The Albertans: Legends of San Marco
(Ernest Jenning Record Co.)
The restrained pop of “Marie,� the song that opens Vancouver-via-Brooklyn-via-Alberta group The Albertans’ album Legends of San Marco, is a good indication of the sensibility to come: a subtlety that calls to mind The Go-Betweens, interplay among multiple vocalists, and a sense that this band’s inspirations include pop music that delves far from the rock canon. And when The Albertans are on, they’re spot-on: wrenching yet note-perfect four-minute memoirs, with accents like the brass on “I Want You� and “High Noon� that perfectly complement the song in question. At times, however, the scope of The Albertans’ ambition works against them, though individual songs on Legends of San Marco stand out, the group’s own sonic identity seems indistinct among the well-crafted elements on display.