Sloan - Never Hear The End Of It

Yep Roc Records
Released: January 9, 2007

During the summer of 2005, the only conversation I had, and I had it many, many times, was the I-can’t-wait-to-hear-the-new-Posies-album conversation. I decided not to buy Every Kind of Light until July 4th, when I would be able to listen to it with Jason, the only person I know who was as excited as I was. I couldn’t stick to it. I craved the vocal rhythms and guitar mastery. So when I showed up at a party on the 4th, Jason and I immediately began yelling about how indescribably disappointing it was. Finally in the winter of 2006, I found the Posies album I wanted hidden between other tracks of Sloan’s newest album, Never Hear the End of It.

Sloan packs 30 songs onto Never Hear the End of It. By stringing together three or four songs at a time with no time lapsed between tracks, they manage not to overburden you. If you’re listening to it on an iPod, you’ll hear the space between each song, but the album should be listened to on a CD player, allowing the songs to flow seamlessly in groups. Most songs are catchy, lodging themselves deep in your mind where they show up a week later. There are few missteps. “Listen to the Radio” uses an annoying vocal effect the band hijacked from a Cher or post-British Madonna song. “Someone I Can Be True With” soon reclaims the pop-rock rush, giving you repetitive acoustic guitars, handclaps, and synth strings as it falls into the piano driven “Right or Wrong.”

With thirty songs, you’d expect a lot more filler, but with most songs last no more than 2 and a half minutes, anything that doesn’t seem genuine is quickly forgotten in the rush. Sloan has made several albums of blended harmonies and forceful lead guitars, if you’re not a fan already, this is as good a place as any to get converted.

-Matt Thompson