They released one of 2011′s finest albums with their 20th anniversary celebrating The Double Cross and now my own personal rock n’ roll heroes Sloan are to release their first live bootleg LP. Titled Is That All I Get? and recorded on guitarist Patrick Pentland’s birthday on September 20, 1993 in Winnepeg, Manitoba, the album documents the band ‘rough and ready’ style (via fan-recorded cassette) after a year of touring their debut album Smeared and features nascent versions of tracks which would later appear on Twice Removed. Released in a limited edition of 300 hand-numbered copies and pressed on green marble vinyl, the album will be available for purchase on Monday November 14 via their online store — sloanmusic.com.

This is what guitarist Jay Ferguson had to say about it:

“See, I’ve always been a big fan of the live bootleg LPs that began to appear in hip underground record stores in the 1970’s and into the 1980’s. So, here’s our very own (legal) tribute to that tradition. Packaged in a heavy duty white jacket, it comes with hand numbered, risographed wrap around outer sleeve, photocopied insert and pressed onto luminous green marbled vinyl!

To further continue with the bootleg custom, the original recording was captured via cassette by a fan in the audience back in Winnipeg, 1993. The results are a bit rough at the edges for sure, but kind of exciting and also finds our band at a point in our career where we were finishing a year or more of touring behind our first LP, Smeared, yet beginning to road test some songs that would wind up on Twice Removed. Early versions of Shame Shame and Worried Now appear with different musical bridges that would not be ironed out until a few months later. We even began the show with an Eric’s Trip cover! I found it to be an interesting time capsule (Patrick turns 24!) and hope you all think so too.”

Jump on this free singles compilation from Canada’s greatest pop-rock export, Sloan. Recently celebrating their 20th anniversary and the release of their 10th album, The Double Cross, this 14 track mix brings you up to speed.

Like a lucky dip of all the great hooks and melodies in the history of song, the Canadian pop/rock quartet Sloan have been consistently, effortlessly, wonderfully, making music together since 1991. Over the years, Webcuts have been great patrons (who could forget our roadtrip through the US in 2000 following them supporting legendary Ohio rock n’ roll alcoholics Guided by Voices? Not us) and have enjoyed our encounters, be it Sydney, London or New York. Mind you, a gig in the UK right now would be a sight for sore eyes considering they last played here in January of 2006 (please, somebody have a word). Currently touring the US in support of their 10th album, the 8.5/10 awarded The Double Cross, they recently dropped into the AV Club studios to pick out a cover from a dwindling list to choose from and decided on Gary Numan’s 1979 hit “Cars”. Suffice to say, we dig it. Go Canada.

Twenty years doing anything these days is an achievement. Twenty years making music and sharing the same space with the same three guys you hooked up with in your early twenties could be regarded as a life sentence, and still nobody got murdered. Despite the incumbent years, Canadian power-pop quartet Sloan are the same rakish, loveable band they were at the beginning. The same names, the same faces, the same identifiable hook-laden beat-group sound, that after two decades and ten albums, show no sign of slowing down.

While Webcuts awaits its handmade vinyl copy of the album to arrive (oh, to actually review an album on vinyl….), we’ll just jump right in anyway. It’s amazing to consider the amount of bands who’ve overcome a mid-career slump, seemingly bouncing back having gotten adult concepts like marriage and kids and diminished dreams of worldwide success to continue on rocking with a renewed respect for their art. The last three Sloan albums, The Double Cross included, represent the pinnacle of the latter half of their career. The reinvention arrived with the sprawling Never Hear The End Of It, a double album 30-song treat that on the outside seemed gratuitous and unnecessary, until it revealed itself as a finely crafted record in line with all the other great double albums of any era.

While no stylistic diversion from 2008’s Parallel Play (you’d maybe expect the band to indulge in a little past revisionism, a riff copped from Twice Removed, a vocal hook lifted from One Chord To Another), The Double Cross is Sloan sticking to their time honoured quality-driven modus operandi. Each songwriter contributes and sings their share, with nobody wanting to be seen as letting the side down. Accordingly, the first handful of tracks on The Double Cross are the band’s strongest openers since 1998′s Navy Blues. Patrick Pentland’s Stones-y stomp “Unkind”, Jay Ferguson’s “The Answer Is You” and Chris Murphy’s “Shadow Of Love” all indulge in a friendly game of there-are-no-losers one-upmanship.

