The Rural Alberta Advantage- Hometowns
Fri 4 Sep 2009
The Rural Alberta Advantage- Hometowns
5/10
Re-released in 2009 via Saddle Creek Records after being originally self-released in 2008, The Rural Alberta Advantages’ indie rock debut refuses to let the curtains be drawn on a sound that’s been travelled by many before them. The one difference that sets them mildly apart from a raft of other bands is their drum beats, which on several tracks sound electronically induced. But even then they sound a bit like The Postal Service and it’s only a momentary buzz. Throughout the album you get a sense of deja vu and while the band do mix it up a bit, it’s all along similar parallel lines. Of the thirteen tracks, seventh ‘Luciana’ and eighth ‘Frank, AB’ are as loud as the band gets; both could benefit from a few more woos and wahs, but then it would probably make them sound like The Midnight Youth. Ninth track ‘The Air’ is the highlight, a slow Emo love song with a gentle rhythm, it’s then followed by the similar sounding ‘Sleep All Day’. Both blossom brightly; it seems like the band has genre referenced their songs and paired them up. Several tracks make use of the electronic sounding drum beats (‘The Ballad Of The RAA’, ‘Don’t Haunt This Place’) and they surprisingly add a lot to The Rural Alberta Advantages’ sound. Unfortunately they loose their impact due to Nils Edenloff’s overly abrasive voice, which is really pushed hard on these tracks, sounding a bit like Billy Corgan with a throat infection.
Nick
Posted by Nick Fulton under Album, Reviews
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