HOMETOWNS-Rural Alberta Advantage
Original Release Date: July 7, 2009
A friend at work recommended I try these guys out so I decided that anyone who thought that coming from rural Alberta was considered an advantage was worth a listen. I also had my buddy Kevin weigh in on some recent posts. He commented that I should do away with star ratings on individual songs as he thought that a 2 star and 4 star song are both largely forgettable long term. I agree so I am simply going to give you a RECOMMENDED and PICK OF THE ALBUM on songs going forward. I will still rate the album on a 1 to 10 star rate but I agree with him on the micro analysis at the song level. I don’t know much about this group but I do know they are a Canadian trio that garnered attention without a label. On that alone, these kids have some street cred. Let’s check out the album:
1. The Ballad of RAA: Some honest vocals hit you here. A nice little keyboard comes in. A layer of violin comes in later and finally the drums drop. I liked the composition. I wanted this song to really open up on me but they held it back for some reason.
2. Rush Apart: Vocals actually have some Billy Corrigan/Smashing Pumpkin hints. The beat comes in with a Cecilia like feel. A punchy less song, under 2 minutes.
3. The Dethbridge at Lethbridge: Another quick hitter with some solid drum work all the way through. Some female vocals drift softly over the driving beat.
4. Don’t Haunt this Place: An energetic carefully wrapped effort here. Great crisp drum work. A pretty violin controls the mood. I actually found the female vocals a bit distracting. None the less a solid song and worth hearing again. RECOMMENDED
5. The Deadroads: It opens with a great rambling drum beat. The break hits at the 1:33 mark and it feels like their most inspired effort to this point in the album. RECOMMENDED
6. Drain the Blood: A nice lead guitar here which leads into some more tight drum work. Easy to listen to all the way through.
7. Luciana: I couldn’t help but get a Violent Femmes/Corrigan cocktail here. Ehh.
8. Frank, AB: An odd name for a good song. Though a second listen the cooing female vocals sound very similar to “Deadroads”. The total composition is much more layered. Nice synthesizer work here gives it nice texture. RECOMMENDED
9. The Air: Some pretty guitar work with some simple and soft piano makes this light and breezy just like its title.
10. Sleep All Day: Synthesized organ and a nice drum beat. Almost sounds like Semisonic right here. I like Semisonic. Some simple but smart lyrics “If you try to be nice, then I’ll try to be nice too. And if you try to hold on, then I’ll try to hold on to you” PICK OF THE ALBUM
11. Four Night Rider: Another under two minute effort. Doesn’t grab me. Sounds like a lot of songs you have heard before to be honest.
12. Edmonton: Another effort that is fine but largely forgettable.
13. In the Summertime: A nice tempo and some pretty lyrics make this a nice finish for the RAA.
And in your summer dress I was holding you/But you were holding less/It’s not the words it’s the ones you stress/I love you is I love you just don’t love me less
The Overall Album: A pretty earnest and honest effort. On the margin you like these songs and you like this band. After a first listen however you will not find any songs that sear themselves into your musical membrane. But if you give this a second and third run (which isn’t hard since the total album comes in around 40 minutes) you find yourself really enjoying many of the cuts. Again, this isn’t a band that is ready to blow you away with creativity and explosive musical sound. They are a band that will charm you with honesty and simplicity and in some ways, that could be the biggest advantage the trio from Alberta has going for them.
Album Rating: 6 stars
