Sloan Pretty Together Lyrics

Even though Sloan's sixth studio album kicks off with the exuberant "If It Feels Good Do It"--another one of the band's cheeky, mock-metal rockers that seems destined for a beer commercial--Pretty Together also presents a more low-key and heartfelt side to this East Coast power-pop quartet. That's not to say that Sloan are referring to themselves when Chris Murphy--doing his best impression of Paul Stanley of KISS--sings, "Are you one of the ones who went and gave up on rock & roll?" in the burly "Pick It Up and Dial It." This band's love of '70s pop and rock is as strong as ever, and like every Sloan album, Pretty Together is full of nods and winks to classic sounds from yesteryear. "In the Movies" has a dramatic guitar intro worthy of Who's Next and a chorus that could've been ghostwritten by Ray Davies, while "Never Seeing the Ground for the Sky" matches the band's Beatleseque sweetness with a sense of swagger that is pure Thin Lizzy.

At other points, the disc bears the influence of the widescreen epic pop of the Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin because the band uses more synthesizers and electronic effects than ever before. Full of smart pop hooks and close harmonies, Pretty Together also shows off the band's characteristic humor and good cheer. Nevertheless, this can also be a pretty dark and lonely place. "The Life of a Working Girl" is a folksy lament for a careerist lover who's too busy for love, and "I Love a Long Goodbye" and the haunting "Are You Giving Me Back My Love?" are powerfully bittersweet songs about relationships gone wrong. Even "It's in Your Eyes," which begins as a straightforward love song with strident guitar riffs, contains barbed lines like "You're too good for this, you don't deserve this" and closes with a ghostly, unsettling vocal part floating somewhere deep in the mix. The optimism expressed in the closing "Your Dreams Have Come True"--which features a delightful trumpet part by guest Bryan Baird--feels very hard won.

Throughout the disc, there's a renewed sense of cohesion and collaboration among Sloan's four songwriters and coproducer Brenndan McGuire. (The last Sloan disc, Between the Bridges, was disparate enough to sound like a set of EPs.) Though Twice Removed is most often cited as Sloan's best disc--and as one of the best Canadian albums ever--Pretty Together tops it in terms of sophistication and sincerity. Now is definitely not the time to give up on rock & roll. --Jason Anderson