontman.

Strangely, after all this power, all these hooks, and thick arrangements, the final song is very different from anything else.  Quiet, understated and short, “Hangs the Moon” is like a coda.  The arrangement is very bare, and Max’s voice is the main feature.  The Arkells occasionally choose interesting, unconventional closing songs, and this is one.  It works, but it’s not among my favourite songs on the album, and besides, it’s only the closer on the original 12 track album.  We still have three more to go, all acoustic versions of previous songs.

“My Heart’s Always Yours” has a completely different feel as a piano and vocal arrangement.  Guitar and percussion come in later.  The vocal melody is identical, but the mood hits differently.  It’s more sombre, though still mesmerising.  For the softer arrangement, Max resorts to falsetto for some of the power-vocal moments.  The wonderful “And Then Some” sounds more like the album version, though stripped back to basics.  It’s still every bit as beautiful as the record, with a few little surprises.  The best of the bonus tracks.  The last bonus track is an unplugged version “Knocking At the Door”.  This version sounds akin to an earlier album like Michigan Left.   Similar vibe.  There’s a cool bit at the end where the band sings together that just demonstrates their talent and soul.  Great tune, cool bonus.  All these bonus tracks serve to enhance an already excellent album.

To go with the new tracks, the gatefold double LP set comes with new cover art.  It’s similar, but has a woman’s face sketched instead of a man’s.  I love when different editions get similar, but different art!  I didn’t even notice at first.

Morning Report is an album that I have listened to intensely for the last couple months, and has made a permanent impression on my soul.  With Max’s lyrics tattooed on my heart, I’m already terribly biased towards love.  The improved track list here corrects any flaws with the earlier version and renders it obsolete.

5/5 stars

 

REVIEW: Arkells – Morning Report (2016 CD)

“Hey, Nurse Kat!” I asked on Twitter one summery afternoon. “I already have and love High Noon and Michigan Left by the Arkells. What album should I buy next?”

“Morning Report,” answered Nurse Kat.

“Morning Report,” answered Nurse Kat’s friend.

“Ordered!” I responded.

In sum:  Nurse Kat and her friend were right.

4.5/5 stars

Wait wait wait…that’s not how we do reviews around here!  OK folks, let’s get ready to dive deep.  Coffee:  heated.  Let’s go.

ARKELLS – Morning Report (2016 Last Gang)

First of all I will preface all of this by saying that this album and this band has recently helped me get through a rough patch, so there is a certain attachment that I have made with Morning Report that colours everything I will say about it.  The fact that it made that connection is the important part.  An album that connects, that’s special.  That’s for life!

Here’s the interesting thing.  For an album I love so much, I don’t particularly care for the first two tracks!  I also find the closer underwhelming, but that leaves nine tracks of pure awesome to gush over.  But first, let’s get the opening pair out of the way.

I don’t particularly like when the Arkells get too much into modern mainstream pop, because I do not care for modern mainstream pop.  The opening pair “Drake’s Dad” and “Private School” would fall in this category for me.  Having said this, both songs have awesome choruses.  “Drake’s Dad” has a powerful soul/gospel chorus of “I just wanna hold you, so high!” that raises the roof.  It also has a lush arrangement with strings and samples.  “Private School” has a fun hook of “Ah, fuck off, don’t say I’d do the same!”  Silly fun.

The serious stuff starts with track #3, “My Heart’s Always Yours”.  This suave pop rock ballad just hits all the feels.  Max Kerman has a way with words and I’m certain that the ladies love him for it.  Though keyboards are the prominent hook-delivering instrument, the pure passion and panache of this song just elevates it to the clouds.  A brilliant song, made indelible in the brain and heart!

Things get even better on “Savannah”, the fast acoustic-based song with killer lyrics.  “She was named after, she was named after her dad’s favourite city.  I was named after, I was named after the fact…”  How does Max come up with this stuff?!  He paints a picture of characters, often female, coming in and our his life.  He tells their stories, often depicting musty old apartments, messy beds, and empty refrigerators.  Musically, “Savannah” is even better.  It’s powerful and it has a trumpet solo, so what more could you want?  The chorus is probably the most immediate one on the album.

Then…get ready for chills, for it is time for “Passenger Seat”, the most haunting song on the album and easily one of the most chill-inducing I’ve ever heard.   But then the chorus comes, with Max in a high falsetto, accompanied by sparse piano and keyboard effects.  “Driving on the highway home, this time alone, doesn’t mean the same without you.  I turn on the radio, to something slow, just to let it fuck with my mood…but songs don’t sound the same without you in the passenger seat.”  Who can’t relate to that?  (People without driver’s licenses I suppose.)

