low-end piano lick and drum beat that wouldn ’ t sound out of place on a ‘ 90s hiphop mixtape and leads to a lazy , undeniably catchy chorus with a cameo from Tokyo Police Club ’ s Dave Monks . While Kerman easily holds down the verse with a bouncy vocal melody , it could just as easily welcome a few rap verses from someone playing Ghostface Killah to Arkells ’ BadBadNotGood .
But when “ Savannah ” comes along , it ’ s like the band is picking up right where they left off with Michigan Left , returning to a more straightforward rock structure . They bounce even further back in time on “ Round & Round ,” where at one point , Kerman commands nobody in particular to “ bring in those horns ,” like a ‘ 50s big band leader being inadvertently caught by the central microphone . But right on those horns ’ heels is a Moog-like synth lead that brings the track straight into ‘ 80s territory . Even individual songs run the gamut as far as influences go .
“ We ’ ve always been really lucky that , even from the getgo – and it ’ s something I don ’ t take for granted – we ’ ve always done what we ’ ve wanted , and people seem to think it ’ s good ,” Kerman muses . “ We ’ ve never had a real period of our creative life where we were constantly being told , ‘ No , no , no .’ It ’ s like , ‘ Let ’ s just trust that people trust us to make cool shit ,’” he laughs . “ And that ’ s all we need .”
And while the whole idea of straying from an established sound in search of something more exciting or musically rewarding could seem self-indulgent , Arkells seemingly always have their audience in mind when writing . “ My main instrument is dance moves , where I ’ m thinking , ‘ OK , how are people going to move to this ?’ Just envisioning a festival crowd or packed club or whatever ,” Kerman says before a good laugh . “ That ’ s definitely something we ’ re cognizant of . We spend a few months recording an album , but we ’ ll spend the rest of our lives touring the thing , so it ’ s always important to think of how people will react to it on a visceral level .”
He remembers writing “ Leather Jacket ” with that very idea in mind . “ There ’ s a certain skip-jump thing people do at our shows that I predicted when we were working on the song ,” Kerman says , joking : “ I just
know the way bodies are going to move .”
With that , there ’ s a handful of upbeat cuts on Morning Report that could easily be singles and , regardless of which ultimately end up being sent to radio , would be well-received in front of a festival crowd .
But then there are the more ethereal , enveloping songs better suited to different stages . “ The reality is that the band has a few different lives ,” Kerman offers . “ It ’ s cool
( L-R ) ANTHONY CARONE , TIM OXFORD , MIKE DEANGELIS , MAX KERMAN & NICK DIKA
that we can put on different hats depending on the place we ’ re playing . That ’ s how I think about some of the more vibey material , like ‘ Hangs the Moon ’ or ‘ Passenger Seat .’ I think those songs would work really well in a theatre or with an attentive audience . But generally , it ’ s been pretty natural for us to lean towards sing-along music that feels good to dance to . That ’ s where our headspace is , naturally .”
And really , that supersedes genre , production , or any other superficial parameters . In its simplest form , it ’ s either good or it ’ s not , and Arkells have propelled themselves to the pinnacle of Canadian rock on that merit .
“ There ’ s an acknowledgement within the group that , let ’ s remember , we are a rock n ’ roll band ,” says Kerman . “ We happen to do that really well , so let ’ s not totally abandon that , because it ’ s an important thing to treasure . But I think there can be a healthy balance between doing what comes most natural to you while pushing yourself and not being afraid to venture out into unknown territory .”
Fittingly bringing West back into the conversation once more , Kerman says the core of the approach to Morning Report was bridg ing their appreciation of the past with their
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excitement for the present , represented by Sir Paul at one end and Yeezy on the other . “ It ’ s about keeping things fresh like Kanye , but staying true to those McCartney melodies and the classic songwriting that the greats embody ,” he summarizes . And thanks to West and McCartney ’ s collaborations on the massively successful “ Only One ” and “ FourFiveSeconds ” in recent years , there ’ s literal proof that such a formula works .
Morning Report should only reaffirm that fact , proving that just because a band is disenfranchised with the state of rock music , it doesn ’ t mean they can ’ t make a great rock record .
Andrew King is the Editor of Canadian Musician .
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