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There are tons of guitar pop bands out there with great ambitions – either to be the latest answer to the Beatles, or to transcend stylistic limitations altogether. Sloan has certainly flirted with both sides of that coin, but never consummated those desires. Why should it, when the Canadian quartet is at its best when it just gets down to business writing good songs? The Double Cross is a case in point, sounding for all the world as if the band members simply picked the best tunes in their current pool and stuck ‘em all together on a record. It’s an approach that ensures not only a fair bit of variety, but also a high degree of quality control. Thus we get the garage popping bop of “It’s Plain to See” and “Shadow of Love,” the lush, slinky delights of “Your Daddy Will Do” and “The Answer Was You,” the mildly funky groove of “Beverly Terrace,” the full-throttle rawk of “I’ve Gotta Know,” the swirling acid folk of “Green Gardens, Cold Montreal,” the quirky ramble of “Traces.” Despite the diversity that comes from four different songwriters and twice as many visions, the band’s identity never fails to assert itself, marking every track as 100% Sloan. With not a melody, harmony or note wasted, Sloan is at its memorable, well-crafted best on The Double Cross.
