Sloan

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Biography

Sloan is a Toronto -based alternative rock quartet from Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax , Nova Scotia . Throughout their 20-year tenure Sloan has released 10 LP record|LPs (one being a double), two Extended play|EPs , a live album , a "best of" collection and no less than thirty Single (music)|singles . The band is known for their sharing of songwriting from each member of the group and their unaltered line-up throughout their career.

History

Early years

The band was formed in 1991 when Chris Murphy (Canadian musician)|Chris Murphy and Andrew Scott (drummer)|Andrew Scott met at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design ( NSCAD ) in Halifax; Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson (Canadian musician)|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 .

Name

According to Sloan's official website,
the band's name refers to a friend's nickname. Their friend Jason Larsen was called Slow One by his French language|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 the Peppermint EP .

Geffen

Later in 1992 Sloan released their full-length album Smeared on Geffen Records . In 1994 Geffen did not promote their second album, Twice Removed , due to artistic disputes, although it sold well in Canada. Spin (magazine)|Spin named it one of the "Best Albums You Didn't Hear" in 1994. A 1996 reader poll by Canadian music magazine Chart (magazine)|Chart! ranked it as the best Canadian album of all time, only two years after its release. The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell 's Blue (Joni Mitchell album)|Blue and Neil Young 's Harvest (Neil Young album)|Harvest . However, the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first.

Murderecords

After the release of Twice Removed , the band went on hiatus and were rumoured to have broken up, as they had rejected Geffen's offer for their next album.For more information see In 1996, however, they released the widely praised One Chord to Another on their own Murderecords label. Following 1998's Navy Blues (Sloan album)|Navy Blues album, Sloan released their first live album 4 Nights at the Palais Royale in 1999. Those albums were followed by Between the Bridges in 1999, and Pretty Together in 2001.

Seeking US success

Sloan made a concerted effort to break into the US market on their 2003 release Action Pact (album)|Action Pact . Songs were recorded in L.A. with Tom Rothrock producing. The glossier, radio-ready sound failed to raise Sloan's profile in the US, though they continued to be highly popular in Canada.

Sloan's first compilation album A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005 , included two new songs, "All Used Up" and "Try to Make It". The Japanese release included two additional new tracks.

Never Hear the End of It and Parallel Play

Now signed to Yep Roc Records for their US releases, they put out their eighth disc, Never Hear the End of It in 2006. The album contained 30 tracks with all the members of the band contributing new songs. It was met with widespread critical acclaim and became the highest charting Sloan album in the US up to that point.

In 2008, Sloan followed up their longest album with their shortest release Parallel Play .

Hit & Run and B-Sides Win

In November 2009 Sloan added a digital music store to their website. The band released an online-only EP called Hit & Run to promote the store. The EP featured two songs by Chris Murphy, and one by each of the other band members. Murphy's Take It Upon Yourself was released as a free single. In February 2010, the band released another online exclusive, the compilation album B-Sides Win: Extras, Bonus Tracks and B-Sides 1992 - 2008.

The Double Cross

Sloan announced plans to release a 10th album in 2011, to coincide with the 20th anniversary of their first show.

On February 22, 2011, Sloan announced that their new album would be released on May 10, 2011. The album is entitled The Double Cross , a nod to their 20th (or XX) anniversary. The album is preceded by the its first single, " Unkind (song)|Unkind ".

With the release of the The Double Cross , Sloan has now released a catalogue of around 175 different songs.

In promotion of the new album, a special video series produced and directed by Catherine Stockhausen has been launched on YouTube to commemorate the illustrious success of the band. Interviewed in these videos are several musicians and celebrities such as Jason Schwartzman , Joel Plaskett , Stefan Brogren , Dave Foley , Kevin Drew , Buck 65 , Ian D'Sa and Benjamin Kowalewicz from Billy Talent , K-OS , and Dave Hamlin .

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 (guitar)|bass , Pentland is also on lead vocals and plays lead guitar , Ferguson plays rhythm guitar , and Scott plays Drum kit|drums .

