Rah Rah - Breaking Hearts

Kanada #5

Noch kein Musikerkollektiv mit mehr als 5 Mitgliedern bei den kanadischen Neuvorstellungen? Das ändert sich jetzt Dank eines Septetts aus Saskatchewan, das mit zahlreichen Instrumenten (Gitarre, Bass, Schlagzeug, Keyboard, Violine, Akkordeon, Ukulele) bestückt ist, herrlichen Mann/Frau-Harmonie- und Wechselgesang im Angebot hat, auf Konzerten munter die Instrumente durchwechselt und Pyrotechnik sowie Konfettikanonen in ihre Bühnenshow integriert.
Rah Rah - nicht zu verwechseln mit der Rah Band - wurden nach ihrem Debüt "Going Steady" (2008) von iTunes zur “Best New Canadian Band” und “Best New Alternative Band” gekürt und haben zusammen mit Kees Dekker in Montreal den Nachfolger "Breaking Hearts" aufgenommen, den ich allen Fans der Los Campesinos! ans Herz legen möchte.

"My Guarantee" Video

On Breaking Hearts, you will find the same romantic and intellectual lyrics we've come to expect from Marshall and the group. And yes, there is still some silliness and there are plenty of high energy, fun melodies. Tunes like "Arrows", "Beaches" and the title track will move into your sub-conscience and take up residence. As usual, the gang swap around instruments and vocals routinely. On this second full-length record of theirs, I've noticed more female lead vocals and more violin, both welcome adjustments. Fans will be thrilled with more of what they love, and the new material will grab even more fans at their shows.
(stickymagazine.com)

"Fuck NAFTA" Video

Lead vocalist Marshall Burns and Erin Passmore’s complimentary harmonies are consistent throughout the record, as is the band’s general youthful aesthetic. From the album’s first track, “Arrows”, Rah Rah introduces clean, hooking guitar riffs that emerge from an articulated downbeat, supplemented by the sing-along choral declare of “We ain’t got no money, We ain’t got no care.” The following track, “Ghosts”, reinstates the use of charming vocal lines and picturesque riffs, leaving oneself with the feeling of the nostalgia of summertime.

Breaking Hearts takes some pleasingly unexpected turns with tracks like “Communist Man” – a story about falling in love with a Commie set to tropical instrumentation that could have been featured on Little Joy’s record a couple years back.

A chunk of the middle of the record, however, becomes somewhat chaotic with the over-layering of riffs and harmonies. At times, the complexity of the instrumentation awkwardly juxtaposes the general simplicity of the songs’ lyrics and takes away from the sweetness of the vocalists’ voices.

Nonetheless, the album revives itself with the title-track – a powerhouse of creaky electric guitars and unexpected muffled screams, leaving listeners one more quirky (and perhaps geographically incorrect) proclamation, “It’s so unsettling, And still it’s so fun, Living in New York City, Saskatchewan.” Go figure.
(www.singinglamb.ca)