The Rural Alberta Advantage
Mended With Gold
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
Welcome to every Grey’s Anatomy and movie soundtrack song ever.
The Rural Alberta Advantage sure knows how to write a solid anthem! Chordal piano, driving drums and a reedy, tortured voice will get you every time. The repetition in each song is forgiven by the masterful way this band builds on each round. Drummer Paul Banwatt deserves a medal for the extremely skillful drum beats that shamelessly shape the path of each song.
The first song “Our Love” started like a classic early 2000’s song from Yellowcard. However, it quickly transformed into a much more complex, satisfying sound with great harmonies and that signature Banwatt drum beat. Each song after provided a landscape of vastly different, yet all enjoyable, themes and tempos, from the evocative and atmospheric “To Be Scared” to the harder rock sound in “This City”. The gem of this album is “Terrified”, which has beautiful soaring harmonies and a killer beat. You’ll find yourself wanting to sing along, but the words and forms of the songs are complex enough that you’ll have to work for it before you’ve gotten the sing-a-long part down.
Sign and date it, I bet this band will have songs all over the TV and film scene in less than a year. These anthems hit one after another, all unique and all with something honest and vulnerable to say. But of course, MVP goes out to Paul Banwatt for his expert drums!
Rating: Bad-Ass
