Mended with Gold
by The Rural Alberta Advantage
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Q Magazine
    Oct 3, 2014
    80
    There isn't a weak link amongst these 12 enormously impressive songs. [Nov 2014, p.117]
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  2. AllMusic
    Sep 29, 2014
    80
    It's in Mended With Gold's second half that the band feels the most engaged.
  3. Exclaim
    Sep 26, 2014
    80
    Mended With Gold, is a satisfyingly anthemic work wrapped around a highly emotional core that is distinctively--and eternally--theirs.
  5. Uncut
    Sep 26, 2014
    80
    There's a haunted, frequently unhinged quality to its songs and performances. [Nov 2014, p.83]
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  6. Consequence
    Sep 29, 2014
    75
    In time, fans may want something more adventurous or experimental, but for now, the band is in a groove, churning out good to great songs with a distinguishable aesthetic.
  7. Paste Magazine
    Sep 30, 2014
    72
    Mended With Gold works, pleases and doesn’t tire of itself in time. It is also painfully unaware of its faults, which is a shame when greatness stands so close and the songwriter can’t, or won’t, simply grab it.
  8. Pitchfork
    Oct 7, 2014
    69
    RAA don't have the element of surprise like they did on the originally self-released Hometowns, and it doesn't slowly ingratiate the way Departing did, but Mended With Gold proves Edenloff's songs of lost love can sneak up on you even when the music hits you square on the chin.
  9. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 26, 2014
    65
    The Rural Alberta Advantage bring enough intelligence and thoughtfulness to their music to ensure that it’ll appeal to listeners who wouldn’t normally like to admit to listening to soaring, emotionally open indie rock.
  10. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Oct 14, 2014
    60
    If Departing sounded as if absurdly-energetic drummer Paul Banwatt was holding back, then Mended With Gold corrects this modesty a bit.
  11. NOW Magazine
    Oct 2, 2014
    60
    The constant dynamic shifts between intimate verses and extroverted choruses become a bit repetitive.
  12. PopMatters
    Sep 29, 2014
    60
    Mended With Gold shines and wilts in equal measure. For each injection of bombast draws the band further and further from their essential qualities. And yet, this departure, too, was inevitable.
  13. Under The Radar
    Sep 26, 2014
    50
    It's not a bad LP, more a case of diminishing returns. [Sep/Oct 2014, p.81]

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