Never before has a Sloan record generated such extreme reviews by critics and fans. The band's eighth studio recording, Never Hear the End of It, contains a whopping 30 songs on one disc, ranging from 50 seconds to just over five minutes in length. The bulk of those tracks average roughly two-and-a-half minutes and bleed into each other--at times rather abruptly. As a result, the disc feels like an eccentric art-project; even the strongest tracks prove to be more of an appetizer, leaving listeners longing for a main course. Stylistically, there are no surprises. The group's music tends to fall into Sloan's two traditional categories: Beatles-esque stylings or '70s-influenced rock tunes. Noteworthy highlights include disc opener "Flying High Again" with its Crosby, Stills & Nash harmonies, and the blisteringly old-school punk rock pacing of "HFXNSHC." Fans of this disc compare Never's nonstop onslaught of songs to Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville or the Clash's Sandinista, while naysayers find the short, fast melodies insufficient in length and substance. Like all music, beauty is in the ear of the beholder, so expect Never Hear the End of It to be on many critics' Best or Worst lists at year's end. --Denise Sheppard
Wall Street Journal
What the second side of the Beatles' "Abbey Road" would have sounded like if it were more than 80 minutes.
Editorial Reviews
If One Chord to Another echoed Revolver, this Sloan CD falls somewhere between The White Album and Abbey Road in terms of the overdone Beatles comparisons running rampant since Patrick began resembling 1969-era Lennon on the cover of One Chord with the round glasses and the limp hair. AND THEY PAINTED THE MUTHERRR PINK! I hesitate making that comparison though, given that right after those albums, the Beatles went arse over tea kettle and a lot of the songs on this disc, in addition to flowing into one another like Abbey Road, deal with loss and ending of relationships (i.e. "Fading into Obscurity," and since the best of CD/DVD from a few years ago, concern has arisen that Chris, Jay, Patrick and Andrew might be calling it a day like that other great Canadian import after 15 years, The Red Green Show. I hope not, as should you, but if it is, well, they went out on information overload. I got this on import last Fall and still haven't heard the end of it. Well done as usual, lads. Here's hoping you continue rocking well into old age, Buddy Holly framed glasses on all of your schnozzes. Signed, epsteinsmutha Comment | Permalink | (Report this)