Brightness returns on “Making Due”, the song that really means something to Nurse Kat.  I can see why.  The music is pure uplifting magic, and the lyrics cut clean through.  A sunny guitar hook opens the track, and then Max delivers some of his best melodies and words to date.  That falsetto really nails the hooks home.  Favourite lines:  “I thought we made a deal, you were crossin’ your fingers!”  Or  “Got a pulse, but there’s a few beats missin’.”

Acoustics come to the fore on “Round and Round”, a folksy number (at first) that serves to bridge two very upbeat pop songs.  The band comes in partway and it becomes a little more late Beatles-y in a weird way.  Horns come blastin’ through, then synth, and it becomes something else entirely: something birthed in the early 80s, but talking about MuchMusic’s Electric Circus TV show circa 1999.  An interesting track that is more than meets the ear.

“Hung Up” is impossible not to dance to.  “The gatekeepers are keepin’ me out, let me in!  Who made you the president, well fucker?”  The horns also return, along with the synth, creating a modern pop rock classic.  And I just love Max Kerman’s trio of “Well fucker?” at the end of the song.  (Also listen carefully for a reference to “Fake Money” from the prior album High Noon.)  No folks, he may be no Axl Rose, but Max Kerman is not afraid of dropping F-bombs right and left.  Fortunately I’m easily entertained and I find his use of the word (usually) effective and not overdone.

The beautiful “Come Back Home” is a quieter, slow ballad, with a thrumming bassline that provides a dreamy foundation, like a pillow.  “All would be forgiven if you’d come back home,” begs Max.  “‘Cause I just wanna be yours again.”  Filled with regret, Max is looking for reconciliation.  Morning Report could in fact be a concept album about shattered relationships and our reactions to them.  “And I thought about all the ways I could hurt you, to even the score of feelin’ deserted.”

The upbeat moods return on “A Little Rain (A Song for Pete)”.  Max has indicated he’s probably an atheist in past lyrics, but here he says “I stumbled in St. Peter’s Cathedral, there I was.  I never tried religion but man, I’ll try anything once.”  I can’t tell if this song is about someone name Pete, or if Max is singing as if he’s having conversations with St. Pete himself.  It means whatever you want it to!  This incredibly catchy tune has a fun, bouncy beat and a suitable synth riff to go with it.  Drummer Tim Oxford is definitely an underrated percussionist who doesn’t play it simple and always has catchy fills.

A slower but powerful song called “And Then Some”  is next to last.  The romantic dreamer is so good!  “And I love every inch of you, and then some and then some.”  Beautiful song and I can’t help but think of Tom Cochrane on the chorus.  Something about Max’s delivery sounds like the Red Rider frontman.

Strangely, after all this power, all these hooks, and thick arrangements, the final song is very different from anything else.  Quiet, understated and short, “Hangs the Moon” is like a coda.  The arrangement is very bare, and Max’s voice is the main feature.  The Arkells occasionally choose interesting, unconventional closing songs, and this is one.  It works, but it’s not among my favourite songs on the album.

For me, Morning Report is 9/12 awesome songs, with 3 that are not bad but not my bag.

Morning Report is an album that I have listened to intensely for the last couple months, and has made a permanent impression on my soul.  With Max’s lyrics tattooed on my heart, my score will come as no surprise.

4.5/5 stars

Thanks Nurse Kat and friend for the recommend.

 

REVIEW: Arkells – Michigan Left (2011)

ARKELLS – Michigan Left (2011 Universal)

The Arkells smashed the radiowaves on their excellent second album, Michigan Left.  “Whistleblower” raged, with that guitar riff and cutting vocals, cementing the band into the minds of Canadians from coast to coast.  Aggressive and intelligent, it’s a tune that can’t be topped.  “Just a little bit of faith is what I want, it’s what I need in my institutions.”   Singer Max Kerman, a B.A. in Political Science, pours on all the passion that he is known for on this excellent track.  And that’s just one of ten excellent tracks.

Dig deeper into the album and you’ll find many tracks just as great as “Whistleblower”.

One of the band’s many strengths are the backing vocals.  Opening track “Book Club” has rich backing shouts, helping Max focus on the main message.  What a track!  The band’s home town of Hamilton is mentioned, and turns up elsewhere on the album.  The upbeat “Where U Goin” has plenty of the pop goodness that would increase on the band’s next album High Noon.  This is followed by the title track, a brilliant rock tune with unbeatable melodies.  The chorus soars overhead while the band jams and “whoah-ohs!” along.  Cool percussion and accoutrements on this amazing tune.

“Coffee” is a great Canadian song title, don’t you think?  “No no really, this one’s on me, I’ll let you get the next time we go out for coffee.”  Mixing acoustics with electric, Arkells make things a little more contemplative, and it works.  Certain lines here really hit home.  Specifically:  “Does he hit you?”  Sadly I think many of us know someone like the person who is the subject of this song.  Things get slamming again with “On Paper”, a fast tune with a punk-like energy to the choruses, even though it’s just radio rock.  There’s a brilliant riff change and a “Woo!” at about 2:25 that just kills!

