A solo EP earlier in 2012 by drummer/singer Erin Passmore has probably stoked anticipation for the third album by Saskatchewan’s Rah Rah as much as has the band’s previous output. Passmore’s voice has some sort of inner reverb that generates an extra tingle factor. The closest comparison would be to mid-’60s Marianne Faithfull. Four of the five sing. A recurring theme for Rah Rah is the transition from flaming youth to responsible adult. “The poetry is in your head though the poet’s dead” crystallizes the hazards of getting too normal too quickly. These qualms make rocking out all the sweeter.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2013.