Hey Rosetta - Seeds review (Bonus! Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing review)

A friend request my opinion of Hey Rosetta's album Seeds after it came out last Tuesday. Having spent some time contemplating this I replied off the cuff and this came out. Figured it might be worth sharing.

-Hey, can you listen to the new hey rosetta album and blog about it so I can form an opinion?

I feel about it similarly to how I feel about the new RAA. Neither band has strayed far from the path set out by their equally-amazing-in-their-own-right debuts. The formula hasn't changed a great deal, with the RAA keeping Paul's drumming high in the mix, pulling the tracks through and making you dismiss the sometimes agitating singing voice. Hey Rosetta on the other hand still have lush arrangements (plenty of violin, thumbs up!) and generally build from soft to epic, though there are a couple tunes that buck the trend. With high expectations set by Into Your Lungs (not to mention the Plan Your Escape EP) it would have been difficult to meet, and I'm slightly disappointed to report that this album does not seem to one-up the band's previous full-length. Caveat - Despite the strength of Hey Rosetta's recorded music it is really their live show that sets them apart and therefore I almost feel as if opinion should be reserved until this album's concert is taken in so the desired nuances can be highlighted. In conclusion, read the review of next Wednesday's sold out Lee's Palace show for more.

Stand-out tracks: New Sum (Nous Sommes), Young Glass, Welcome, Bandages

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Rural Alberta Advances! (Hillside '09)

I came into the Rural Alberta Advantage's set expecting a fairly standard acoustic rock set- and in essence that's what was delivered, but there were intangibles that pushed this performance far past expectations making it one of my Hillside Sunday highlights. Having seen all three performers in some form already this weekend it was finally time for them to play their own material.. rooted in the province of Alberta (though actually a Toronto band with youth ties to Alberta). Therefore along with the performance we also received some simple history lessons regarding this prairie which (boring as it sounds) may have been one of those bonus elements. The male lead singer, Nils Edenloff, taught the lessons as intros to song with an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder thanks to some thin yellow rope. He belted out Don't Haunt This Place which got things really going on the Lake Stage. During In the Summertime (as well as other tracks) Amy Cole sang her part wonderfully and also banged a drum that had a tambourine sitting on top of it - making a great racket! On songs such as Deathbridge in Lethbridge the drummer, Paul Banwatt, who had tore things up the night before as half of Woodhands again held things down behind the kit. To add to the percussion Nils would at times pound on his acoustic while holding down chords making a neat reverberating sound. A solo-acoustic cover of Eye of the Tiger from Nils was a humourous choice but it came across well. Altogether the band earned respect and adoration especially with the overall excellent song Four Night Rider.

Even upon review I can't tell what it was that made me enjoy this set so very much - perhaps it was simply the mug of beer I'd had during it - but it was simple yet awesome. The RAA have definitely upped their status in my eyes and I hope to catch them again next time we're both in the same province - whichever that may be.

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Rural (Ontarion?) Advantage at Hillside!

Woo, another excellent Canadian band to add to the Hillside lineup. This time it's the Rural Alberta Advantage from, you guessed it, Alberta. Bringing their folky, indie-rock to Ontario come the last weekend in July. (and no, they're not country.)

Tickets on sale Tomorrow, Sat. May 2.

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