Sloan, doggedly plugging away at the elusive American market.

The four guys in Sloan have always seemed like affable, well-adjusted fellows, which is a good thing, because if I were in that band, keeping my resentment at bay would probably be a full-time job. Canadian bands, even ones that share Sloan’s affinity for 70s A.M. gold, are all the rage now, but in the mid-90s, when this Halifax, Nova Scotia quartet was trying to get their bright, hooky power-pop heard south of the border, post-Neil Young Canadian music in the U.S. had a name, and it was Alanis. Sloan had the misfortune to be an upbeat band that emerged right around the time grunge was insisting to everyone in earshot that rock and roll was a grim, serious business. But anybody who likes bright melodies, sing-songy choruses, and insistent power chords is a strong candidate for the Cult of Sloan.