Music Review: The Rural Alberta Advantage, Mended With Gold

By Melissa Bratcher

On their third album, Mended With Gold, The Rural Alberta Advantage continue to make hooky, emotion-heavy, often gorgeous, folk-ish music. There’s an epic quality to Mended With Gold that exists in the quiet moments of introspection in frontman Nils Edenloff’s songs: a feeling of space and loneliness, and a feeling of hope. It’s a really good record. I wish Friday Night Lights was still on, because these songs would be perfect soundtrack fodder.

What’s notable about Mended With Gold is the focus on drummer Paul Banwatt’s amazing talent. He takes what could be simpler songs and infuses them with a fiery energy. His drumming is precise and effervescent. It is impossible to listen to Mended With Gold and not walk away impressed with his skill.

Epic is the word I keep coming back to. Not epic in a “aren’t-we-amazing-and-oh-so-very-humble” way that some bands are, that might or might not be named U2. Epic in the way a storm rolls in across the plains. Epic in the quiet stillness of the Grand Canyon. They’re subtly epic, starting with the enormous sound of the lead off track, “Our Love. It’s expansive. It’s hopeful. It’s full of stuttery drum fills.

A highlight of the fuzzy, sparse “On The Rocks” is multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole’s sweet harmonies. Edenloff’s voice is a bit off-putting, nasal and bleaty, but Cole is the sugar to his salt. Edenloff wails his lyrics on “To Be Scared” like a hymn, and Cole adds a delicate counterbalance. It’s lonesome and gentle with subdued guitar, and Banwatt’s bass drum as the spine of the song. The a capella break on the piano led “On The Run” is quite lovely. Cole and Edenloff’s voices meld in a chill-inducing way.

It’s the contradictions of Mended With Gold that make it worth hearing. “All We’ve Ever Known” is held together by finely controlled, tight drumming. The song is thrilling and driving, and the guitar sound is big, yet unobtrusive. On “Runners In The Night,” The Rural Alberta Advantage don’t do precisely what a typical band would do. The song builds, but instead of building further, it just thumps for four beats and goes back to it’s regular tempo and volume. It’s nice to hear a band do something unexpected. “The Build” is driven, of course, by Paul Banwatt’s seriously great drumming. The song is so forlorn on the verses, then builds madly. It’s anthemic. It’s a little epic.

If anything, Mended With Gold is awfully earnest. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, and thoughtful, open-hearted music has its adherents. It doesn’t seem that The Rural Alberta Advantage have a cynical side, and, hell, the world needs more anthems, right? Quiet anthems, still, but anthems.

Mended With Gold was released on September 30 by Saddle Creek.

Tour Dates:
Fri-Oct-10, Columbus, OH, Skully’s *
Sat-Oct-11, Indianapolis, IN, Radio Radio *
Sun-Oct-12, St. Louis, MO, Firebird *
Tue-Oct-14, Chicago, IL, Metro *
Wed-Oct-15, Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall *
Thu-Oct-16, Omaha, NE, Slowdown *
Fri-Oct-17, Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue *
Mon-Oct-20, Edmonton, AB, Starlite (2 shows) – SOLD OUT *
Tues-Oct-21, MacEwan Hall, Calgary, AB – SOLD OUT *
Thu-Oct-23, Vancouver, BC, Commodore *
Fri-Oct-24, Seattle, WA, The Crocodile *
Sat-Oct-25, Portland, OR, Doug Fir Lounge *
Mon-Oct-27, San Francisco, CA, The Independent *
Tue-Oct-28, Santa Ana, CA, Constellation Room *
Wed-Oct-29, Los Angeles, CA, The Roxy Theatre *
Thu-Oct-30, San Diego, CA, Soda Bar *
Sat-Nov-01, Salt Lake City, UT, The State Room *
Sun-Nov-02, Denver, CO, Hi Dive*
Tue-Nov-04, Dallas, TX, Club Dada *
Wed-Nov-05, Austin, TX, Red 7 *
Thu-Nov-06, New Orleans, LA, The Beatnik *
Fri-Nov-07, Birmingham, AL, The Bottletree Cafe *
Sat-Nov-08, Atlanta, GA, The Earl *
Sun-Nov-09, Chapel Hill, NC, Local 506 *
Tue-Nov-11, Washington, DC, Rock & Roll Hotel *
Wed-Nov-12, Philadelphia, PA, First Unitarian Church *
Thu-Nov-13, New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom *
Fri-Nov-14, New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom *
Sat-Nov-15, Cambridge, MA, The Sinclair *
Fri-Nov-21, Birmingham, UK, The Hare and Hounds #
Sat-Nov-22, Glasgow, UK, Broadcast #
Mon-Nov-24, Leeds, UK, Brundenell Social Club #
Tue-Nov-25, Manchester, UK, Soup Kitchen #
Wed-Nov-26, London, UK, Islington Assembly Hall #
Thu-Nov-27, Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso Upstairs
Sat-Nov-29, Munster, DE, Gleiss22 #
Mon-Dec-01, Cologne, DE, Luxor #
Tues-Dec-02 Hamburg, DE, Knust #
Wed-Dec-03, Berlin, DE, Lido #
Thu-Dec-04, Munich, DE, Atomic Café #
Fri-Dec-05, Frankfurt, DE, Zoom #
Thu-Dec-18, Toronto, ON, Danforth Music Hall

*with special guests July Talk
# with special guests PS I Love You