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Like fellow jam bands Phish and Dispatch, O.A.R. have built an impressive fan base by touring incessantly and encouraging fans to trade bootlegs of their shows. That strategy has helped them sell over 1.4 million records and score headlining gigs at Madison Square Garden, and on their sixth album, they’ve cultivated a slick pop sound to match their arena-size ambitions. Produced by Matt Wallace (Maroon 5), All Sides features glossy modern-rock songs that range from sweeping ballads (”One Day,” “Shattered”) to clattering guitar anthems (”This Town,” “War Song”). Too often, however, O.A.R. sacrifice the breezy, slightly skanked grooves that made their music keg-party-appropriate, opting for ultraserious confessionals where they come off like a poor man’s Goo Goo Dolls. So it’s no surprise that the best track is the one where they seem to be having the most fun: “Living in the End” — a contemporary country rocker with brawny guitar soloing, organ washes and singer Marc Roberge’s slightly twangy baritone — would fit in nicely on a Nashville radio station. If the modern-rock thing doesn’t work out, O.A.R. may have a future as the next Montgomery Gentry.

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