It was a cold bitter night when I was waiting outside of The Mercury Lounge last night. I wasn’t worried though. I knew that I was soon going to be warmed up by The Rural Alberta Advantage, and boy, was I ever.
Brooklyn natives Soft Landing opened the show at 7 p.m (Early, I know!). They had a unique sound that sounded like a mix of experimental rock and dance folk. I later found out the band consisted of Beirut members, Paul Collins & Perrin Cloutier. This made sense to me. It was a strong set that had the crowd bopping and swaying, all with a smile. They released their debut s/t album last year, and I definitely would recommend giving it a shot.
The Rural Alberta Advantage started with two cuts from Hometowns, and then they made us joyful when they revealed that they would play the first side of their new album Departing. I was floored with how incredible the new songs sounded. They weren’t too much of a departure from what we heard on Hometowns, and I’m perfectly fine with that. These songs were aggressive and full of energy and emotion, a lot due in part to drummer Paul Banwatt. Let me tell you, Paul can play the hell out of the drums. You couldn’t help but stare in awe as he rapidly tore through his drum set, wowing everyone in attendance.
The band did indeed play the new album from front to back, and let me tell you, it’s going to be quite an album. We are looking at one of the best albums of 2011. One song that really stood out to me was “Under The Knife”. I can only hope that it’s recorded version sounds as great.
The band weaved in some more cuts from Hometowns before embarking on side 2 of the album. They ended the show by taking their instruments into the crowd, singing a beautiful ballad called “Goodnight” to the side of the crowd on a couch. The band sang it to us, for us, and you felt like you were a part of something much bigger in spirit. It was a magical moment.
Keep an eye out for Departing. From what I heard, we are looking at a powerful album that’s every bit as rocking as it is emotionally gripping. The Rural Alberta Advantage are a band that you need to see live once. They bring a warm energy to their live shows that you can’t find anywhere else. I promise.
Here’s a great video of last nights performance of the aforementioned “Goodnight”:
Soft Landing:
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