Thursday , March 28 2024
Halifax's boys bring on The Double Cross.

Music Review: Sloan – The Double Cross

Canada’s best power pop band Sloan returns with a new album on their twentieth anniversary appropriately titled The Double Cross. This time the Halifax quartet brings out every bag of tricks and stylistic varieties to make this a winning album.

The band’s energy and solid melodies sound as fresh as ever with the opener, “Follow The Leader,” as it plays off of thick organ chords, a heavy bass line and impeccable harmonies. Then we seamlessly transition to the sunny “The Answer Was You.” It’s an instant classic, punctuated by a richly orchestrated chorus and shimmering tambourine. The great thing here is the band’s ability to weave a hook that sticks in your head and won’t let go. “Unkind” is a perfect example, and like the Raspberries with a modern spin, it exemplifies what makes modern power pop so enjoyable.

The Beatlesque jangle and sensibilities are visible in the fast-paced gems “Shadow Of Lobe” and “It’s Plain To See.” Then “She’s Going Down Again” invites comparison to the Turtles’ classics of yesterday. With its folk-pop stirrings, “Green Gardens, Cold Montreal” is a wonderful throwback to Canadian classics like Chilliwack’s “Baby Blue.” Sloan has incorporated all these influences into a style that uniquely suits them, and doesn’t linger on one style (although the classic ’60’s-’70’s era looms large) and can appear like a big, fat mix tape of favorites when all is said and done. 

Overall I highly recommend this album, and we can only hope Sloan continues along its merry, melodic way.

About The Power Popaholic

The Power Popaholic (aka Aaron Kupferberg) is a music blogger that focuses on the genre of power pop and melodic rock. I also report on live shows, tour dates, gossip, MP3′s, videos and just about anything a power pop fan could want. Reviews have been featured in The Rock and Roll Report, The Christian Science Monitor, Virgin Top Music Blogs and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. To read past reviews visit www.powerpopaholic.com

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