The band slow it down a bit for “Kiss Cam”, a romantic single you can dance to.  And the lyrics?  “This campfire won’t last forever, the Hip have only wrote so many songs.”  How’s that for you?  These guys know how to write unforgettable words.  Always have.

“One Foot Out the Door” is different, quiet and tense.  The plucking of an electric guitar becomes the pulse of the song, but as always Kerman is the focus.  A false ending gives way to a deliciously chaotic blast of piano and guitars.  Awesome song.  A poppy riff then introduces “Bloodlines”, the one with the reference to the escarpment in Hamilton.  It’s about walking on eggshells in a relationship, something we can all relate to.

Album closer “Agent Zero” is hard to categorise.   It doesn’t feel like an album closer, but it does manage the job by ending it abruptly.  Perhaps another song would have ended the record with more drama, but “Agent Zero” isn’t a bad song at all.

You could tell these guys were only going up.  And go up they did!  One of Canada’s most popular bands today.

4/5 stars

 

Tune in this Friday for Arkells talk on Grab A Stack of Rock!

Just Listening to…Arkells – High Noon (2014)

When I reviewed this album six years ago, I rated it 4.5/5 stars.  For whatever reason, I’ve been playing this a lot over the last two weeks.  Like a lot lot.  Today I’d give it a solid 5/5.  High Noon by the Arkells has reached that upper echelon of albums that somehow, someway, have become so important to me that losing this album would be like losing an arm.  It’s in my soul now.  It’s part of me.  That’s not easy to do, especially for newer music.

I love the spirit.  The defiance.  The anger!  “Oh you’re just a boy, a little banker boy, everything’s a game and everyone’s your toy…”  A pretty scathing indictment of the wealthy who prey on the vulnerable, a practice which singer Max Kerman refers to as “Fake Money”.  It’s so upbeat that you don’t pick up on the anger until you actually listen to the words.  But when you do?  Hooboy!  Though the song sounds like a celebration, the lyrics cut like razors.

Then there’s the very-80’s “Come To Light”, a brilliant rock song with a Bowie beat.  There’s a tension built from synth and drums.  Then the piano delivers those hooks!  Kerman’s vocals are as impassioned as ever (“Impassioned” being his middle name, according to some reports).   Virtually every song could be a single, and this one was the first of four.  Another simply superior upbeat celebration follows, called “Cynical Bastards”.  You have to love that title!  Once again the keys are the dominant hook-deliverer, though the chorus itself is pretty damn awesome.  Even the lyrics are catchy!  “If the 80s were tough, the 90s were mean!”

Another serious favourite is track #4:  “11:11”.  You ever heard about that superstition that you’re supposed to make a wish when the clock shows 11:11?  A slower, more contemplative song, this beauty is all about meeting a sweetie at a bar.  “You made a wish at 11:11, I held your hips at 12:34,” goes the fabulous chorus.  “There was a kiss just waiting to happen, a cab was waiting just outside the door.”  A slower but still bright number called “Never Thought That This Would Happen” is one of most poetic yet colloquial songs about a one-nighter that I’ve ever heard.  “And I never thought that this would happen, and you got all weird after the weekend.  Sometimes you make out with an old friend, and I’m rounding first and I’m sliding into second…”  It’s also the only song on the album that exceeds four minutes.

Sometimes I wonder if these girls that Kerman is singing about know the songs are about them.

“Dirty Blonde” is another very 80s upbeat rocker, very much like 80s Elton John, but harder.  Just as many hooks though!  “What Are You Holding On To?” has a completely different vibe, happy and danceable.  This is followed by the uber-catchy “Hey Kids!” and the single “Leather Jacket”.  “Leather Jacket” is one that strikes home lyrically in many ways.  “You call me up from a pay phone, I say hang tight I can drive you home.”  Been there done that!  But my favourite line?  “You call me up from a pay phone, and I said, ‘Who the fuck uses a pay phone?'”  Regardless, “Leather Jacket” is instantaneous, flawless and passionate.

Just two more songs remain in this journey.  “Crawling Through the Window” slows things down to a strong digital pulse, with dark chords backing it.  Brilliant lyrics here describing a shitty old apartment.  “There were carpets in the bathroom, man, what the fuck’s a vacuum?”  Again it sounds like there’s a real story here.  Finally the dance rock of “Systematic” ends the album on a surprising, but no less catchy note.

Mastering engineer – Harry Hess!  By all means, get this album.  Get it.  Play it.  Play it again.  Fall in love.  I did.