Skip to main content

12 by Sloan (2006 - 2018)

Here's the drill: 12 songs to summarize an artist's career, in chronological order (of course). This one features...

Sloan released a compilation of singles called A Sides Win in 2005, so our purpose here is summarize what they've been up to since then (drawn from six albums, two EPs, and smattering of one-offs they've released in the last 17 years). Since each member of Sloan writes and sings, I've made every effort to create a balance of their songs. 

If you have Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen along here.


1. "Can You Figure It Out?" (from Never Hear the End of It, 2006)
Okay, I'll admit my bias right away. Jay Ferguson is my favorite Sloan member. Songs like this - aching, ultra-melodic, bouncy - are why.

2. "Set In Motion" (from Never Hear the End of It, 2006) 
Chris Murphy's sequel to 1996's "Autobiography" finds his life story being turned into a movie. He's reluctantly been cast in the lead, but has lost all creative control.

3. "I've Gotta Try" (from Never Hear the End of It, 2006)
One of the best moments of every Sloan concert is when Andrew Scott comes out from behind the drums to front the band, Chris takes his place at the kit, Jay hops on bass, and they play a song like this one.

4. "Burn For It" (from Parallel Play, 2008)
This song (by Patrick Pentland) is fire.

5. "Witch's Wand" (from Parallel Play, 2008)
Like all of Jay's best songs, "Witch's Wand" sounds like a tune you'd find on a compilation of lost hits of the '70s.

6. "Where Are You Now?" (from Hit & Run EP, 2009)
Andrew really brings a circa-1978 Tom Petty energy here.

7. "The Answer Was You" (from The Double Cross, 2011)
Harmonies are a hallmark of Sloan's work, but it's always a treat when they share lead vocals, as Chris and Jay do here. (See also "Beverly Terrace" from this same album, where all four guys trade off singing a line).

8. "Unkind" (from The Double Cross, 2011)
Patrick penned this stompy kiss-off. 

9. "Shadow of Love" (from The Double Cross, 2011)
Chris has an affection for hardcore and punk, and you can hear it in this speedy rocker.

10. "Keep Swinging (Downtown)" (from Commonwealth, 2014)
The boys split this double album into fourths and each took a "side." Jay's is fantastic, Andrew's nearly 18-minute tune can't be missed, and Chris contributed some fascinating story songs, but we'll go with the catchy single by Patrick as a representative. 

11. "December 25" (from "Kids Come Back Again At Christmas" single, 2016)
A Christmas song in theory, Jay's tune is a story song about a slow-burning love affair that may or may not be about to take off.

12. "Spin Our Wheels" (from 12, 2018)
This swift, harmony laden song from the band's twelfth album is also about a romance, but from the perspective of having spent many many years together and needing to reaffirm that commitment to one another. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

12 More by Collective Soul

  Sometimes an artist just needs 12  more  songs to summarize their career. Case in point... Collective Soul released a pretty decent best of compilation - 7even Year Itch: 1994-2001 - nearly a quarter of a century ago, but there's been nothing to summarize their output since then. Considering that output consists of seven albums and a couple of EPs, we've got our work cut out for us. (Since the band stopped having "hits" in 2009, most of these are just my personal preference, though I did give the singles first consideration). 1. "Better Now" (from Youth , 2004) "Better Now" is buzzy burst of optimism that has stood the test of time/\. 2. "There's a Way" (from Youth , 2004) Great riff, great chorus, great bridge, great song. 3. "What Can I Give You" (from Afterwords , 2007) Fascinating structure on this one: It starts out somewhat pedestrian, then goes into a soaring chorus followed by an even more melodic post-chorus, the...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Unlikely Musical Life of Tom Kelly

You may not know the name Tom Kelly, but I guarantee that you've sung along to songs he wrote.  Born in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1952, Tom moved to Effingham, Illinois when he was 11 years old, just in time to witness the Beatles' debut on Ed Sullivan. Bit by the rock music bug, he joined a local band called the Trifaris, singing and playing bass. His family moved back to Indiana in '66. When Tom finished high school, he decided to go to college in Illinois, but his choice was made based on extracurricular factors, not academic ones. "I started at Eastern [Illinois University] because there was a band,” he told the Effingham Daily News in 2011, “Then I transferred to Southern [Illinois University] because there was another band.”  Champaign, Illinois  Continuing his college hopping, Tom headed closer to home to attend Purdue, and there he had a group called The Gaping Huggers, comprised of former fellow Trifari JC Marshall on drums, and University of Illino...
Post a Comment
Read more

86. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers (2005)

Very few things in life can sustain the same level of excitement from beginning to end, and The Magic Numbers' debut album is no exception. Like a party that's loud, full and hoppin' from the get-go and then eventually dwindles down to a quiet few, the CD makes its statement early and then fades away. Mornings Eleven is a helluva opener. It consists of two separate sections; the first makes you want to shake your ass, the second makes you want to swoon. Going from country-rock boogie to '50s doo-wop harmony, the two movements spend the song alternating back and forth, and it's effective enough to make the 5-and-a-half minute running time seem too short. As the album continues that becomes a recurring theme. The songs are long, but rarely overstay their welcome. That's a tribute to Romeo Stodart's compositions, but another factor may be that the group consists of two sets of brothers and sisters (the Allman Brothers would be proud). I believe that familial s...
12 comments
Read more