“The Toronto-based trio, led by born-and-bred Albertan Nils Edenloff are full of nostalgic
songs about hometowns and heartbreaks, marrying salt-of-the-earth acoustic rock to energetic rhythms and grand orchestral arrangements.” – Pitchfork
“The band shines in its own ability to blend pared-down composition with fast-paced percussion and lyrics that could only come from, well, rural Alberta.” – Filter
The Rural Alberta Advantage will release their highly-anticipated third album, Mended With Gold, on September 30th via Saddle Creek. The twelve-track album was recorded at Toronto’s Candle Recording with the band’s long-time live engineer Matt Lederman (Hayden, !!!, Besnard Lakes) alongside co-producer Leon Taheny (Owen Pallett, Austra, F*cked Up). Mended With Gold’s “Terrified” is available to stream and share via SoundCloud. Mended With Gold can be
pre-ordered now on CD, LP, Deluxe LP (clear with gold splatter vinyl) and digitally in the Saddle Creek online store or here on iTunes. The Rural Alberta Advantage has just announced an extensive tour in support of their upcoming release. A full list of tour dates can be found below.
In 2006 singer-songwriter Nils Edenloff, percussionist Paul Banwatt, and multi-instrumentalist Amy Cole came together to release their debut self-titled EP as The Rural Alberta Advantage. The ensuing years have brought two full-length albums (2008’s Hometowns and 2011’s Departing), widespread critical praise (SPIN, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR, among others), two Juno Award nominations (Best New Group, Video of the Year), the Polaris Music Prize Long List, and a hard earned reputation as one of the most impressive live bands you’ll ever see. It was through all of this that The RAA’s latest album, Mended With Gold, took shape.
Nils recalls, “Last spring, I rented a remote cottage up in the Bruce Peninsula on the recommendation of some friends to try to do some writing for the new album. It turned out to be a pretty terrifying place to be alone with your thoughts – locals told me to watch out for black bears, the heat wasn’t working and at night it sounded like the cottage was surrounded by wolves. I slept with a pocket knife at arms-reach. It’s funny the lines that will run through your head when you’re alone like that and trying to get yourself to sleep- they inspired “To Be Scared”, which is probably one of my favorite songs on the record.”
The ideas and moods created in these songs tie back to the album title Mended With Gold, embracing the idea that the breakage and repair of an object becomes part of its unique history and ultimately makes it more valuable instead of a blemish to disguise. The Rural Alberta Advantage have taken all of their successes, losses, adventures, and heartbreaks over the past few years, and forged them together into an unforgettably powerful work of beauty.
Mended With Gold Track Listing:
Our Love…
This City
On the Rocks
Runners in the Night
To Be Scared
45/33
All We’ve Ever Known
The Build
Vulcan, AB
The Rural Alberta Advantage Tour Dates:
7-8-14 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
7-18/20-14 Dawson City, YT Dawson City Festival
7-26-14 Welland,ON Owenpalooza
8-8-14 Kingston, ON Wolfe Island Music Festival
9-18/20-14 Montreal, QC Pop Montreal
10-3-14 Vankleek Hill, ON Beau’s Oktoberfest event
10-09-14 Detroit, MI Magic Stick*
10-10-14 Columbus, OH Skully’s*
10-11-14 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio*
10-12-14 St. Louis, MO Firebird*
10-14-14 Chicago, IL Metro
10-15-14 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall*
10-16-14 Omaha, NE Slowdown*
10-17-14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue*
10-20-14 Edmonton, AB Starlite*
10-21-14 Calgary, AB McEwan Ballroom*
10-23-14 Vancouver, BC Commodore
10-24-14 Seattle, WA The Crocodile*
10-25-14 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge*
10-27-14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
10-29-14 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy Theatre*
10-30-14 San Diego, CA Soda Bar*
11-01-14 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
11-02-14 Denver, CO Hi Dive
11-04-14 Dallas, TX Club Dada*
11-05-14 Austin, TX Red 7*
11-06-14 New Orleans, LA Beatnik*
11-07-14 Birmingham, AL The Bottletree Café*
11-08-14 Atlanta, GA The Earl*
11-09-14 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506*
11-11-14 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel*
11-12-14 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church*
11-13-14 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
11-14-14 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
11-15-14 Cambridge, MA The Sinclair*
11-21-14 Birmingham, UK The Hare and Hounds
11-22-14 Glasgow, UK Broadcast
11-24-14 Leeds, UK Brudenell Social Club
11-25-14 Manchester, UK Soup Kitchen
11-26-14 London, UK Islington Assembly
11-27-14 Amsterdam, NL Paradiso Upstairs
11-29-14 Munster, GE Gleiss22
12-1-14 Cologne, GE Knust
12-3-14 Berlin, GE Lido
12-4-14 Munich, GE Atomic Café
12-5-14 Frankfurt, GE Zoom
*with special guests July Talk
