Canadian trio the Rural Alberta Advantage will bring their
searing folk talent to the High Noon Saloon this Thursday as they tour with
their latest album Departing.
Hearing the group’s sophomore album listeners may melt like
the ice and thaws referenced throughout the album. With their latest, the Rural
Alberta Advantage shows audiences their first album Hometowns was no fluke. From the first haunting note to the last
percussive echo, Departing will
exceed listeners’ high expectations and leave them clamoring for more.
On their new album, the band captures and expands upon the
passion and desire first forwarded in songs like “Four Night Rider” and “Don’t
Haunt This Place” off Hometowns.
Nils Edenloff’s raw, reaching voice may polarize fans.
Slight pitch imperfections suit their folk sound imbuing the music with a sense
of authenticity and legitimizing the angst and melancholy strength portrayed on
the album. In “Muscle Relaxants,” arguably one of the most powerful songs,
Edenloff’s melodic yelling follows in Bob Dylan’s footsteps further proving to
the music industry artists don’t need a pitch perfect voice to excel at their
craft. Keys player and percussionist Amy Cole lends back up in songs like
“Stamp” adding vocal color to the background.
Listening to Departing
is like sitting on the hood of a pickup watching for meteors as dew gathers on
windshield and grass sways in the summer breeze while relishing in heartache.
The bouncy drumbeat and tambourine punch of “North Star” and elegant fingerpicked
guitar lines of “Coldest Days” help the trio share their musical vision with
listeners. The reverb in “Muscle Relaxants” grows the group’s sound and
increases the emotion in the song. The Rural Alberta Advantage embraces pure
instrumental sections, especially leading into the first verse, setting the
mood for listeners perfectly.
On Departing, the
Rural Alberta Advantage uses nature metaphors effectively to convey intense
feeling without sounding like a Hallmark card on depressants. This technique is
highlighted in “The Breakup,” where a cracking ice sheet symbolizes a damaged
relationship.
From a beautifully lament-steeped song like “Under the
Knife” to a folk interpretation of the classic childhood story Good Night Moon with “Good Night,” the
Rural Alberta Advantage forwards an album worthy of the acclaim they have
previously received.
5/5 stars
Check them out Thursday, March 24th at the High
Noon. Music begins at 8:30 p.m. Cover charge is $10. James Vincent McMorrow and
In Tall Buildings will open.
