Arkells - High Noon

The Arkells aim for the cheap seats on their big, boisterous third album, High Noon. Working with L.A. heavyweight Tony Hoffer (Beck, Phoenix, M83), the two-time Juno Award-winning rockers from Hamilton, Ontario have made what is easily their most commercially minded and immediate-sounding record. It's a logical progression following 2011's Michigan Left, which dialed down some of the rock heft from their 2009 debut, replacing it with bits of slightly more complex pop ornamentation. On High Noon, both the Springsteen-style stadium rockers and the modern pop synth bits have been dramatically emphasized to mixed results. One one hand, the Arkells are by no means some high-minded indie art band. They are outspoken and ambitious, and make no bones about their quest to rule the Provinces, and with tracks like the huge, politically charged opener "Fake Money" and the infectious piano-organ jam "Cynical Bastards," they very well might succeed.

Tracklisting:
1. Fake Money
2. Come To Light
3. Cynical Bastards
4. 11:11
5. Never Thought That This Would Happen
6. Dirty Blonde
7. What Are You Holding On To?
8. Hey Kids!
9. Leather Jacket
10. Crawling Through The Window
11. Systematic