Commonwealth
by Sloan
  • Record Label: Yep Roc
  • Release Date: Sep 9, 2014
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. Alternative Press
    Sep 10, 2014
    60
    The results of this experiment is decidedly mixed. [Oct 2014, p.101]
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User Score
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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. pablopicasso
    Dec 23, 2014
    10
    This is a superlative power-pop record. The wit and craft of Sloan's songwriting have doomed them to forever be cult heroes outside theirThis is a superlative power-pop record. The wit and craft of Sloan's songwriting have doomed them to forever be cult heroes outside their native Canada, where the art of fine songwriting is very much alive and kicking. But as Patrick Pentland has said in interviews, the band's lack of commercial success in the twenty-four years (and counting) of their existence has liberated them musically and lyrically, and fans are grateful that they continue doing their own thing -- beautifully -- in the face of musical fashion. Commonwealth contains all the pleasures to be found on the band's previous records. Here the distinct songwriting skills of each of the four members are showcased separately and in sequence, rather than in the usual blended way. But it is still very much a band record, as anybody who saw Sloan performing it live in 2014 can tell you. To my mind the high-point is Andrew Scott's eighteen-minute "Forty-Eight Portraits," a majestic and surprisingly-continuous suite of song-fragments, of which McCartney or Brian Wilson would be proud (like some of their work, it has been accused of self-indulgence by one or two critics who like their music instantly digestible,). It is a great way to close out a fine double-album, though in defiance of the usual logic, Sloan BEGAN their 2014 live shows by reconstructing this masterpiece of modular songwriting. Popmatters says that Sloan are The Beatles reincarnated in a different era, and the more generous reviewers have even likened the album's closing suite to the second side of Abbey Road. To my mind the real parallels are with Revolver and Pet Sounds.… Full Review »
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