A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005 [Bonus DVD]
Sloan is God's gift to rock and roll. There. It's been said--for the one-millionth time. While fans uttered the phrases "critics' darlings," "underappreciated," and "underrated," the band spent their time circling the globe and racking up a string of singles. They've been rightfully compared to the who's who of four-piece rock/pop bands (no need to go into that here).* But it is, on the occasion of this 2005-released A-side retrospective, worth pointing out a few of the reasons for such comparisons. First and foremost is their catalog of recordings. Each album is dosed with tracks that run from horn-throwing monsters to easy-breezy rock-alongs. Each successive release one-upped the previous, either in terms of ability, maturity, or daring--never once alienating fans or looking back for past glory. All four voices fly in and out throughout; drum fills are pulled straight from the cocktail kit masters; tube-amp tones and guitar phrases could be the chapters in aHow to be in a Killer Band for Dummiesbook. On stage, the band is the equivalent of a Yukon fire drill with members swapping instruments, vocals, and rock moves song-for-song with furious skill and fierce cool. They're everything we've been trained to love about rock all rolled up in a tour van.Highlights from this collection range from the ambitious undergrad stabs of "Underwhelmed" and the holy trinity of power-pop from 1997'sOne Chord to Another("The Good in Everyone," "Everything You've Done Wrong," "The Lines You Amend"), to the grown-up Sloan of "The Other Man" ("If I'm the other man, nature will abhor me") and "The Rest of My Life" ("Am I gonna be someone who has to take the rest of my life to settle down?/What kind of fool doesn't think about it?/You have to be a fool not to think about it.") The one thing you'll find yourself wishing for is a speedy arrival of the B-sides and rarities.The bonus DVD version contains videos for all the songs and is the good value here. The videos accurately document the Sloan legacy and the song-by-song video commentary is fun for the superfans.--Peter Hilgendorf* The Beatles, the Kinks, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Big Star, Kiss, Cheap Trick, the Clash, the Replacements, the Young Fresh Fellows, and the Beach Boys (when Mike Love was out at the dry cleaner's).Recommended Sloan DiscographySmearedTwice RemovedOne Chord to AnotherBetween the BridgesPretty TogetherAction Pact