Morning Report
Last Gang, 2016
8/10
The 4 time Juno Award winners Arkells took a bold step with this 4th album, where the quintet add exciting textures amid their self-described ‘weirdest, funniest and saddest’ effort to date.
“Drake’s Dad” starts the listen with a gospel influenced version of indie-rock that gets funky, and “Private School” follows with dense piano before upbeat percussion enters the hip-hop friendly setting where frontman Max Kerman’s inimitable pipes show much versatility.
Elsewhere, “Savannah” moves with plenty of melody alongside the folk tinted climate, while “Making Due” is a vocally expressive and poetic display of synth friendly ideas. “Round And Round”, one of the album’s best, then uses strategic acoustic guitar while building into a rhythmic adventure.
Closer to the end, “A Little Rain (A Song For Pete)” is a dance friendly display of multifaceted rock’n’roll that’s quite festive, and “Hangs The Moon” exits the listen in balladry, where a dreamy quality enters the rugged beauty.
Arkells had been listening to a lot of rock records prior to releasing Morning Report, and it shows as they spread their wings outside of the pop realm they previously resided in. The band netted a Juno Award nomination for this album, too, which certainly isn’t unexpected, and it charted at #3 in their home country. If you’re unfamiliar, this would be an ideal place to start, as it represents the band’s vast talent and varied influences across some great songwriting.