There’s enough diversity, with bursts of Sloan-patented disco (“Beverly Terrace”), Dylan-esque R&B (“Traces”) and straight up punk-pop (“I’ve Gotta Know”) in the album’s 12 tracks for it not to seem like one stacked attention-getter after another.  The best albums are always the ones that sound as if they were made with the least amount of struggle, that don’t suffer from trying too hard to please, and simply show an act excelling in just being themselves. The Double Cross is no band on the back foot blowing out the candles and easing into retirement, it’s Sloan at their most inconspicuous, sneaker on the foldback finest. Hallelujah.

If there’s some kind of Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Canada, Sloan are a guaranteed shoe-in. For the last 20 years, these power-pop statesmen have failed to put a foot wrong.  Soon to release their 10th album, The Double Cross and get into full anniversary swing, the band have given out lead track “Follow The Leader” as a taster of what to expect. Band member Jay Ferguson says “I think every band always says of their latest LP, ‘It’s our best yet!’ and you say to yourself, ‘Hmm, well, not quite, guys’.  For our 10th album, I personally feel it’s up there with my favourites of ours. Short and sweet with unexpected turns down different paths.” The Double Cross will be released on May 10 via Yep Roc in the US. No UK release date as yet.

A belated accompaniment to their A-Sides Win collection of 2005, this digital-only compilation from Canada’s greatest pop combo brings together all officially recorded extras that have found their way onto limited b-sides and extra tracks for the diligent Japanese contingent. All 26 tracks and 94 minutes worth, including a superb set of track by track liner notes from the boys themselves.

Having been an active band since the very early 90′s, Sloan are still something of an anomaly in the music world. Highly regarded, and rightly so, in their home country, but never the recipient of that commercial break which paves a yellow brick road to universal recognition. For a band of four talented and diverse songwriters, Sloan were the epitome of the great guitar band that evolved into a secret musical handshake.

This collection, and indeed their recent 5 track download-only EP Hit & Run, is evidence of Sloan’s foray into the digital download world, something that I perceive every band who owns their own recordings will eventually, and positively should, aspire to do. B Sides Win is a release that fans have been chomping at the bit to secure for many years now, and while there’s the odd absent obscurity, it does unearth many hitherto unknown/unheard gems. Props go to the “Hear and Now” version of the solid gold Sloan classic “Underwhelmed” that fits somewhere inbetween the shoegaze drone of the Peppermint EP track and the grunge-ified Smeared re-recording. Whoever would have known an acoustic guitar track lay lurking?

Assembled in chronological order, the collection follows the band in their various musical guises and stages of development. Listening to tracks from the Smeared era is akin to looking at baby photos, watching Sloan take their first steps and making one hell of a racket, from the fertile guitar pop of “Amped” to the 8 rangy minute dirge of “Sleepover”. B-sides are generally known as the repository for the homeless or abandoned track, but Chris Murphy’s “Laying Blame” is an exception to the rule. It suffers from overdoing the overdrive in the bridge (the liner notes accede an obvious nod to My Bloody Valentine), but it’s a track that could easily stand on its own. The latent Sloan probably could (and should!) revisit this one day.

The blending of harmonies and Sloan’s move into a melody-driven beat group solidified around the time of their second album Twice Removed but is unfortunately under-represented in b-side form here. Still it’s the quality of later period tracks like  “At The End of the Scene”, “Will You Ever Love Me Again?” and “Even Though” which show that quality control in the Sloan camp could be a little too stringent, but it’s proof positive that if this is what gets left on the cutting room floor, Sloan’s best work is still ahead of them, just as long as parenthood and broken bones don’t get in the way.

Before Arcade Fire, before Metric, before The Stills, before any decent Canadian Alternative act in recent memory you care to name there was the power pop quartet known as Sloan. Closely approaching their 20th anniversary of rocking out, Sloan prep their latest release which will be a five track internet-only affair entitled Some of the Wealth due for release this Autumn, which looking out the window feels like it should be anytime now!

