The Rural Alberta Advantage

Name: Stamp
Description: Canada-based The Rural Alberta Advantage released their second full-length album, Departing, from Saddle Creek March 1 and were most recently seen at SXSW.The trio -- Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole, and Nils

Stamp

indie rock acoustic folk-rock braids yuck

Sounds like: Yuck, Braids, Neva Dinova, Maps and Atlases

Canada-based The Rural Alberta Advantage released their second full-length album, Departing, from Saddle Creek March 1 and were most recently seen at SXSW.The trio -- Paul Banwatt, Amy Cole, and Nils Edenloff -- formed in 2005 and produced a demo and EP before releasing their first full length album, Hometowns, in 2008.The folk-ridden love tunes are poppy and cheesy at times, but in a good way. The easily recognized lyrics make for a perfect sing-a-long and the upbeat rhythms lay low underneath the David Gray-sounding vocals of Edenloff.Single "Stamp" is a power punch with fast, explosive percussion and yearning vocals. As one of the stand out tracks on the record, "Stamp" is set as the peak amongst the more mellow tunes the trio is known for.Album closer "Good Night" is an acoustic lullaby. The soothing, harmonized vocals of Nils Edenloff and Amy Cole fit perfectly to the emotion of the song. The rough audio aids in their peaceful signing-off; "Good Night to the Alberta Advantage, I'm leavin' just like we planned it."