The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns Review

I have listened to a lot of music. Over the past few years, I have come to accept that there is very little that musically surprises me anymore. I am not saying that there is nothing good out there, to the contrary there has been a lot of good music lately, it is simply that the music I have listened to recently lacks staying power. When I say staying power, I mean that I can play the album a week, month, year or years later and not be embarrassed. The Rural Alberta Advantage debut album Hometowns caught me off guard.

Hometowns is a well crafted album. The Rural Alberta Advantage’s sound can best be described as back to the basics. The guitar uses very little, if any, distortion and the bass and drums sound crisp as well. They prove that you do not need added effects to make a lot of noise. What separates Hometowns from other albums is that all of the instruments are front and center. You can hear and feel them. They are not muted or soft, as is the case with so many others. The band harmonizes well with their instruments too. Their voices add depth to the sound.

The other element that works perfectly on this album is the blending of melancholy homesick lyrics with faster tempo songs. It gives the songs more of an it-is-what-it-is feel rather than a completely lost tone. It sounds as if the songwriter has come to terms with not being completely satisfied with their life. This is a way everyone can relate to feeling at one point or another in their life. It is the true to life qualities in the lyrics that makes this a fantastic album. When the lyrics and instruments all come together, The Rural Alberta Advantage have put out one of the best albums I have heard in years.

Score: 6.9 (there is one track I skip over, it is not my favorite. Otherwise, I can listen from top to bottom.)
Scale

1 –3: I was impaired in some way when I bought this album (it’s embarrassing)
4: A few decent tracks, nothing memorable. Selling it back to the record store
5: Some great tracks, a solid album
6: One of the better albums I have listed to
7: These are very few and far between. Flawless from top to bottom

Slacker

I have been quite the slacker lately when it comes to this, my apologies. I am going to try and write on it almost everyday starting now. I was going to write last night but as I was looking around my place at 11:50 pm and what do I see but a mouse, sneaking across the floor. A mouse!

I am not really afraid of them but it was a bit unnerving because I was completely powerless. No traps or anything, so I watched him sneak across the floor. My first thought was to grab a piece of Tupperware barely large enough to fit a sandwich and trap the little bastard. Who do I think I am. There is no way I was going to be able to catch him with Tupperware. Even if I did, what was I going to do leave him under there until he gnawed a hole in my wood floors. Faced with that or the always pleasant option of simply trying to step on him, I decided to let him be until I could get traps. I must include one small detail, I live in a condo building and I know it is one of my neighbors who must have brought him in because I found out today that they tapped one on the 9Th floor last week. I am not exactly Mr. Spic and Span but I do pick up after myself.

More stories to follow. When I get home I am going to see if the trap my building manager owns is sufficient. If not there is always a size 9.5 New Balance with his name on it. I am sure I will get comments that it is inhumane to step on a mouse. I am saving you the complaint comment not because I agree with you but because what reasonable human being would mess up a perfectly good pair of shoes over a mouse.

Holiday Shores Review - Hi-Dive, Denver

Denver is a Broncos town. When they play everything else takes a backseat. With the Broncos playing on Monday night, I did not expect Holiday Shores to draw much of a crowd for their show. Deservedly so, they had a bigger crowd than I anticipated. By the end of the night, they were far more interesting to watch than the Broncos.

What makes Holiday Shores unique is their sound. There is a glut of vintage influenced indie bands these days. These guys are different. They seem to draw more from surf rock rather than new wave. This influence, even if it is slight, gives them a more distinguishable sound than many of their contemporaries. While listening to them play, I could not help but think of The Walkmen. What is also striking about this band is their confidence. The band looked at ease as they rolled through their set. Their sound was polished and they managed to successfully create good audio layering. As front man Nathan Pemberton shared with me after the set, “there are a couple of songs we are having trouble with live because we have not had the time to sit down and break them apart. The record is so dense that it is hard to assign four people all of those parts (when touring).”