With their last two albums Parallel Play and Never Hear The End of It containing some of the best material of their career, we expect nothing less this time around. Following the ever-useful ‘carrot on a stick’ internet music business model, Sloan are offering a free track from this EP, “Take It Upon Yourself” to reacquaint yourselves with the band in what has been a quiet year for them (not for bassist/charmer Chris Murphy who recently suffered a broken rib in a hit and run bike accident).

“Take It Upon Yourself” is another classic in the Chris Murphy songbook, not a full-on scissor-kickin’ rock anthem but more a subtle sleighbell and handclap hipshake that in my opinion fades out way too soon. With an expected track to appear from the three other songwriting maestros in the band you can only wonder who pleaded (for) the fifth?  Head on over to www.sloanmusic.com to download the new track and maybe find out.

2008 was without a doubt an exceptional year for music. Without revealing too much from our list below, there were outstanding sophomore efforts by Beach House and Long Blondes, debut albums by a stunning array of new acts like Crystal Castles, Glasvegas and Fleet Foxes, and albums from iconic acts like TV On The Radio and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds that cemented their standing in modern music.

There was some belief that since so many of Webcuts favoured acts had released albums in 2007, that 2008 was going to be something of a layover year, but even a few months in as the new releases begin to flood our desks we knew we were in for a treat. Now here for your reading pleasure is Webcuts class of 2008.

An album of unexpected pure pop delights, She & Him was a collaboration between the delicious actress Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter Matt Ward. This collection of 60s inspired tunes written by Deschanel were sugar sweet and lushly rendered. Traces of the Beatles and the Beach Boys were caught lurking beneath Ward’s arrangements and the strength of Deschanel’s voice only added weight to the credibility of this project. This wasn’t just another Hollywood actress trying her luck as singer. Their duet on Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold On Me” was only one of many highlights. We can only hope for an expedited Volume 2 in the near future. (Craig)

Brooklyn’s Santi “Santogold” White had the kind of year most artists only dream about, as a decade of working in the music business, the savvy utilisation of MySpace and the support of bloggers bore prodigious fruit. Her debut album Santogold impressed with its myriad styles — from Ska and Dub to 80s new wave — themes of empowerment and good old fashion boasting. (Caleb) Full review.

The darkly titled Oceans Will Rise did much to address the balance between The Stills of Logic Will Break Your Heart with The Stills of its disappointing follow-up, Without Feathers. From the menacing beauty of the gold-painted skull on the album sleeve to the buoyant melodies that weave through the songs in waves, there was much more to this album than met the eye. The Eastern European feel of “Snakecharming the Masses” built around a tribal-sounding rhythm that paired with the subtle swell of Fletcher’s vocals found The Stills in the grip of self-discovery and invention. (Craig) Full review.

Truth be told The Kills’ — transatlantic duo Alison “VV” Mosshart and Jamie “Hotel” Hince — third album was an uneven affair. For every perfectly formed relationship drama e.g. “Last Day of Magic” or chilling tale of letting go such as “Black Balloon” there was the dirge-like “M.E.X.I.C.O” or throwaway “Sour Cherry” – but when the dirty drum machine beats, bluesy garage rock and Mosshart’s channelling of Polly Harvey and Karen O gelled it was well worth the price of admission. (Caleb)

Evil Urges is an awesomely confounding record. It’s not quite Kiss Unmasked, but songwriter Jim James without his cloak of reverb, pushing out a falsetto vocal was an altogether unexpected moment. Even with the reassuring knowledge that this was the new My Morning Jacket album, it was one that leapt styles and influences in a way no previous album had. The electro-dance touches of “Touch Me I’m Going To Scream” offered more evidence that My Morning Jacket were breaking away from convention with Evil Urges being their most outward attempt to gain wider recognition and distance themselves from the staid Skynyrd Southern Rock pigeon-holing. (Craig) Full review.

