If a more dramatic rally cry was called for, Sloan might have gone with something like, “Once more unto the breach.” That’s not really the Canadian power-pop legends’ style, however. Just as galvanizing and less pretentious, “Here We Go Again” is the title to the penultimate track on Sloan’s exuberant and colorful 14th studio album, perhaps suggesting a renewed enthusiasm for their craft. Not that they’ve ever fallen into any sort of rock ‘n roll malaise. Consistency is a hallmark of the Sloan canon and Based on the Bestseller is a real page-turner.
Swinging into action, “Here We Go Again” is another hooky marvel from Sloan, blissed-out harmonies and sparkling guitars driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. Every chapter of Based on the Bestseller is an easy, enjoyable read, though, a streak of amplified and irresistible garage-rock zeal running throughout and vibrantly sung harmonies emphasized from cover to cover.
As the fuzzy, glam-rock stomp and swagger of a regret-filled “Dream Destroyer” throws its weight around, Sloan vocalizing in unison like a rowdy crowd watching a fistfight, “No Damn Fears” growls and grumbles, exploding with vivid, kaleidoscopic psychedelia, and “So Far Down” barrels methodically downhill, gathering stinging guitar drawl and a vivid chorus along the way. Handclaps out in force, “Live Forever” marshals all of Sloan’s strengths, from robust riffs and melodic effervescence to a penchant for sweeping drama. Those are some of the bigger headlines, writ as large as Sloan will go. The smaller stories are just as interesting.
Touching on everything from romantic exes finding new love to eternal life issues, Sloan handles its subject matter with sly humor, a bit of surreal imagery and nostalgic yearning. The past is strip mined for the jaunty ‘60s pop of “Your Umbrellas” and “Fortune Teller” – the latter‘s horns bright and brassy – and the sunny “Collect Yourself,” which rolls at a more leisurely pace, offering a tip of the cap to Stealers Wheel‘s “Stuck in the Middle with You” and basking in ‘70s radio-friendly golden glow. If not every day, then every year or so, it seems, they write the book.
