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:

More reviews tagged #Rock

  • reviewed 03/2013

    EL SPORTIVO AND THE BLOOZ
    Nights and Weekends

  • reviewed 11/2004

    Rufus Wainwright
    Want Two

  • reviewed 02/2014

    JEREMY JAY
    Abandoned Apartments

  • reviewed 01/2011

    PONDEROSA
    Moonlight Revival

  • reviewed 05/2017

    Beth Garner
    SNAKE FARM

  • reviewed 01/2006

    THE UNIVERSE
    The Outer Void Intrepid Sailor

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.