It's rare for a band to create a perfect pop-rock record, then turn around and do it again, yet that's exactly what Halifax's Sloan have managed to pull off. 1997's One Chord To Another is a pop paragon, with such songs as "Nothing Left To Make Me Want To Stay," "G Turns To D" and "The Lines You Amend" gluing themselves not only to my cerebellum, but also to various mix tapes I've made for myself and others in the interim. The pure pop perfection achieved in One Chord led this set of ears to believe that, since all good things indeed come to an end, Sloan were headed for the inevitable letdown, and I put Navy Blues in my stereo with a dash of cynicism and a pound of doubt.

With that, I'd like to apologize to everyone in the Sloan camp for my skepticism, which turned out to be unfounded. Navy Blues, while a stylistic left turn from its predecessors, comes off as the record that should put this group of Nova Scotians firmly into the public eye.

"Hey you, come along for the ride," Patrick Pentland and Chris Murphy implore in the first single (and centerpiece of the record) "Money City Maniacs." And so I did, foolishly forgetting to fasten my safety belt; "Money City," "She Says What She Means" and "Keep On Thinkin'" transported me back to an era when dinosaurs roamed the earth, arena rock was king and Lil' Kim wasn't even a twinkle in her mom's eye. Think 1977! Think anthemic stadium rock with explosions and corny backdrops! Think Kiss!

Before you dismiss me with a wave of the hand and an "Oh, so Sloan have turned into Boston," let it be known that they haven't forgotten their roots. The trademark Sloan rollicking, bouncy three-minute shoulda-been-a-single is also back in full force on "Stand By Me, Yeah" and "C'mon, C'mon (We're Gonna Get It Started)," while they recall the Beatles on "Seems So Heavy" and "I Wanna Thank You."

And, o pop aficionado, melodies and hooks abound as well on Navy Blues, so much that after two listens, you'll be humming "Iggy And Angus" and "Chester The Molester" while folding your laundry or warming up cold spaghetti. At least I was.

In a parallel universe, Sloan are huge and generic corporate rock such as Sister Hazel and Matchbox 20 are outlawed. Back here on Earth, however, Navy Blues can only make us dream of that perfect world.