BY NUMBERS Sloan
May 10, 2011
When it comes to longevity, the Canadian quartet finds craft, cooperation and consistency a most effective formula.
BY LEE ZIMMERMAN
Twenty years and ten albums. Those are the major milestones that Sloan celebrates with the release of The Double Cross, the Canadian combo's first full-length offering in nearly three years. Emulating the best of the British invasion, their sound has been marked by hook-heavy melodies that quickly take hold, even on an initial encounter. Likewise, they've held to a high standard, matching consistent quality with ongoing quantity. Their 2006 opus Never Hear the End of It lived up to its title, boasting thirty songs over the course of a single CD, indicative of the craft and care that finds each member contributing equally to the common cause.
With the same line-up still intact - guitarists Jay Ferguson and Patrick Pentland, bassist Chris Murphy and drummer Andrew Scott - the band opted to give a shout-out to their longevity by reference it in the new album's name, the double Roman numeral ‘X' that indicates two decades of making music and winning fans and admirers in the process. "There are almost too many anniversaries to keep track of," Ferguson jokes. Fortunately, his powers of recall are fully functional, given the fact he had no problem providing BLURT with an extensive overview of Sloan's history, musical trajectory and the elusive origins of their name.
***
BLURT: How does a band hold it together for 20 years without any casualties?
JAY FERGUSON: I don't the un-sexy answer to that question. (chuckles)
It doesn't have to be sexy.
We split the money four ways. Actually, our band is an outlet for everybody. Everybody sings and writes songs, so it's not like "Oh, there's a lead singer and the bass player wants to do a solo record because he doesn't get to do his own songs." That's not really the case in our band. Everybody can sing and write and contribute, and we all share in the profit... when there is profit... and so we all split the money evenly. I think a lot of bands break up due to financial troubles or artistic squabbles or whatever, but you can have it all if you're a member of Sloan.
It sounds nice, but are there ever disagreements about whose song goes on the album and whose doesn't?
Maybe a little bit, but everyone usually has songs to include so we try to make it even. If there are 12 songs on the album, each of us gets three songs. If someone says, "You know, I only have one or two songs this time," and everyone else has a lot more, then maybe we'll balance it differently on the next album. Andrew, who plays drums, didn't have a lot of songs for this album, so he only contributed two, but Chris had a number of extra songs so he had four. So there's a little bit of a skew there, but in general it just sort of balances out. There's rarely a case where, out of say, 25 songs, somebody has none, so it really does stay balanced.
Indeed, Never Hear the End of It had thirty songs? You really are a prolific bunch.
Yeah, we put out an album in 2003 called Action Packed and then we put out Never Hear the End of It in 2006. So it took us three years to accumulate songs. There was a lot of music on the table, probably a good 50 songs, and we thought it would fun to our version of the Beatles' White Album because we hadn't really done a double album.
Speaking of the Beatles, it sounds like nobody in your band suffers from the George Harrison syndrome, where poor George never got more than a token inclusion.
But then again, his first solo album was basically a triple album because there was so much backed up creativity. No, we're pretty lucky that everybody has an outlet in the band, so it's not like nobody can not do what they want.
It's amazing that you can maintain such a high bar in terms of both the quantity and the quality. How is it that you don't start repeating yourselves after awhile?
Thanks for saying that because sometimes I can't tell if we might be repeating ourselves. I think everybody in our band is a really good songwriter, and sometimes you try and compete. So I'll hear a song by Chris and say, "Ah, I don't know if I can beat it, but I'll try." Maybe there's a little bit of one up man's ship, or maybe we're just all genius songwriters. (laughs)
The fact that the albums really do hold together well says a lot about your consistency. On the new album they almost flow into one another.
There was a little bit of preplanning on that. The first song is called "Follow the Leader" and the second one is my song, "The Answer Was You," and I knew the chords Chris had at the end of his song and I sort of thought "Oh, here's how we can blend them." So yes, that was premeditated. Sometimes it's not premeditated. Sometimes it's "What if this song fit with that song," and then it's sort of by fluke. The key is right, so we can patch them together. So we spent time doing that.
