The Rural Alberta Advantage formed in 2005 in Toronto Ontario. Nils Edenloff, Amy Cole, Paul Banwatt. ‘Mended with Gold’ is their third album.

‘Our Love’

‘Love, love, love. Love will bring you down.’ First words on the song/album. The keyboard coming in makes my blood boil. Really fucking good. I want more of that keyboard, in life, on the whole, I think.

‘This City’

‘The city’s cold and it cuts…’ Epic sound. Northern frosty Canadian ballad. This song’s almost acoustic punk. Mixed with baroque pop.

‘On the Rocks’

I love the opening fuzz on this track, distorted keyboard. Always a fan of slightly distorted vocals. The drums sound cavernous.

‘Terrified’

I love the way Nils Edonloff’s vocals run the first line on this recording. “Terrified”. It’s oozing energy. Like a live Dropkick Murphy’s disc. Mixed with some of those folk-tendencies, like seen in the vocal harmonies. But the ooh’s almost sound like something more indie, like MGMT. The piano gives everything a bit of an early Arcade Fire spun (Funeral). At times the sparseness reminds me of Karen O’s ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ OST. The music is strongest when it soars, probably underlied by the starkly sparse quieter bits. The chorus remains one of the most memorable pieces of music I’ve heard all year.

‘Runners in the Night’

This is the song that makes me think they may be potentially accusable of being same-ish in their sound at times. The hard hitting four to the floor drumming, the songs in the same key, the same serious / disturbed sort of vibe flowing through the energy. There’s some serious wounded vibes flowing in these songs. Catharsis. I think this song kind of really displays how infectious the drumming is on this record. The pause he makes every time on that riff… its awesome. Wins you over quick.

‘To Be Scared’

’45/33′

Another song where the drummer just bowls you over.

‘All We’ve Ever Known’

The lyrics, are largely unintelligible. But the ones I do discern are relatable. Screaming/singing ‘All We’ve Ever Known,’ is very cool. ‘Dusty Corner/Sleepy Eyes.’ Evocative. ‘She’s all we’ve ever known.’ Is it almost fatalistic?

‘The Build’

I feel like the drums dominate this record. At times I can’t discern the guitar parts, or the vocals. Maybe thats on purpose. Not that the lyrics or guitar parts are bad. Maybe they just like a very loud drum sound on their record. ‘They stole everything for you / We had so many plans… / I had so many plans for you’.

‘Vulcan, AB’

Throughout the record, but especially on this track, I find the keyboard really compelling. The vocals are a little more under the surface, but the tasty soundbites of the instrumentation make you want to take a second look, to invest more in the audio. And thats I think how you end up getting almost invited to closely examine / fall in love with the lyrics. It’s music that’s designed to be loved I think. Lovingly made. This record loves you and invites you to love it back.

There is a 2000s indie rock album this intro reminds me of. Soft organ, slightly processed vocals, and silence. ‘I’m going to wake you up, going to break you out.’ As the drums kick in. This drummer is seriously one of the best I’ve heard all year. ‘

‘Not Love or Death’

Awesome use of toms during the buildup. The guitar has started becoming more incisively percussive, as the drummer is playing everything you’d want heard. Pretty cool.

‘…On the Run’

7/10

At times this records sounds samey. The similar beats, guitar riffs. But in this case that alone doesn’t destroy the album. Because? Its a formula that works. I love the drummer, love the use of keyboard. Nils’s voice is memorable, if sometimes overshadowed by the cacophony of the mix. Worth checking out.