Sloan
4 Nights at the Palais Royale (Murderecords)
Put away your prejudice against live records because this will become the soundtrack to your summer road trips. Taken from a sold-out run in Toronto last November in support of 1998's Navy Blues, 4 Nights at the Palais Royale is a great introduction to those unfamiliar with another fine Canadian import. Sloan are Beatlemaniacs and unashamed of the AC/DC records in their collections. Songs have unrelenting hooks and choruses, multi-part harmonies and guitar crunch. Newer material ("Seems So Heavy," "On the Horizon") stands up well side-by-side with the crowd pleasers from the back catalog ("I Am the Cancer," "Underwhelmed"). The production gives you the feel for a Sloan gig - full of rebel yells, audience sing-alongs and good humor. Mistakes were left in, as reported in the liner notes. These guys love to play and it comes through loud and clear. Rating: 7
-- Tim Frommer
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