Rah Rah seeks a sound

When I saw Rah Rah a couple of weeks ago, I noted that the band’s baroque rock intensity was distinctly similar to Arcade Fire. On the group’s album, 2008’s Going Steady, that resemblance is even more apparent. Aside from the deep, mumbling vocals of singer Marshall Burns, much of the album sounds like a collection of lo-fi Funeral outtakes; during “Betrayal pt. 1,” with its sawing violin and yelping backup vocals, you half expect the band to break into “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)” at any moment.

The Arcade Fire sound-alikes are fun, but Rah Rah is at its best when carving out a sound of its own. The clear standout is “Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel,” a gritty waltz-time strummer with a stunning singalong chorus of “It is fashionable / To be single / In big cities but not in small towns.” The folksy “My Guarantee” is a charming love song with sunny mandolins and poignant harmonies from the group’s female members. The girl-sung backup vocals are equally effective on “Winter Sun,” which features call-and-response harmonies over its sparse electro groove.

The album is carried by Burns’s lyrics, which are often witty and consistently memorable. He specializes in romantic cynicism, especially on the biting “Betrayal pt. 2”: “And I swear that I once loved a girl / More than any hockey team in the world / But you left me for that asshole / I forget his name.”

Burns has already found his lyrical voice, so hopefully Rah Rah will develop a a unique sound to match. It’s encouraging that the group is at its best when it sounds most like itself, rather than when imitating others. The band has already recorded a follow-up; based on the potential displayed on Going Steady, it’s going to be an album look out for in the near future.

Rah Rah @ the El Mocambo, 6/21/09

I’ve been in Toronto this weekend, checking out NXNE. Some highlights of the festival so far have included Hannah Georgas (backed by members of Mother Mother), the Dudes and Said the Whale. But the greatest surprise was Rah Rah, an indie rock six-piece from Regina. The band’s performance mixed the baroque intensity of Arcade Fire with the thundering rhythm section of the Go! Team, featuring swirling guitars and shouted group vocals. The band members traded off instruments on nearly every song (only guitarist Leif Thorseth stayed put), and Kristina Hedlund switched between violin and accordion. The overall effect recalled Broken Social Scene at its most accessible—like “Cause = Time” with more easily discernible lyrics.

This isn’t to suggest that Rah Rah is a one-trick pony: the set highlight was “Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel,” which was built around massive Can-rock guitar chords and a stunning, radio-ready chorus. Unfortunately I didn’t know any of the songs beforehand, as it could have been the ultimate singalong moment. Elsewhere, the band tapped out polyrhythms against a tick-tocking electronic beat, and one song featured three band members on tambourine.

As well as the songwriting, what distinguished Rah Rah was its sense of fun, and the band members’ unaffected charisma. One song used crackling Pop Rocks (yes, the candy) as an instrument, and another featured an exploding confetti cannon. Without distracting from the musicianship, these moments made Rah Rah one of the most giddily joyous concerts in recent memory. I picked up the group’s 2008 album Going Steady, which I will write about soon. According to the merch girl, the band’s sophomore album is recorded and ready for mixing, and is due for release later this year.