Their 2012 American release has bestowed a new audience to the clan, as well as a Juno Award for “New Band of the Year.” With ‘80s-pop lyrics like “You’re telling everyone he is your best friend/ and you’re handing out flyers/ flyers on the weekend,” delicate harmonies combined with traces of towering youth-in-revolt vocals, Michigan Left services a spontaneity we’ve not seen in a while.
Singles “Where U Goin” and “On Paper” interchange vocal performances of Max Kerman, Mike DeAngelis and Dan Griffin wailing beneath warm, enveloping sunny-day melodies. But when tracks “One Foot Out The Door,” “Whistleblower” and “Agent Zero” claim a mystic midnight darkness and subsequently leave out the cheer, the album begins to waiver. It’s the guitar-laden, pop-rhythmic beats of “Bloodlines” and “Kiss Cam” that glow in the midday afternoon for Michigan Left.
When sticking to what feels inherent in Arkells’ 10-track effort, the subtle climate of deliberate indie-pop, Michigan Left is a perfectly pleasant contribution to the genre. The “we like taking on this town” youthful tonality of Arkells is unmistakably light, breezy and ideal for the climate of a summery spring.
