*** Sloan

NAVY BLUES

(Universal)

If Sloan's last album, One Chord to Another, was dotted with sonic references to Beatles '65, this one jumps all the way up to Abbey Road, with a first half that tries on a few different styles (and ends with the near-familiar title "Seems So Heavy"), and a second half that's a loosely structured suite (leading off with the campy "Chester the Molester," whose hero is probably Mean Mr. Mustard's nephew). As usual, Sloan show so much affection for late-'60s/early-'70s pop that they become prone to pastiches and in-jokes. "C'mon C'mon" gets closer to the sound of the Partridge Family than anyone should want to. And "Seems So Heavy" is nothing more or less than a bunch of Badfinger hooks stitched together. Although not every in-joke comes from that era -- check Sloan's use of the title "Iggy & Angus" and the lyric "You got to roll with the punches and get to what's real" (during a ballad, no less).

So why not just go back to the originals? Because Sloan have a songwriting knack to match their fannish enthusiasm. Because they can work the line "Wait one cotton-picking minute" into a break-up song without sounding goofy. And because "She Says What She Means" and "Money City Maniacs" mark the first time they've rocked as convincingly on disc as they do live.

-- Brett Milano