:: Pretty Together

Sloan

You may have liked the earlier material by this Canadian band. But, this is even better than their previous efforts. Immediately, you get a good feel with “If It Feels Good Do It”, with guitar-based pop styling and fine harmonies. Listen right through to the impacting, gifted harmonies and you won’t hear too many better exponents this year. There aren’t many negatives as you listen to the well-crafted songs. Each has a purpose and fine delivery. Though nothing may be viewed as startlingly experimental and progressive, Sloan has adopted a “stick to what you know best” formula and, with cool subtle variations of tempo, this will wrap you up in a bed of melody and glorious pop. Noticeable is the consistent sound amongst each songwriting member of the band. In a terrific collection of emotion-laden songs, highlights are “If It Feels Good Do It”, the bouncy sound of “Never Seeing The Ground For The Sky”, and the true melodic beauty of “Dreaming Of You”. With their strength in harmonies, these Canadians provide one of the better recent pop-rock albums.