Go ahead, throw spears at it...

In other news, the new Sloan album is rocking my socks to the max. I pre-ordered it from their Canadian store (partially so I could geek out and get a free autographed photo as well) but since mail can only get through from Canada to here about twice a month (due to the mountain passes and marauding savages) I'm not expecting delivery anytime soon. Luckily, a friend ripped the disc and sent me a bits and bytes copy whilst I wait for my real world disc of aluminum to arrive. At first, I was a bit nonplussed by the number of tunes clocking in under a minute-thirty, but after a few listens I am completely entranced.

Please keep in mind I am already a rabid fan of the band, so I confess that I might not always be able to offer a critique unblemished by bias, but I am loving this album. Even the tunelettes are awesome (think of what GBV could do with 1:30 and you can appreciate the "get in, riff away, get out before they get bored" idea.)

I wouldn't hold this disc out as an example of bait to draw in new converts (Navy Blues or One Chord To Another are those discs) but for anyone who has an appreciation of the band, the new album is a must have. It kind of remind me of a more sonically adventurous (and ultimately more satisfying) version of Between The Bridges. If I have any complaint it’s that a few of the songs do that thing where one song fades into another and I’ve never been a big fan of that. But, hey, if that’s the worst I can say, that ain’t bad, huh?

Here's a taste of one of the more aggressively rockin' tunes to help persuade you to make the jump to Canadian currency so you will purchase the whole album.

Sloan "Ill Placed Trust"