FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1999. All Rights Reserved
| CD Review by Aubrey McInnis SLOAN • Double-CD greatest hits package dedicated to their fans (sniff) and recorded live at the Palais Royale and a few other venues. • Includes an exposé revealing secrets such as the night Andrew Scott beat up a Rhodes piano, Chris Murphy’s constant battle with the falsetto, Pat Pentland’s tremolo trick and how Jay Ferguson kept his job with the band during "Penpals." During Sloan’s last tour, Pat, Chris, Jay and Andrew played such an extensive set list that you may have wondered if they were performing their last string of live shows for a while. Songs spanning their entire career from the shoegazing Peppermint EP to last year’s FM pop rawk masterpiece Navy Blues were kicked out with the kind of atomic energy that usually marks goodbye or reunion shows. Sloan’s crowd-pleasin’ prowess is in full glory during 4 Nights at the Palais Royale, which is an animated sample of the pop paragons at their best. It’s the loyal, weepy-eyed fans who zealously display over and over what mind-blowing emotions these Haligonian rockers have ignited. Despite Andrew’s dashing drum solo, Pat’s usual guitarmonies, Chris’s sprightly arena rocker sauciness (and the fact that he can recreate all those high vocal moments live), and Jay’s gentle harmonies, the fans share center stage during this album. They devotedly chant, clap on cue and sing... boy, do they sing. They sing along to the songs, they sing "Happy Birthday" to Murph – they’re so damn excited there’s no shutting them up. The charisma and sugary talent of this band come beaming through every zinger during 4 Nights (which will no doubt turn into a slushy and sentimental trip when all of us are in our late 40s). Love them while they’re here – if you haven’t caught their live show, this will give you a glimpse of the magic which makes them almost everyone’s favourite Canadian band. I only have one question: when is the home video coming out? 5/5 |
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