Sloan were like the Tragically Hip or Blue Rodeo - big stars in the Great White North, but not so much elsewhere. They were never on the cover of Spin or Rolling Stone and none of their albums featured regularly in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop year end best ofs. So their critical reputation was never that prominent, despite receiving nearly uniform positive reviews. I would obviously knock off a star from all those old reviews but I think the records still hold up, as well as Fountains of Wayne, and better than Blur, who sound horribly 90s.

Speaking of 90s power pop, have you been aware of the downfall of Ken Stringfellow of the Posies? Yikes! What a creep. Doesn’t change my lukewarm enjoyment of their albums, though.

https://www.kuow.org/podcast/newsroom/2021-10-25/as-sexual-misconduct-allegations-dog-ken-stringfellow-of-the-posies-the-band-breaks-up