So when you guys go in to make an album, is there some sort of plot or concept, or is it all dictated by the songs?
I think it's more the songs dictate it because I don't think we could all agree on some sort of template for an album. When we plan a record, it's not like "Hey everybody, we're going to make a synth album!" You know what I mean? I don't think anybody would go for that. Or, "Let's all make an acoustic record!" Some people might be into it, but some people might be, "Oh, forget it!" Everybody just writes on their own and then we bring it together. The thing that holds our records together, even though it's different songwriters and different styles, is usually that everybody sings on everybody else's songs. So if I'm singing lead, Patrick and Chris will be singing harmonies. Andrew will have a song and I'll be singing back-up on that or sing a few lines. I find it's the vocal blend that usually ties our records together because the music is often different from track to track.
Is there a common thread that you can trace back to the beginning that continues now?
It might be that harmony blend I just described. A lot of people recognize it in Canada, especially that combination of Chris and Patrick's singing together. It's very Sloan-sounding. I don't know how else to distinguish our records because if the vocals weren't there, it might just sound like a different band. I also find Andrew's drumming is very distinct. He has his own style. But I do think it's the vocals that tie the records together and I do think it's the same for most groups really, especially the Beatles and groups like that. They changed their style from album to album, but once you get back past that, when it's John and Paul singing together, and so you know it's the Beatles no matter what the track is.
Speaking of which, this album sounds like it recalls your earlier records, with the Beatlesque elements and the retro sound you built your reputation on early on.
It's true. Some people that have heard this record say there are tracks on it that remind them of One Chord To Another, which is one of our early albums. But that's not necessarily conscious on our behalf. We're sort of doing what we do, and that's the way it turned out. It may hark back to a certain sound, but it definitely wasn't conscious on our behalf. But thanks for saying it!
It's good to know other people felt the same.
Yeah, a couple of people have commented, "Oh this would have fit perfectly on One Chord to Another.
Was it you who was quoted as saying this is your best album since Exile on Main Street? What did you mean by that?
I was just sort of joking. It's like the Stones, whenever they've put a record out, basically since Exile on Main Street, they've always said, "This is our best one since Exile on Main Street," but rarely have they topped it. I think Tattoo You had some good stuff on it, and Some Girls had its moments, but to this day, when they put out Bridges to Babylon or Voodoo Lounge, they'll say "It's our best one since Exile" and I think, guys, it's not!
That's very true. Everybody's kind of thought that, but no one wants to nail them on it.
I think for our band, this record that we just made, I want to say that I really like it and it's up there with my favorites of ours. But I didn't want to start sounding like Mick Jagger saying, this is our Exile.
But your quality has been consistent, whereas with those later Stones albums, the quality has been somewhat sketchy.
It's good to hear that because sometimes it's hard to step back and look at the records and wonder, is this batter than the last one, or is it the same, or is it worse? So it's nice to hear.
So what are your
favorite Sloan albums?
I think Never Hear the End of It was
the type the album I personally was excited to make for a long time. I like the
idea that there were pop songs on it, and then there were really short songs on
it, like one minute long, and it flows into something else, like a four minute
long, long ballad. And there's a real rock ‘n' roller, and there's a weird sort
of instrumental bit. I love the second side of Abbey Road where they compiled short songs into a greater whole. I
kind of thought Never Hear the End of It was like that, at least that's what we were trying to accomplish. And I really
liked the way it turned out; I was really happy we could make a 30-song record
that to me, in my mind, holds up really well. Not to sound obnoxious but I like
that one a lot.
I also really like the sound of One Chord To Another. We had left Geffen Records and we had our record label going, and we came back and made that record, and it was our most successful one we ever had. It was a nice feeling and a nice time to go through. And I really liked Twice Removed, our second record, and Between the Bridges, which is our fifth album. I'm happy with all our records. I'm happy to look back on our career and not feel like "Oh, I wish we didn't do that!" I don't have that feeling at all. Maybe there's a song here and there where I think "Urgh, those lyrics, I wish I could redo them" but it's minor because overall I'm really happy with what we've done. But yeah, One Chord to Another and Never Hear the End of It are my favorites to be sure.