While Murphy has written more of the band's songs than any of the other members, 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 LP, Smeared , Scott and Pentland are credited with just one song each, while on 2003's Action Pact (album)|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. Scott's songwriting output at that time may also have been somewhat diminished because he had recently become a father.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album
1992	Peppermint EP
1992	Smeared
1994	Twice Removed
1996	One Chord to Another
1998	Navy Blues
1999	Between the Bridges
2001	Pretty Together
2003	Action Pact
2006	Never Hear the End of It
2008	Parallel Play
2009	Hit & Run EP
2011	The Double Cross

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart position				Album
Year	Title	CAN cite web	CAN Alt. cite web	CAN Content (Cancon) cite web	US Mod cite web	Album
1992	" Underwhelmed "	-	-	1	25	Smeared
	" 500 Up "	-	-	-	-
	"Sugartune"	-	-	4	-
	"Take It In"	-	-	-	-
	"I Am the Cancer"	-	-	-	-
1994	" Coax Me "	30	-	6	-	Twice Removed
1994	" People of the Sky "	58	-	4	-	Twice Removed
1996	" The Good in Everyone "	9	7	-	-	One Chord to Another
1996	" Everything You've Done Wrong "	6	-	-	-
1997	" The Lines You Amend "	39	12	-	-
1997	"G Turns To D"	-	-	-	-
1998	" Money City Maniacs "	7	6	-	-	Navy Blues
	" She Says What She Means "	-	21	-	-
	"Keep on Thinkin"	85	-	-	-
1999	" Losing California "	-	18	-	-	Between the Bridges
1999	"Friendship"	-	-	-	-
2000	"Sensory Deprivation"	-	-	-	-
2000	"Don’t You Believe a Word"	-	-	-	-
2001	" If It Feels Good Do It "	-	-	-	-	Pretty Together
2001	The Other Man "	-	-	-	-	Pretty Together
2003	" The Rest of My Life "	-	-	-	-	Action Pact
2003	"Live On"	-	-	-	-
2004	"Nothing Lasts Forever Anymore"	-	-	-	-
2005	" All Used Up "	-	-	-	-	A Sides Win: Singles 1992–2005
2005	"Try to Make It"	-	-	-	-	A Sides Win: Singles 1992–2005
2006	"Who Taught You to Live Like That? "	-	-	-	-	Never Hear the End of It
2006	"Ill Placed Trust"	-	-	-	-
2007	"I've Gotta Try"	-	-	-	-
2008	Believe in Me "	-	-	-	-	Parallel Play
2009	"Witch's Wand"	-	-	-	-	Parallel Play
2009	"Take It Upon Yourself"	-	-	-	-	Hit & Run
2011	Unkind "	-	16	-	-	The Double Cross
2011	"The Answer Was You"	-	-	-	-	The Double Cross

Honours and awards

Twice Removed was named the best Canadian album ever recorded in a 1996 reader poll by Chart (magazine)|Chart& #33; magazine . In the 2000 poll, the album was voted third, but in the 2005 poll it once again ranked first. The band has also been nominated for several Juno Awards , winning one in 1997 for Best Alternative Album for One Chord to Another .

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 (Sloan album)|Navy Blues )

2000: Nominated – Best Album Design (Catherine Stockhausen and Lee Towndrow, Between the Bridges )

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 )

2009: Nominated - Best Rock Album ( Parallel Play )

2012: Nominated - Best Rock Album ( The Double Cross )

East Coast Music Awards

1993: Nominated – Album of the Year ( Smeared ), Entertainer of the Year, Pop Rock Recording of the Year, Song of the Year ("Underwhelmed"), Video of the Year ("Underwhelmed")

1996: Won – Alternative Recording of the Year

*Nominated – Pop Rock Recording of the Year, Video of the Year (" People of the Sky ")

1997: Won – Alternative Recording of the Year, Group of the Year

* Nominated – Pop Rock Recording of the Year

1998: Nominated – Single of the Year (" Everything You've Done Wrong "), Video of the Year ("Everything You've Done Wrong")

1999: Nominated – Group of the Year, Video of the Year (" Money City Maniacs ")

2001: Nominated – Group of the Year

2002: Won – Video of the Year (" If It Feels Good Do It ")

*Nominated – Album of the Year ( Pretty Together ), Entertainer of the Year, Group of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year, Songwriter of the Year ("If It Feels Good Do It")

2003: Nominated – Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year ("The Other Man"), Video of the Year ("The Other Man")

2004: Won – Video of the Year ("The Rest of My Life")

* Nominated – Album of the Year ( Action Pact (album)|Action Pact ), Group of the Year, Rock Recording of the Year ( Action Pact ), Single of the Year ("The Rest of My Life"), Songwriter of the Year ("The Rest of My Life")

2006 Nominated – Single of the Year ("All Used Up")

2007 Won – Rock Recording of the Year ( Never Hear the End of It )

* Nominated: Album of the Year ( Never Hear the End of It ), Group of the Year

Copyright Citations

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