Sloan

Canadian power-pop quartet Sloan is undeniably fun, and the band’s new The Double Cross only bolsters that claim. But then, this is a band that has always dabbled in ’70s AM-radio and harmony-laden arrangements in service of its own kind of unassuming thrill. Like 2008’s Parallel Play, The Double Cross—titled in honor of the band’s 20th (or XXth) anniversary—clocks in at a tight 34 minutes, and like other past albums, consists largely of short songs and fragments that both bleed together and turn on a dime. There’s no real attempt to tamper with the formula, which borrows liberally from ’60s garage-rock, ’70s arena-rock, and ’80s new wave—just a giddy, unapologetic celebration of all things Sloan. 

Updated 06/14/2011