I’m From Barcelona’s first album enraptured many its sing-a-long anthems and cheery demeanor which helped to dispel the notion they were merely a novelty act, but it was one so full of sugary twee pop you could almost feel the calories piling on. Who Killed Harry Houdini? was the sugar rush comedown, an album with soft focus production and an air of detached melancholy. While the elements that made us fall in love with I’m from Barcelona remained – sweet melodies, multi-backed choruses and varied instrumentation – the downbeat tempo combined with vastly improved lyrics full of detailed character vignettes to create a work of greater sustenance. (Caleb)

When viewed next to their debut, “Couples” is of a different class and from a different age. The Long Blondes always seemed hemmed in by their own aspirations and you can only go so far with pop culture knowledge and a keen sense of wardrobe. They had advanced beyond expectation and fashioned an artistic statement that is more than just a magnifying glass on our lives but a cultural and historical commentary wrapped up in one. It was inventive, intelligent and exciting. A rare case of pop music with brains, presented with a conviction that is almost unbeatable. Unfortunately, a paralysing stroke which befell guitarist/songwriter Dorian Cox would sadly bring an premature end to this great Sheffield band before the year was out. (Craig) Full review.

The only thing wrong with this album is that there is nothing wrong with this album.
[ Full Review ]   1. Jacob Golden – Revenge Songs
(Independent/Sawtooth)        

It has been a long time between drinks, but Jacob Golden’s second album was worth every minute of its five year gestation.
[ Full Review ] 2. Sloan- Never Hear The End Of It
(Yep Roc)              

The albums ironic title reflects the intense musical content of 30 songs squeezed into one cd, and while the thought does come to mind from time to time, when you start to get sick of one song, it’s already out the door and another has started. Amongst these 30 songs are some of the classic Sloan gems you’ve come to expect, with a freshness that belies album number 8 from these pop genius Nova Scotians.   2. Interpol - Our Love to Admire
(Capitol/EMI)              

“Mammoth”, “Pioneer to the Falls”, “Pace is the Trick”, “Wrecking Ball” — the titles on the sleeve were not so subtle hints to the nature of the tracks within. These are huge, epic songs built around the best rhythm section in the business, incredible dual chiming guitar assaults, moody synth and piano coupled with Paul Banks singular voice and obtuse lyrics.       3. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Living With The Living
(Touch & Go)              

For heart on the sleeve roots rock reggae with a finger pointing political pounce, Ted Leo never fails to disappoint. Sometimes a little
too earnest for his own good, his intentions can’t be faulted and his enthusiasm is unbounded. Living With The Living is the sound of one man still kicking against the pricks.   3. Tegan and Sara - The Con
(Vapor/Sire)              

Another long awaited disc, the fifth from Sara and Tegan Quinn, was filled with more hooks than a fishing tackle box, juxtaposed by tales of growing pains and dysfunctional relationships. [ Full Review ]      

At first listen, The Stage Names left me unimpressed, and in as much as I was probably wanting Black Sheep Boy Part 2, this was never going to be the case. From sullen strums to dancehall stomps, repeated listenings were to bear fruit, and as Will Sheff sang “what gives this mess some grace unless it kicks, man” it’s a sentiment that holds true from start to glorious sea-shanty finish.  

Yes Shout Our Loud’s sophomore release borrows heavily from the holy trifecta of ’80s UK alternative bands (i.e. those beginning with C, N and S) but it’s also informed by the rich history of Swedish indie music, adding lush orchestration and layered percussion (credit must be given to Björn Yttling’s excellent production), resulting in one of the years finest pop records.      

The experimental approach to songwriting was the key to the success of this album. Where a band could’ve easily recreated the sounds that had brought them to the level of popularity they now enjoyed, The Shins decided to throw all that aside and take a chance, that when viewed from the other side, still sounds undeniably like The Shins, and undeniably a perfect pop record.  

The debut album from the former Jack and Jacques lead singer (with help from friends such as Dot Allison, Vashti Bunyan and Colin Wilson) is a plush affair of sweeping ballads replete with piano, beautiful strings and reverb drenched guitar. Odes to life in rural England, (“Country Girl”, “A Quiet Life”), childhood (“The Disappointed”) and breaking up, (“Song of Leaving”) are among its treasures.       6. Faker - Be The Twilight
(EMI)              

Faker’s LA album was less a distraction and more a distillation of the ground covered and material written since their debut. There’s no filler or wasted moments. Nathan Hudson chooses his words carefully, the self-proclaimed ‘addicted romantic’ now finding himself on the rails, looking for the positive amongst the negative and channelling it into a captivating listen.   6. The Concretes - Hey Trouble
(Licking Fingers)              

