The video for “All Used Up,” one of two new tracks recorded for the new Sloan best-of compilation. Eh. Sloan once ranked as My Absolute Favorite Band In The Universe. (Perhaps that should be “Favourite,” seeing as they’re Canadians and all.) But the last couple of albums have been left me cold, more Kiss than Beach Boys. I liked them better when the songs had a sort of Tin Pan Alley complexity. Now they just drive one riff into the ground.
Nonetheless, the best-of should hit your Amazon wish list anyway, because the chronological track listing is heavy on their early greatness (basically 1992 to 2001 and tracks 1 to 11). And several of those early Canuck albums are still not that easy to find in the U.S. of A. (Among them is their stone-cold-classic second album, which was just named the greatest Canadian album of all time, edging out Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.)
The album’ll be released next Tuesday. For the dedicated Sloaner, the real joy will be the bonus DVD, featuring a variety of videos, live stuff, and such.
SuperSloanerTip: Order the Canadian version of the album (via MapleMusic). The Canadian DVD has a number of TV appearances that could only be licensed for the Pierre Trudeau edition; if you order from Amazon.com or buy in a U.S. store, you won’t get it all. And the price is virtually identical (US$14.99 at Amazon, US$15.62 at MapleMusic), ‘tho it’ll take a bit longer if you don’t want to pay insane shipping fees.