Singing right in tune
If Rah Rah were a character in a romantic comedy it would be the quirky best friend that is too adorable for words but serves mostly only as exposition for the story, prodding one of the protagonists into taking a leap of faith and overcoming their fears or some shit.
No, I don’t really know what that means. But it sounds good right? Well, so does Rah Rah’s latest album, Breaking Hearts.
These days the band itself is a wildly different configuration than it was in the group’s early days. It’s more than doubled in size and boasts more keyboards than the local university’s computer science lab (except not really). Thankfully Marshall Burns seems to be carrying the torch as the major songwriting influence, which is a good thing. But the other members of the group easily carry water in that department as well, making for some highly notable moments from back to front.
Like I said, this band is cute as hell. One need look no further than tracks like “Communist Man” and “Henry” — the former a (dare I say it?) “twee” number featuring ukulele and fragile lady vocals that gives the classic, “I fell in love with a bad boy,” storyline a twist, the latter a tale of unlikely love that comes to a head with the entire bland gleefully imploring their pal to, “lock that shit down.”
It’s hard not to love an album that opens with a song as taught and muscular, no-nonsense, and hooky as “Arrows.” The title track also bristles with energy and power chords, knowingly dropping everything but the vocal and some slight piano at just the right point. “What About Love?” is another cutesy tune that seems as delicate as the titular emotion itself, it’s galloping piano reminiscent of Regina Spektor and the wispy singing sounding subtly like the singer is afraid of what the answer might be.
But it’s not all whimsy and sunshine and smiles and candy and puppies and kittens and love and adorableness. The most powerful cut on the album comes roughly halfway through with the exquisite “Salty City.” In its nascent stages Rah Rah didn’t shy away from writing about Regina as a city (or calling out its business-friendly mayor in song). It returns to Regina on this track, which sees drummer and vocalist Erin Passmore giving perhaps her most impassioned performance as a singer. It’s a synthesis of the frustration a lot of us feel after the winter squalls hit the prairies, how the streets and sidewalks too often feel all but abandoned with little beside the dirty, salty snow and an embarrassing amount of litter to keep us company. The wind blows hard, creating an even more oppressive and depressing environment. Passmore’s voice distills all that and more into the highs and lows of this song. It’s awesome.
The multitude of players on this album never seems to overwhelm the songs; there’s a wide range of instrumentation but the crafting of songs is skillful and you never get the sense there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Even the short, flighty songs that are little more than ideas gently fleshed out come and go, never overstaying their welcome.
It seems the band’s growth spurt has launched it past an awkward phase altogether, instead transforming a tiny group with a healthy dose of sass and spunk into a full-grown pop music contender. Breaking Hearts maps that transition beautifully.
Rah Rah - Arrows: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Rah Rah - Salty City [3:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThey link to iTunes for potential buyers, but as is usually the case with Young Soul Records groups no physical option is mentioned. I might suggest your local record shoppe.
