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Hometowns - The Rural Alberta Advantage
User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25

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  1. flubbyBear
    Jul 30, 2009
    10
    Can't believe this has scored as low as it has! The critics have got it wrong and users have got it right for sure... A great album, one of my fav's for 2009 (even if it is a reissue from 2008).
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. JoeD
    Jul 8, 2009
    10
    One of my faves from 2008.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JamesA.
    Jul 9, 2009
    9
    Truly an amazing album. I loved it from the first time i listened to it and after a couple months of play it still hasn't become dull. I plan on seeing them in Cleveland next month.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. JeremyM.
    Jul 10, 2009
    10
    Amazing debut. I've been listening to this non-stop since discovering it last year, and I haven't grown tired of one second of one song. Seriously, you owe it to yourself to listen to this.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. DoronD
    Jul 17, 2009
    9
    Amazing album. This will be one of those that are loved by fans dearly, and only liked-maybe-disliked by critics. Everyone should get this.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. Mark
    Aug 2, 2009
    10
    This thing is great. The drummer is amazing, the songwriting is solid and the album is cohesive. What more can you ask for?
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. HenryC.
    Jul 13, 2009
    10
    One of those rare albums that is great to listen to from begining to end. There are many stand out tracks. I just saw them live in Calgary a few weeks back. Great show. Check them out live if you ever get the chance.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. [Anonymous]
    Jul 15, 2009
    8
    A great debut from a very promising band. "Don't Haunt this Place" and "In the Summertime" in particular are two of my favorite tracks from 2008. The album's only significant flaw is that the two weakest tracks, "The Air" and "Sleep All Day" (both of which, in my opinion, probably could have just been cut) are slotted one after another, smack in the middle of the album; needless to say, this sequencing really disrupts the record's flow. That aside, Hometowns is definitely one of the better albums I heard last year. Oh, and can critics please stop comparing these guys to Neutral Milk Hotel? With all due respect to the RAA, it's just not a fair comparison.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. db0928
    Oct 15, 2010
    10
    Easily the best album of 2008/2009 (depends on which release you consider to be "official"; regardless, it would win either year). There is not one weak track on an album filled with passionate, driving tunes about nostalgia, youth, lost relationships and lost homes. The drumwork on display is among the finest I've heard in a long time, and the Nils Edenloff's Mangum-esque vocals only serve to hammer home the pain, joy, heartbreak, and memory that is so pervasive throughout this album. In short, this is THE definitive summer album of the past few years, possibly the best summer album since Wilco's Summerteeth. Do your self a favor and pick up this under-appreciated gem. (Standout tracks: "Rush Apart", "The Deathbridge in Lethbridge", "Don't Haunt this Place", "Frank AB", "Four Night Rider", "Edmonton", "In the Summertime")… Expand
  10. ZacharyMatson
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Never have I heard an album that grew on me as quickly as Hometowns. The RAA is easily one of my favorite musical groups and that is very much because of this album. The album starts off with a mellow, extraordinary track and from there takes you on a ride of fun and excellent indie rock.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Uncut
    60
    The RAA's narratives are as expansive as the prarie where singer-songwriter and guitarist Nils Edenloff grew up, but they're also full of resonnant, intimate detail. [Aug 2010, p.94]
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    90
    Taking Mangum's recorded-on-cardboard lo-fi folk epics as their ground zero, TRAA turn in the best alt.debut of the year.
    Read full review
  3. All Music Guide
    60
    All too often, that energy is lost when a talented young band like this enters the studio, and RAA do their best to transcend the limitations of their home recorded calling card, but that energy eating reaper follows Hometowns around like a cop car on a Saturday night.
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