It's been a long time since I discovered a band that I so eagerly wanted to share with literally anyone and everyone. So, without further ado…
The Rural Alberta Advantage are an indie rock band from Alberta, Canada, and their debut album, Hometowns, is fantastic. In fact, every time I listen to Hometowns I'm reminded of the boundless sensibilities that drew me to indie music over ten years ago. Yeah, it's that good.
I discovered the Rural Alberta Advantage through eMusic. eMusic is an online music subscription service, consider it the iTunes of indie music. Anyway, the RAA were introduced to their largest audience to date through the eMusic Selects series in November of last year. This series gives eMusic subscribers exclusive music from unsigned artists, and the RAA were introduced, fortunately or unfortunately, with the following five words: "In an aeroplane over Alberta…" The die was cast.
The RAA are not Neutral Milk Hotel, and any comparisons to Jeff Mangum's vehicle are ridiculous. First, no band will ever crawl this earth and approach Neutral Milk's OR Mangum's shadow – and any man or band dumb enough to attempt will be properly mocked and spat upon. (And this is the beauty of the Neutral Milk Hotel vacuum: like the Big Bang, fate brought together a finite collection of combustible forces, something magical happened, and it won't happen again – at least not in our lifetime.) Second, the RAA sound nothing like NMH. Some people hear shades of Mangum in RAA lead singer Nils Edenloff's voice. I disagree. I hear Billy Corgan. Others hear that psychedelic folk rumbling in some of the up-tempo tunes. No, but I will admit that, to the amateur listener, he might hear some similarities, but after a few listens, the songs shake free and take on a life of their own.
No doubt, the souls of many bands pulse throughout the stream of this record, but this is the RAA's debut record! (Ever heard of that one band, Radiohead? Yeah, listen to Pablo Honey and tell me it's the most original piece of work you've ever heard.) The album bounces with the joyful groove of the Shins; some songs rip and tear with the agonizing beauty of early Smashing Pumpkins; and other tunes burn with a fire-and-brimstone passion ala Arcade Fire. But make no mistake, this album is much greater than the sum of its parts. I'm in love with the entire album, so reviewing individual tracks seems rather pointless; however, below you will find three songs from the album. "The Deadroads," "Drain the Blood," and "Luciana" occur consecutively during the heart of the album (tracks five, six and seven, respectively) and bridge the beginning and end of the record marvelously. These three songs alone make a trip to Hometowns unforgettable.
xx
As I mentioned earlier, the RAA are currently unsigned, so if you like what you hear PLEASE BUY THE ALBUM FROM THE BAND. The album can be purchased from their website or downloaded from eMusic.
L – I – N – K – S
The Deadroads - The Rural Alberta Advantage
Drain The Blood - The Rural Alberta Advantage
Luciana - The Rural Alberta Advantage
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