The Rural Alberta Advantage Rules

Try saying that five times fast...

Well, its not all that difficult, but if you happened to have done it, then you have just affirmed a little known fact: The Rural Alberta Advantage rules, indeed.

Henry Weatherly, an estuary of obscure musical knowledge, has been introducing me to artists since the genesis of our mutual appreciation for good music. But, if my memory serves me well, it was actually my next-door-neighbors Cullen and Will Wallace who sparked my interest in music by introducing me to the wonders of 90s music including Smash Mouth, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Eminem. However, it was not until I heard Will play "The Night Santa Went Crazy" by "Weird Al" Yankovic that I fully realized that I had an abnormal fascination with music.

As soon as I was able to store a few and album song names into my long term memory (which is fairly difficult for an 8 year old), I burned a mix CD for henry to enjoy. It consisted of five or six Weird Al songs in addition to various other musical parodies and 90s radio gems.

I could go on and on about the "Weird Al" stage in my early musical career-- selling copies of the lyrics to "Albuquerque" at school for 25 cents each; futilely trying to memorize the fast part of "Hardware Store" as I listen to it on my Sony Walkman repeatedly.

But, obviously, I grew out of that stage and began exploring all types of music. And as I lay in my bed typing this blog post, I listen to RAA's debut album "Hometowns" and reaffirm their awesomeness. The albums kicks off with "The Ballad of RAA." A soft, sustained organ and a driving kick drum lay the foundation for this melancholic tune as the unique vocals of Nils Edenloff soaked in nostalgia sing of a past life and love. The short ballad shows the band's ability to reconcile its mellifluous chord progressions with its solemn lyrical nature. In addition, the ballad segues beautifully into the next song "Rush Apart" which diverges from the central organ sound, opting instead for the textured minor chords of a semi-distorted guitar to accompany the busy and concise drums of Paul Banwatt. This can also be seen in "The Dethbridge in Lethbridge" and "Drain the Blood,"two favorites of mine

RAA's debut features a pleasant mix of the aforementioned sounds in each of its 13 tracks. I realize that after reading the description above you may not be sold, but rather concerned that this band is more repetitive than innovative. It is true, admittedly, that RAA's sound is neither as complex as Animal Collective (obviously) nor as gritty as Modest Mouse; however, their simple, original song structures supported by active drumming, distinct guitar rhythms and memorable vocals leave every listener wanting more-- more of whatever it is that they are doing.

The real beauty of their music lies in their ability to create a unique sound and consistent mood that transcends each individual song and permeates throughout the entire album. Whenever or wherever I find myself listening to the Rural Alberta Advantage, I almost instinctively choose to listen to more than just one song. Instead, when I stumble across their name in the Artists category of my iPod and think of a song that suites the occasion, I usually just decide to click on track number one "The Ballad of RAA," take the iPod off Shuffle mode, and listen to their debut all the way through. Their songs are fairly short across the board, at least compared to most other bands I listen to, which only further entices me to start from the top and further attests to RAA's musical genius. Many of the tracks on "Hometowns" could very easily be four or five minutes, featuring more instrumental breakdowns and "doo dads" as Henry likes to say. Nonetheless, the album's average song length is about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Although each track seems to begin and end abruptly, their is a certain degree of continuity in the melodies that breathes life into the hopeful, yet melancholic mood.

I say all that to say this: Buy this album. It's not expensive and it's very much worth the money. And if you do, give it a couple listens through. I know that these days a song has to grab a listener from the moment it begins, but this album might not-- at least it didn't for me. It took me probably three listens within a three month span to truly enjoy this album. And it was not until I was able to enjoy it that I realized its brilliance. But I know that there are plenty of people who just do not have it in their nature to sit down and listen to an entire album. To y'all, I recommend listening to the last song on the record called "In the Summertime." Perhaps the single greatest song about a person's longing for the summer and the time he spent with his former lover. If that song doesn't get you, I don't know what will.

Not a single song is bad. I would go so far as to say that not a single song is mediocre. Give it a try, it's a Parrish Pick, so put that in your pipe and smoke it