NOTE: I am posting my re-review of the Rural Alberta Advantage’s wonderful debut album, Hometowns below. I was never pleased with the original review and with the all the attention that the band is getting, I wanted to post something I felt a little more comfortable with. In case you’re interested, the original post is below the updated one.

I have decided to re-review the Rural Alberta Advantage’s (MySpace) fantastic debut album, Hometowns. I have two reasons for this. First, after riding a seemingly ever increasing wave of buzz, the RAA have signed to Saddle Creek, who will re-release their debut album on July 7th. Second, I was never pleased with my original review of Hometowns. While I still very much agree with the sentiment, the original review was rushed and poorly written. Because the Radio Exile review is the third result on Google, and because this is a band that will soon be experiencing a wave of (deserved) attention, I feel that a better, up-to-date review is in order.

As the six months since I’ve first heard Hometowns has passed, there has been nothing to even remotely dissuaded me that Hometowns is the best album released in 2009 and that the Rural Alberta Advantage is one of the best bands in the indie world today. Hometowns is an album that I liked upon first listen, loved upon second, was in my year end top ten by my tenth, and my all time top 10 after my 50th listen. It is true that I am predisposed to liking Hometowns. I worship Neutral Milk Hotel with their fuzzy acoustic punk, heartfelt lyrics, and emotional delivery. I tend to enjoy nasally singers in the vein of Jeff Mangum or 1960’s Bob Dylan. And I love indie folk with enough volume to blow my hair back.

The Toronto-based Rural Alberta Advantage is a three piece and a rare example of a band that could never exist in any other form. The chemistry between singer/guitarist Nils Edenloff, drummer Paul Banwatt, and multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole is possibly the greatest strength of the band. Nils, a native of Alberta, is the primary songwriter. His nasally yelp of a voice will turn off many people who value shine and polish over emotion and authenticity. Paul absolutely belongs in the uppermost tier of indie rock drummers, along with people such as Bryan Devendorf (The National), Jason Reece (…Trail of Dead), and Brian Chippendale (Lightening Bolt). He elevates the Nils already fantastic songs into an otherworldly level with his lighting quick and powerful drumming. Amy Cole, at first listen, seems somewhat superfluous. Watch just one song of their live show and you’ll realize that she is perhaps the most important member. She is what elevates this band from merely being very good to being something special, bringing a playful joyfulness to this music which keeps it from collapsing under its own weight. All three are genuinely nice people who are absolutely humble and who seem truly grateful that people enjoy what they do. This is an easy band to root for.

The album itself is quite sparse. Usually nothing more than Nils voice and guitar, Paul’s drumming, and a little bit of drumming, keyboards, or noisemaking from Amy. I would list the album standouts, but much like recent efforts by The National, this is an album which reveals itself slowly, over time, until you realize the entire album is fantastic. A song which seemed merely enjoyable last week will often appear utterly brilliant next. The first songs to reveal themselves are the frantic punk of The Deathbridge in Lethbridge, Frank AB, with Nils and Amy’s haunting and intertwined vocals, and the vicious Drain the Blood, which might feature the best drumming indie rock has seen in years. The next batch of songs to fall in love with includes a duo of Yo La Tengo influenced songs and a Neutral Milk Hotel homage. The first YLT track is the understated and minimal Don’t Haunt This Place and the second, Sleep All Day, at first seems to borrow a bit heavily from “Autumn Sweater”, and perhaps it does, but subsequent listens reveal a song every bit the equal of the aforementioned Yo La Tengo song. The only song on the album which sounds overtly like Neutral Milk Hotel, a criticism often levied by critics of the album, is Luciana. The band fuzzes out the guitar a bit more than normal and adds some Scott Spillane-esque horns to the climax of the song. Neutral Milk Hotel-ish, yes, but to great effect. Finally, The Air and Four Night Rider reveal themselves. The Air is a quiet folk lament and Four Night Rider, imbibed with Amy’s joyful personality, is just begging to be used in the next indie cross-over hit.

The Rural Alberta Advantage sit on the precipice of hitting the tipping point. In a few short weeks, or maybe even days, this band will hopefully be launched into the upper tier of the indie world, where they so rightfully belong.

When I first stated to write record reviews, I was unhappy because whatever I wrote ended up being written in the first person. I talked about myself and my personal relationship with the music I was reviewing more than I did the actual music. But as time as gone on, I’ve become okay with this. I realize that music, with very few exceptions, is an inherently subjective subject. The vast majority of music released today is at least good, often very good, and rarely great. Trying to assign an objective grade to a band is an inherently ridiculous task. Once a band reaches a certain level of competency, “reviewing” an album simply a game where you see how closely you identify with the music and how close it fits your personal tastes.

That said, there are some albums that are objectively are great. It is with these albums that a reviewer is actually reviewing an album rather than simply writing about if they liked it or not. Hometowns, the new album from The Rural Alberta Advantage [Official, Myspace] is one of those objectively great albums. It is a joy to listen to and it is a joy to write about.

If you love music, you should at least like this album. If you like Neutral Milk Hotel, Okkervil River, O’Death, or Frightened Rabbit, then you will love this album. With their frantic acoustic folk punk, The Rural Alberta Advantage are absolutely the equal of those bands. In fact, had I heard this album earlier than late December, it surely would have placed on my year end list (and highly at that).

Often The Rural Alberta Advantage, out of Toronto, Canada, sound like the sibling of Frightened Rabbit, the Scottish band that snuck on to many Best of 2008 lists. Hometowns could easily be the follow up to The Midnight Organ Fight and “The Death Bridge In Lethbridge” is easily the equal of Frightened Rabbit’s “The Modern Leper” or “My Backwards Walk”. At times the album sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel with a disco beat (and with the appropriately death obsessed lyrics, this comparison works on multiple levels) and at other times, Yo La Tengo is called to mind (“Sleep All Day” is effectively an “Autumn Sweater” rewrite).

I cannot recommend this album enough. Check it out then go revise your “Best of ’08” list.

“Don’t Haunt This Place” [mp3]
“Sleep All Day” [mp3]

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