Sloan (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sloan | ||
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 The band on the cover for their single, "Who Taught You to Live Like That?"
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada  |
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| Genre(s) | Rock, power pop, indie pop | |
| Years active | 1992–present | |
| Label(s) | Yep Roc Records (U.S.); Murderecords, Sony BMG (Canada) | |
| Website | http://www.sloanmusic.com/ | |
| Members | ||
| Chris Murphy Patrick Pentland Jay Ferguson Andrew Scott |
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Sloan is a power pop quartet from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The band was formed in 1991 when Chris Murphy and Andrew Scott met at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax; Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson joined soon after. In 1992 the band created their own record label, Murderecords, for themselves and other Halifax area bands, and released the Peppermint EP. Later in 1992 they released their full-length album Smeared on Geffen Records.
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[edit] Name
According to Sloan's official website[1], the band's name refers to a friend's nickname. Their friend Jason Larsen was called "slow one" by his French-speaking boss, which with the French accent sounded more like "Sloan." The original agreement was that they could name the band after their friend's nickname as long as he was on the cover of their first album. As a result, it is Larsen who appears on the cover of Sloan's Peppermint EP.
[edit] Geffen
In 1994 Geffen did not promote Sloan's second album, Twice Removed, due to artistic disputes[2], although it sold well in Canada. Spin Magazine named it one of the "Best Albums You Didn't Hear" in 1994. A 1996 reader poll by Canadian music magazine Chart! ranked it as the best Canadian album of all time, only two years after its release.[3] The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell's Blue and Neil Young's Harvest.[4] However, in the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first, dispelling doubts that the 1996 vote was premature and overzealous.[2]
After being dropped from the Geffen roster, the band went on hiatus and were rumoured to have broken up, but in 1996 they released the widely praised One Chord to Another on their own Murderecords label. They continue to release albums, including 1999's live album 4 Nights at the Palais Royale. In 2006, they released their eighth disc, Never Hear The End Of It, which contained 30 tracks, all on a single CD. Their latest US record deal is with Yep Roc Records.
[edit] Songwriting
All four members of Sloan write their own songs, and when they play live they switch instruments accordingly. Usually the band performs as follows: Murphy is on lead vocals and plays bass; Pentland is also on lead vocals and plays lead guitar; Ferguson plays rhythm guitar; and Scott plays drums.
While Murphy has written an overall majority of the band's songs, Pentland is nonetheless responsible for having written many of Sloan's most recognizable hits. Perhaps more noteworthy, however, is the fact that every member of the group has contributed at least two songs per album, with only the following exceptions: On 1992's debut L.P., Smeared, Scott and Pentland are credited with just one song each, while on 2003's Action Pact, Scott has no songs, for according to Eye Weekly, that album's producer, Tom Rothrock, essentially randomly selected tracks out of the band's submissions in the interest of creating a more streamlined sound. However, Scott's songwriting output at that time was also somewhat diminished because he had recently become a new father[5].
[edit] A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005
A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005, including two new songs, "All Used Up" and "Try to Make It", was released on May 3, 2005. The package includes a DVD featuring music videos and live performances for each of the compilation's songs, including documentary footage of the videos' making.
[edit] Never Hear the End of It
Never Hear the End of It was released on September 19, 2006. All the members of the band have contributed on this album. The first single "Who Taught You To Live Like That?" was released July 18, 2006. The second single released is "Ill Placed Trust". The band filmed a video for "I've Gotta Try" in Los Angeles in January 2007, and the song will presumably be the album's third single.[6]
[edit] Discography
- 1992 - Peppermint EP
- 1992 - Smeared
- 1994 - Twice Removed
- 1996 - One Chord to Another
- 1996 - Live at a Sloan Party! (rare)
- 1998 - Navy Blues
- 1999 - 4 Nights at the Palais Royale
- 1999 - Between the Bridges
- 2001 - Pretty Together
- 2003 - Action Pact
- 2005 - A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005
- 2006 - Never Hear the End of It
[edit] Honours and awards
Twice Removed was named the best Canadian album ever recorded in a 1996 reader poll by Chart! magazine.[3] In the 2000 poll, the album was voted third,[4] but in the 2005 poll it once again ranked first.[2]
[edit] Juno Awards
- 1994, Nominated, Best New Group
- 1995, Nominated, Best Alternative Album (Twice Removed)
- 1997, Won, Best Alternative Album (One Chord to Another)
- 1999, Nominated, Best Rock Album (Navy Blues)
- 2000, Nominated, Best Album Design (Between the Bridges)
- Nomination went to Catherine Stockhausen and Lee Towndrow
- 2002, Nominated, Best Rock Album (Pretty Together)
- 2002, Nominated, Best Single ("If It Feels Good Do It")
- 2007, Nominated, Best Rock Album (Never Hear the End of It)
[edit] References
- ^ Fan F.A.Q. - Top 10 Questions (Aug 2000). Retrieved on 2006-07-28.
- ^ a b c ChartAttack.com: Sloan's Twice Removed Named Top Canadian Album Of All Time (2005)
- ^ a b ChartAttack.com: Top 100 Albums Of All Time (1996)
- ^ a b ChartAttack.com: Top 50 Albums Of All Time (2000)
- ^ Sloan finds focus with new producer. Eye Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-07-28.
- ^ Sloan | Bowery Ballroom | 1.18.2007. Sound Bites (2007-01-19). Retrieved on 2007-01-25.