Are there a lot of
outtakes?
Well, we've sort of compiled outtakes from different eras and on Twice Removed there's like 50 demos and
alternative versions of different songs and things like that. And that's just
from one album! So yeah, there's a lot of stuff from Sloan.
Can fans expect any
kind of rarities compilation at any point?
I'd like to see it. We're just trying to figure out how to do it, whether we
just sell them digitally or we make CDs of them, or if we reissue albums and
include a bonus disc or two with outtakes and demos and that sort of thing. Or
do we make new vinyl versions, or do we do it I Tunes style and let them go out
as digital albums?
You guys should do a box set or an
anthology of some sort. You'd probably do very well with it. Just don't break
our wallets with it.
(Laughs) I'll take that to the table and pitch it to the others. I think we could do a box set, whether we reissue the albums or not. We're conscious of trying to make nice packages for people who are fans. We just haven't figured out the approach we're going to take with it. But I'm sure that the next few years we'll put stuff out that's more archival. Some of our albums are out of print in Canada, so we thought if we bring them back, we'll bring them back as deluxe versions. If you do have to repurchase the albums, we'll make it worth people's while.
Is it difficult for Canadian bands to get a foothold in the States?
I don't know. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the only Canadian artists to really break through in the U.S. were people like Bryan Adams or Celine Dion or Loverboy (laughs). I guess the Barenaked Ladies broke through to a certain extent. But a band like Tragically Hip, who are massive in Canada and headline festivals, and play hockey arenas and stuff like that... not many people know them in the United States. I don't what it is. It could be touring, or the records are released on Canadian labels and then they're issued on the American affiliate, but then the American affiliate doesn't put any money into it because they don't care.
There are a number of different reasons, but to me, the tide has turned over the past six or seven years, especially when you're talking about the more underground bands like Broken Social Scene or Arcade Fire or Feist. All those artists have really made it due to touring or the internet. The taste-making websites have really made the world more flat. I think a lot of those bands have really benefited from the internet and the exposure it's given them, especially when one of those websites really pipes up and does a major feature story or a major record review. That really spreads the word faster than during the ‘80s or ‘90s when those websites hadn't broken through that massive barrier yet. So I think it's that, but also the hard work of touring that those bands did helped those bands a lot too. And so not having to rely on radio to get through that bottleneck helps. The internet is much easier.
A lot of time it's just luck, being in the right place at the right time. I think early on, our band just benefited from luck, making the right kind of music at the right time. There are so many factors involved. But you know, there are bands that are massive in Australia but you don't hear about them either.
You could probably find that example in any country.
Yeah, any country. But even in the United States I find the media breaks through so many more barriers than the Canadian media does. I found when I was watching the Grammys, there were artists I never heard of. This is like a top ten record in the United States and I've never heard it before. I think there's a little bit of that in the U.S., but more so in smaller countries. There are even bands in the U.K. who don't break through over here. It's just the nature of it. There are also bands that when they break through, they break through in a big way, such as Arcade Fire.
I do think a big part of it is media. Even though you're right next store, Rolling Stone or People magazine aren't going to write about who the up and coming band that's in Toronto. They're going to write more about what's going on in New York or L.A. American record companies are pitching stuff to them, but the Canadian companies aren't doing so necessarily. I don't really have an answer for it. It is weird, but there are so many factors, so I think the best solution is just to tour your brains out basically.
You guys have your
own label, correct?
Yes, we have a label called Murder Records, but basically it's just us. There
are no other artists on the label other than us. We're signed to Yep Roc in the
States for distribution, but technically there's still a Murder Records logo on
the albums because we still own our masters. We're kind of our own label, but
Yep Roc is still handling all the marketing and publicity and whatever.
