IN REVIEW: Sloan - "Parallel Play"

When a band you love starts to wear out their welcome, it's a sad thing. Take Weezer, who've released an album that's raking in more pity than positivity. As disheartening as it is, sometimes your favourite bands... well, for lack of better terms, go bad. And, it almost happened to Sloan.

When A-Sides Win, their 2005 best-of was released, it couldn't have come at a better time. Sloan hadn't released a great effort in seven years, with three passable-to-mediocre albums in a row (Between the Bridges, Pretty Together and Action Pact) threatening to thrust them headlong into the dump bins of our hearts. Sure, those albums weren't outright bad, but they just lacked something. Soul, drive, determination. Maybe they knew it, maybe they didn't, but on record the band didn't really seem fully into it anymore. It happens to the best of us.

That best-of seemed to reignite their creativity, resulting in the staggering 30-song set Never Hear the End of It in 2006. It wasn't a bad album at all; to be fair, some of their finer moments are on that album. The problem was, there was such a reckless abandon to the disc's musical direction that it was difficult to find any semblance of flow. After a while, it just became a disjointed, massive orgy of sound that made the experience kind of the audio equivalent of trying to have a conversation with someone across a crowded bar.

Thankfully, they've toned that aspect down on Parallel Play. It's still diverse, but it's stripped down to 13 tracks, making for a more concisely constructed listening experience. The band is still very much versed by classic rock, but it seems as though they've abandoned the practice of previous albums' decade-specific sound (i.e., One Chord to Another was the 60's, Navy Blues the 70's). It's a rich pallet of songs this time around, encompassing all the tasty riffs and soaring hooks of rock's history. Highlights include lead single "Believe in Me", which carries a T. Rex swagger and those awesome Sloan harmonies. "Emergency 911" is a meaty, punk-inspired head-bobber. "Burn for It" is a surprising throwback to early-90's fuzz rock. Then, there's "Living the Dream", an astonishingly catchy acoustic number. "The Other Side" is arena-sized and psychadelic simultaneously. And, if that wasn't enough, Bob Dylan's evoked in "Down in the Basement". At all points in between, there are lots of fun detours through other styles and time periods. However, as far-reaching musically as it is, the old Sloan trademarks are fully intact, especially their impeccable sense of harmony. They're still equal members as a band, too; all four members get at least three songs here (helping influence the album's title), and all four members knock one or two of them out of the park.

It might not have the bombast of Navy Blues, the raw power of Twice Removed or the master songcraft of One Chord to Another, but it's consistence is astounding considering how wildly inconsistent the sound is. Suffice to say, if you're a fan of this band who's been yearning for them to get their shit together, stop meandering and rediscover their passion for music, Parallel Play is a colossal success.

8 GREAT
Release Date: June 10, 2008 • Murderecords/Sony

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Sam Roberts Band

SAM ROBERTS BAND I Feel You From: Collider Released: May 10 Having already endured the breakout success ( Brother Down was Canada's it rock song of 2002), the tentative dabbling in the U.S. market, as is the rite of passage for all moderately successful Canuck artists (2003's debut We Were Born in a Flame was the best time to try; one of the best albums of the year, it made a small dent in the American mindset upon its release there a year later), the difficult, druggy third album (the aptly named 2005 disc Chemical City ), and the subdued creative step backward (2008's Love at the End of the World , aside from hit single Them Kids , was really kinda bland), it seems according to script that Sam Roberts would start settling in on his fourth album (and first with the band credited as equal contributors), Collider (you know, I think it was a bad idea to give me brackets). Well, as far as settling in goes, Roberts does and doesn't on Collider . W...

IN REVIEW: Rancid - "Trouble Maker"

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

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