I know I’m in the minority but I actually preferred Hey Trouble to Taken by Trees’s Open Field (Victoria Bergsman’s, The Concrete’s ex-lead singer solo project). Lisa Milberg takes over lead vocal duties with aplomb and the shift from twee 60′s folk to a more new wave, rockier direction pays off.       7. PJ Harvey - White Chalk
(Island)              

PJ Harvey has reinvented herself so many times now that you’re never sure what you’re going to get one album to the next. White Chalk is her piano album, and it’s at times a bleak, meditative listen. The simple instrumentation finding an uneasy balance with Polly’s forceful, haunting voice. Lyrically, it’s more dark introspection that you’ve come to expect with a more pastoral, Victorian edge.   7. Feist - The Reminder
(Polydor)              

iPod and eBay ad overexposure aside: “1234″ is still a brilliant pop song. What’s more it’s joined on The Reminder by a dozen others. True they don’t all reach the heights of that bittersweet number, but they do demonstrate how much of a musical chameleon Leslie Feist is. Pop, jazz, folk, country and rock are all handled with adroitness, and sung with her amazing sultry voice.       8. The Scare - Chivalry
(OK! Relax/Below Par)              

One wonders what this album could’ve sounded if the band hadn’t been so laced with whisky, but even if Chivalry was to lose half it soused charm, it still would sound 10 times better than any other punk rock band out there.   8. The Honeys - Star Baby
(Origin/MGM)              

It’s been 19 long years since Perth/Sydney siders The Honey’s 1988 debut Goddess (disregarding the splendid Ultimo compilation) and 16 since they originally called it quits, but it may’ve well have been yesterday for the freshness of the songs here. Star Baby fused folk, rock and country with Andrea Croft’s angelic voice and tales of heartbreak.       9. John Doe - A Year In The Wilderness
(Yep Roc)              

Ex-X frontman, turned alt-country troubadour, John Doe finesses another slice of weary Americana fused with a little spit and spite that you’d come to expect from this well-journeyed songwriter. With help from the likes of Aimee Mann and Jill Sobule, A Year in the Wilderness sounds a more appealing prospect than you initially thought.   9. The National - Boxer
(Beggars Banquet)              

Sitting somewhere between the despondency of Joy Division and the late night melancholy of The Tindersticks, Boxer is the fourth and most accomplished album from Brooklyn’s The National. Matt Berninger’s gravelly baritone and his often inscrutable lyrics provide a mesmerising focal point against a backdrop of opulent orchestral rock.       10. Grinderman - Grinderman
(Mute)              

Taken from the perspective of four guys sitting in a room, trying to make the antithesis of the record they normally would, Grinderman is a success. A shift to a more abrasive sound permeates, but the lapse in character, when the men stop trying to be boys, is where the rewards here lie. It’s a mixed bag, but an enjoyable listen all the same.   10. Damn Arms - The Live Artex
(Unikron)              

Melbourne’s Damn Arms are damn hard to categorise. Rock or dance? Punk or post-punk? New wave or synth-pop? In the end the point is moot because with The Live Artex they released one of the best albums of the year regardless of genre. A bass heavy mix of rock and electronica that’s so sleazy you’ll be heading for the shower by the album’s end.      

The unexpected return of one of the most dynamic bands of the 80s (a reformation only eclipsed by that of the legendary Led Zeppelin), set the scene for one of most amazing live performances this year. Their tour may have generated the most cash for any live artist this year but it was also the one that set aside any doubt they were doing it just for the money. Like proud parents going through old photo albums, The Police tore through their greatest hits while we stood and applauded, the songs sounding as fresh and vibrant as they did in the 80
s.

Sloan
40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
(15.05.2007)
The Jesus and Mary Chain
Brixton Academy, London
(07.09.07)   Faker
The Tivoli, Brisbane
(29.11.07)              

The highlight came near the end of Faker’s firery indie rock set: mid-way through hit “Hurricane”, after nearly an hour of stalking and running around the stage singer Nathan Hudson climbed one of the three metre high speaker stacks before jumping off, much to the behest of the security. That, ladies and gentlemen, is entertainment.

Ben Kweller
The Zoo, Brisbane
(23.10.07)
Shout Out Louds
The Zoo, Brisbane
(29.09.07)       ]]> http://www.webcutsmusic.com/reviews/album-reviews/2008/webcuts-top-20-albums-of-2007/feed/ 0