Rah Rah

The concept behind Rah Rah is a familiar one for Canadian indie rock fans: a collective of friends bashing away on guitars and violins, trading off lead vocals and coming together for shouted group choruses and harmony-laden crescendos. The comparisons are obvious, especially when you hear a song like "Arrows," which barrels along like the caffeine-addled spawn of "Cause = Time" and "Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)." Thankfully, such comparisons only tell half of the story for Rah Rah. They branch out on the electro-tinged "Beaches," which places the band members' voices overtop a sparse arrangement consisting of little more than a canned drum loop and kitchen-sink percussion. Other forays include twee ukulele ditty "Communist Man" and thundering, romantic apocalypse "Breaking Hearts." These songs show that even though Rah Rah may seem a little familiar, there's plenty of room on the Canadian music scene for another baroque rock ensemble.