Between The Bridges
Sloan stake out their usual turf--a piece of emotional land somewhere on the border of knowingness and bemusement--onBetween the Bridges. Their most ambitious yet, the album cleverly strings one track into the next while marshaling a full complement of early-'70s pop-rock influences (Todd Rundgren,Badfinger). The result is as creamy ("Don't You Believe a Word") and cutting ("Friendship") at times asRumours; for good measure, there's the tear-away tour de force "Sensory Deprivation" and the echoes ofImaginethat open "The N.S." In an age where few bands make it this far--Bridgesis their sixth long-player, counting 1998's live4 Nights at the Palais Royale--Sloan reaffirm their power with each new release. With any luck, this one will make more listeners outside their Canadian homeland aware of that fact.--Rickey Wright