Name That Tune: I Can Feel It by Sloan

Whenever Sloan’s I Can Feel It is played at the Hangover Lounge two things happen:
•someone asks “what’s this?”; and
•upon being told responds, “oh, I didn’t think I’d like Sloan”.

Geffen, who released Twice Removed, the album from which I Can Feel It is taken, were similarly surprised by Sloan’s mix of Big Star powerpop, Beatleseque melodies and Pavement-style literate college rock, and promptly dropped them after realising that rather than signing the Canadian Nirvana they’d signed the Canadian Built To Spill.

For my money, Twice Removed is Sloan’s second-best album; for an album of unrelenting powerpop greatness – ringing guitars, chiming hooks and three-way harmonies – look no further than 1999’s Between The Bridges which is so breathless in its all-out pop assault there’s barely a respite between songs.

I gave up on Sloan in 2002 after their seventh album, Pretty Together, which was well under par; if their subsequent efforts capture their 1990s vintage, please let me know.

The video is Sloan playing I Can Feel It in Australia in 2007 (the female singer is an audience member; trivia fans may be interested to know that Jale’s Jennifer Pierce sings on the record).