I have always been drawn to music that can spell out my inner emotions, and turn them into something compelling and emphatic. For years, I wallowed in music of a downbeat nature, all strained vocal chords and crashing guitars, the sort of cathartic sound of a teenage boy lost in unrequited love and roller coaster emotions. These days, although the emotional ups and downs remain, I prefer something a little more life-affirming most of the time. For a guy like me, Michigan Left, the Arkells second album, hits all the right notes.
I have always loved what the Arkells do. Even for the years I've spent knowing who they were but not paying close attention, whenever I encountered one of their tuneful songs I would smile and think to myself "why on earth haven't I gotten into these guys yet?". Back in December I was given a very good reason to do just that. A friend of mine invited me to see the band live and since I'm not one to ever give up on heading downtown to a cool club to see some Canadian indie talent, I hurriedly picked up their debut album Jackson Square, and spent the duration of the two weeks before the show immersing myself in the record. And really, it's quite a record. The first thing I noticed while connecting to it was how familiar some of the songs already sounded. These guys were made for rock radio, and I mean that in the best way possible. They have huge hooks, and they pepper their music with flourishes of compelling instrumentals, and they make sure to tie all their modern rock vigor to a grounding sense of the past and a classicist pop sensibility. I loved that record as much as was possible in that short time span, and the show only reinforced my affinity with it.
As I am with most sophomore efforts that follow records I've fallen in love with, I was a little bit hesitant to bring myself up to speed with Michigan Left. I had heard a few people talk about how it is overwhelmingly poppy, with a production value geared towards inducing commercial success. I had been so enthralled with the first album that I was sure this next one could be nothing but a letdown, even if it was a fun listen. It took a friend's reassurance to compel me to actually pick it up and check it out. I couldn't have been more impressed with what I encountered upon finally giving it a spin.
First of all, it is poppy. There's no way around that fact, but don't let that put you off. Arkells know the value of a great hook, or an explosive chorus, and they weave their stories of love and travel into beautifully concise nuggets of rock perfection. The difference between them and lets say, Hedley, is that this sense of pop comes from classic rock and 80s influence, not modern-day chart topping hits. They aren't so much making a bid to be the next "biggest band in the world", but are carving their already hooky (if not quite upfront) pop sensibility into a sound that connects upon first listen but sustains that impact throughout continued exposure. And that's not an easy feat. Somehow, even though I've been addicted to this album for the past month and a half, I'm still being impressed and surprised with how effortless the Arkells make it sound. And for anyone looking for those interesting flourishes that gave Jackson Square cerebral appeal, it hasn't been lost on Michigan Left. Just refined, and slightly polished.
There's still that lingering ghost of Bruce Spingsteen anthemics throughout the album, although the Arkells are starting to sound more and more like themselves. For a sophomore album, that's just about as much as you can ask for from such a hard-working band. Standout tracks are all over Michigan Left; "Book Club" starts the album off with a huge punch of breezy energy as the vocalist tells a lighthearted story about a friend who is willing to share his collection of great literature; "Coffee" has a lounge-type feeling without slowing the pace to a crawl, and is a perfect detailing of how it feels to be on the outside looking in on a troubled relationship; "One Foot Out The Door" actually manages to incorporate an odd space-rock vibe without blowing itself into the stratosphere, a sort of touchstone smacked into the middle of the album for how far these guys have come in the last 3 years. Although all of the songs are really totally worth mentioning, the standout track to me is also the final track on the album; "Agent Zero" starts off with a menacing vibe that slowly builds into one of the most affecting climaxes you're likely to hear. Ever. The song ends with a tuneful gang-sung "Turn all the lights down low..." over and over again until the music fades out and only the uplifting voices are left to end the album on an incredible note. And they do that all in the span of just over 3 minutes.
The fact that only one song on Michigan Left exceeds 4 minutes is such a testament to how well this band has shaped their melodious blasts of rock and pop perfection. And really, if you give it a listen and aren't willing to let yourself fall in love with these songs, you're just being snooty. There's not a snowman on this earth whose heart wouldn't melt upon hearing these fantastic songs. And that's part of the overall appeal to me. The band is so good at crafting their songs that, even with melancholia peppering a good portion of the lyrical content, it never casts too dark a shadow over the album's overall mood. You won't feel depressed listening to this album, and you'll probably be compelled to play it on repeat just to immediately re-live the overwhelming amount of memorable hook-laden moments. And if that isn't something to be excited about, I don't know what is.
Track 3: "Michigan Left"
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