On the past few Sloan albums, the Canadian rockers came off a bit anxious about aging into an elder statesman role, turning out a few too many songs about feeling old and irrelevant. This time around they seem less worried about being has-beens and more eager to embrace their legacy of impeccable, if not especially hip, songcraft. On The Double Cross  – the title is a sly reference to their 20 year career — they play to their strengths with a succinct set of tunes that seamlessly blend the sensibilities of the band's four distinct songwriters. They're not breaking ground, but they've at least found the perfect balance of fist-pumping riff rockers ("Unkind," "Shadow of Love") and classy formalist pop ("Your Daddy Will Do," "Beverly Terrace").

 Listen to "Unkind":

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“Everyday People”

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.