You alluded earlier to the fact that your initial relationships with American record labels were a bit difficult. You were on a David Geffen label at first, were you not? DGC?
We signed to them and there were great expectations. The first single was "Underwhelmed" and it started to do well, but half way through the campaign for our first album, it became a game of musical chairs at the record label. So the guy that was doing radio promotion for it was behind our band and then he moved to A&R. Then they brought in a new radio guy and he wasn't into it. He was kind of like, "Sloan? I don't care for them much." So he went on to work on the Urge Overkill record or the Hole record or something like that. So I find that happens at a lot of record labels when there are people working on a project from the ground up, and then they move somewhere else and someone else inherits it. It's like "Oh, okay" and they throw it on the pile and they work on the stuff they want to work on. So I think we were a victim to that a little bit.
And then when we handed in our second album, which was Twice Removed, it was so different from our first album that they couldn't see the continuation and build upon what they had with the first album. They asked, "Can you guys redo this album or re-record it?" And we said, "No, we're happy with it." And our A&R guy, bless him, stuck up for us, and said, "We can put it out the way it is and see what we can do with it, but really, the marketing team are not behind it. So we'll put it out, but just do another album."
So that was difficult, but we understood why it was happening. It wasn't like we made this album they wanted us to do, and then it was like, oh forget it. We understood their reasoning. So our band and our management really liked the album we put out, but it was still really difficult to go through that. When that album was over and the touring was over, which was also very unsuccessful, we thought the band was going to break up. We told Geffen and we told our A&R guy and he basically told us he could get us out of the deal. We basically ended up breaking up and we got out of the record deal.
And then, within a year later, we sort of thought we should make one more record and put it out on our label Murder Records. We actually went back to Geffen and offered One Chord to Another to them. We said, "We're getting back together and there's no bad blood, so do you want to put it out?" And originally, it was going to come out on Geffen. Then we sort of realized they weren't going to put any work into it, so we said, let's just forget it and we axed the deal and decided not to sign. We ended up going with another label called the Enclave in the United States. It was started by a guy who used to do A&R for Geffen, and I think he took us to prove he could take one of the bands they had and then skyrocket them to fame in the U.S. But that didn't exactly happen.
It's good you were able to get those hassles and aggravations out of the way early on because it seems like it's been smooth sailing for you ever since.
We've been able to steer our own career and not have to worry about someone saying, "Ah, do that album again." We can go make a record and put it out and do what we want. And if it doesn't do well, oh well. But if it does do well, we can reap the benefits. So it feels like we're running our own small business since we left Geffen, and we've been doing that for 16 years. I'm glad we didn't get tied up with Geffen for years. I know some bands and I've heard some terrible stories where they're locked into a certain deal, and by their third or fourth record, their label is telling them to redo their records. So I feel very grateful we've been able to make it on our own. We're not massive or anything, but I feel like we've done well enough where we can each make a living from it and we've done that for 20 years, so I feel very grateful. There are hard times, and sometimes you're not the band that's the flavor of the month any more, but I'm grateful we've been able to sustain it.
Twenty years is pretty impressive.
Yeah, I'm proud and surprised and hopefully we can keep making records and there will be an audience that will still stay with us.
We've got to ask you one question -- and maybe we should know this - but where did the name Sloan come from? Because you know, in certain, umm, lavatory facilities...
I know. You were in a washroom and you just happened to notice the name above the urinal...
Yeah...
No, we didn't take it from there. It was actually, the nickname of a friend of ours when we were living up in Halifax. He worked in a factory and his boss spoke poor English, but he was always calling our friend "slow one" (laughs), but it always slurred into "Slo ‘un." So his nickname became "Sloan" to his friends and we just kind of stole that name.
It's not that exciting a story, but often people will come up to us and say, "Oh, did you get it off the urinal?" Or, "It's Ferris Bueller's girlfriend from Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Ah, that's a good one. And sometimes we'll lie, but no, that's the truth.
blog comments powered by Disqus
More Photos
