Solid Noise: The Rural Alberta Advantage

Sticking with the Canadian precedent that Rob established with his Metric post, I present you The Rural Alberta Advantage (or the RAA as the cool kids say). I found this band by scanning through the recommended Chicago area shows on Oh My Rockness, which is a great site for discovering new music and shows. The RAA is an indie folk rock group that, according to the band, plays songs about "hometowns and heartbreak, born out of images from growing up in Central and Northern Alberta." This three piece group, actually based in Toronto, Ontario, consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Nils Edenloff, drummer Paul Banwatt, and Amy Cole on percussion and vocals. The RAA formed in 2005 and was unsigned until being picked up by Saddle Creek Records in early May. Their only full length album, Hometowns, was self-released last summer and will be re-released by Saddle Creek in July. They kicked off a tour on May 22nd which will extend through August and include stops in New York, Madison, San Francisco, and Chicago (I believe this covers the areas we all currently live in, no Boston, but New York is fairly close).

I will be attending the Madison show because Hometowns is a great album that spans an admirable range of musical styles. The opener "The Ballad of the RAA" utilizes electronic beats, Banwatt's quick hands on the kit, and Edenloff's emotional moan to create a techno-folk sound. The snappy Ryan Adams-esque alt country "Rush Apart" follows and gives the first taste of the harmonizing between Edenloff and Cole which helps distinguish the album. "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge" is a powerful indie rock tune with punk influences. "Don't Haunt this Place" shows what Banwatt is really made of. His spirited drumming gives some attitude to balance out the beauty produced by the cello and harmonies. Another indie rock gem is provided with "Drain the Blood", which really picks up about a minute in with the help of a riff that sounds like it was borrowed from Rise Against's "Prayer of the Refugee". "Frank, AB" is a chilling song about a Rocky Mountain landslide that occurred in Frank, Alberta in the early 1900s, killing 76 people. The album closes with the gentler "In the Summertime" which reminds me of something Vampire Weekend might come up with. Overall, Hometowns is a diverse and impressive debut and, even if it's not really your style, I encourage you guys to check them out live.

I don't really know what the hell's going on in this video, but it's a good song.