Interviewing Pemberton was interesting. It gave me a chance to see another side of Holiday Shores. All too often I see a band perform well on stage and take for granted the amount of work that goes into having a successful tour. It became clear during the interview that they are more or less feeling things out as their tour progresses. Pemberton revealed to me that they did not make set lists for their shows, instead opting to play what naturally came to them on stage. “We don’t have a set list. We have the first two or three and go from there. It makes for more breaks between songs but it is fun having no set pattern.” Pemberton’s laid back demeanor can be deceiving. If there is one thing I took away from the interview it is that he is very driven. It was refreshing to see and interview a band that has seemingly found a balance between musically being taken seriously and their youthful inexperience (not a bad thing). On stage, they make it look so effortless. I did not see an up and coming band that just recently released their first LP Columbus’d the Whim. I saw a band that was focused and looks bound for bigger things.

New Music Tuesday 11-10-09

Here is a small sample of music that is available today. Enjoy and go out and support your local record stores.

AC/DC – Backtracks
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Live
Dashboard Confessional - Alter The Ending
Fray – Fray
Gwar - America Must Be Destroyed
Jackson 5 - I Want You Back!
Jerry Garcia Band - Vol. 2-Jerry Garcia Collection
Killers - Live From The Royal Albert Hall
Snow Patrol - Up To Now
Jookabox - Dead Zone Boysjavascript:void(0)

4 Songs of the Week

So all week I have pretty much had 4 songs stuck in my head all week. The list is below. I do not think they are telling but it is what has been rattling around my head. What songs have you been thinking about?


-Say Hi - Oh Oh Oh
-Gnarls Barkley - Smiley Faces
-David Bazan - Hard to Be
-Sea Wolf - Wicked Blood

David Bazan & Say Hi Denver Show Review

Any Questions? If you have not been to a David Bazan show, you might be caught a little off guard when he solicits questions from the audience. His show with Say Hi at the Hi-Dive was reminiscent of the times I have seen him in the past. He answered questions, joked around and eliminated any barrier that traditionally exists between musicians and their fans.

The show opened with Seattle based Say Hi, formerly known as Say Hi to Your Mom. They played a set that offered a good variety of songs from all of their albums. For the most part, it was an upbeat set. Bazan could not have chosen a better band to accompany him on tour. They were equally engaging with the crowd. Front man, Eric Elbogen told jokes and spoke about vampires. Elbogen and the other two touring members, Andy Fitts and Alex Westcoat, have strong stage camaraderie. Half way through the set someone in the audience dropped a drink on the floor. Elbogen gave the audience member a drink ticket to go get another one. When the same audience member clumsily spilled again Fitts gave him one of his drink tickets. You do not find many bands that go out of their way like this for their fans.

David Bazan's set primarily focused on his latest release Curse Your Branches. He also played tracks from his EP Fewer Moving Parts. There were a couple Pedro the Lion songs worked into the set as well. The strongest part of the set was his new material. He toured with a band which gave the material the necessary depth. Bazan seemed to be in good spirits. During the question and answer sessions he disclosed the meaning behind some of the song lyrics, what he would do if he were attacked by a zombie, his favorite brown liquor and turned down a dinner invitation. What I have always enjoyed about seeing David Bazan is his genuine personality. I have never had the opportunity to meet him, but feel as though I know a little about him based on his stage demeanor.

The show closed per status quo without an encore and the house lights illuminating the cozy bar. Bazan and his band mates said goodnight. The impromptu moments during the concert proved that seeing a great show is about more than hearing talented musicians perform.

New Music Tuesday 11/3/09

Here is a sampling of what is in stores today. Enjoy and go support your local record store.

Weezer - Raditude
Morrissey - Swords
Slayer - World Painted Blood

Gabes Oasis, Iowa City IA

I was happy to see David Bazan, formerly of Pedro the Lion and now out on his own, blogged about the punk venue I used to go to in college. Great to see this place get some press. He is absolutely right with his assessment.

http://www.davidbazan.com/