SLOAN

The Double Cross

2011-05-24

The Canadian pop and alt-rockers are back with the release of The Double Cross, their 10th album that also coincides with the 20th anniversary of their first show. The Toronto based quartet is Chris Murphy, Andrew Scott, Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson. Together, Sloan offers four distinctive songwriting voices that manages to form a mostly cohesive sound. From the start, it’s fairly evident that the band isn’t about to waste any time as the songs begin fast and often end that way as well. In fact, the first three all run together. The opener, “Follow the Leader,” is a fun and catchy track as it deals with our lack of choices in a world where by default, we are mostly followers. The first single from the album is “Unkind” - one of the longer efforts and perhaps the most alt-rock of the bunch. The only ballad here is the final track “Laying So Low.” While not a bad track, it also seems a little out of place here with the rest of the more uptempo sound. Perhaps the best song is the more pop-oriented “Beverly Terrace.” Here the band incorporates piano-pop with their standard guitars to form a sound that begs for more than a few listens. In the end, the majority of the songs maintain an upbeat feel even when they deal with the everyday difficulties that most listeners can resonate with. More significant is the blending of different sounds and songwriters which Sloan does a great job of. The result is a uniqueness that resonates from track to track. All in all, with summer fast approaching, much of what you find on Sloan’s latest may just be the perfect fit for your next road trip. ~Reviewed by Jeff Bouma

Quick Links:

• Sloan's Official Website