There are few albums that tackle the subject of heartache and succeed; there are fewer still that are full length concepts, yet manage to reach every listener without procuring numerous gag reflexes along the way. The Wrens 2003 masterpiece, The Meadowlands, tops this dicey category in my books. A close second? The Rural Alberta Advantage’s unrelenting ode to the grey sides of both life and relationships, Departing.

Compartmentalized and supremely tight, their sophomore effort existed on repeat for me for the entirety of 2011. Possibly the sheer honesty grabbed me by the ears—they are from Toronto, after all. But more likely, it is the taught conjunction of great components of sound playing off each other that reeled me in and commanded my undivided attention. Paul Banwatt’s expert perscussion steers each song through every hill and valley at breakneck speeds, while Nils Edenloff’s high-pitched (and endearingly forced) vocal musings and Amy Cole’s shadowy harmonies and keys create the treacherous road both ahead and behind.

If you have a beating heart, it’s hard to ignore the bittersweet introduction of “Two Lovers,” the anger of “Stamp”, or the revelatory—and ultimately useless—bluster of “Tornado ’87”. But the break in the clouds is “North Star”: that surreal moment of hope that does not exist, that is so fragile and present that you’re scared to exhale for fear of blowing it away. That is how Departing is meant to be listened to.

♫ “North Star”