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, called Murderecords, for themselves and other Halifax area bands, and the outfit released the 'Peppermint EP' (the release also known as just 'Peppermint').
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-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'.
Later in 1992, Sloan released their full-length debut, titled 'Smeared', on Geffen Records. Like many indie rock groups before them, the band found that major label dealings were basically as much trouble as they were worth. In 1994, Geffen did not promote their second album, called 'Twice Removed', due to artistic disputes, although it sold well in Canada. Spin named the album 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. The same poll in 2000 ranked the album third, behind Joni Mitchell's 'Blue' and Neil Young's 'Harvest', while the 2005 poll once again ranked the album first.
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. In 1996, however, they released the widely praised One Chord to Another on their own Murderecords label. Following 1998's 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.
Sloan made a concerted effort to break into the US market on their 2003 release 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.
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.
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.
In 2013, the band revealed plans for a double album, with each of the four sides featuring a solo suite by a different band member. In May 2014, it was announced that the new album would be titled "Commonwealth" and would be released in September 2014. On July 14, 2014, the band announced the official release date for the album (September 9, which turned out to be accurate) and the release of the album's first single, "Keep Swinging (Downtown)". The album cover portrays the band members as four-of-a-kind kings. The suits of these playing cards correspond to the titles of their solo sides: Jay Ferguson's side is called Diamond, Chris Murphy's is Heart, Patrick Pentland's is Shamrock, and Andrew Scott's is Spade.
The Other Side
Sloan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It'll taunt you from a distance and it's hard to fight
I've got to walk and say I lost
But at least I tried
There's a certain way of dealing from the other side
If you want proof of it's existence, well that's hard to find
Less deep yeah, inside keeps
Telling everybody I know about it
Extraordinarily gifted
In tricking me to think it never existed
But I have the proof despite how it twists it
In lies
Telling everybody I know about the other side
In Sloan's song The Other Side, the lyrics speak of an elusive and tantalizing feeling that resides on the other side. This feeling taunts and teases from a distance, and it's hard to resist its pull. The singer has to give in to the temptation to explore this feeling, even knowing that they might lose, but at least they tried. The song speaks of a certain way of dealing with the other side, and the fact that proof of its existence remains elusive. The other side exists in a less deep and more internal space within oneself. The lyrics go on to say that the other side is expertly gifted in tricking one's mind into thinking it never existed. But despite all the lies, the singer has proof of its existence and will tell everybody they know about it.
The song's lyrics offer an insightful interpretation of a feeling that many people can relate to, as we all have moments where we feel compelled to explore something that is out of our reach. The Other Side speaks of the challenges of exploring that which may be elusive and hard to grasp, but the importance of trying to understand it, even when it is hard to find proof of it.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a certain kind of feeling on the other side
There's a feeling that exists in a different place or state of mind
It'll taunt you from a distance and it's hard to fight
This feeling is persistent and difficult to resist
I've got to walk and say I lost
I have to accept that I was unable to reach the other side
But at least I tried
I feel satisfied that I made an effort to reach the other side
There's a certain way of dealing from the other side
The other side requires a different approach to dealing with its challenges
If you want proof of it's existence, well that's hard to find
It's difficult to prove that the other side exists because it's intangible
Less deep yeah, inside keeps
The other side is a shallower, less complex place internally
The other side
The distinct, separate state of being that is different from the current one
Telling everybody I know about it
Sharing my knowledge of the other side with others
Extraordinarily gifted
The other side has the ability to deceive through its allure
In tricking me to think it never existed
The other side can make one question its reality
But I have the proof despite how it twists it
Despite the other side's ability to distort truth, I have evidence of its existence
In lies
The other side has a deceptive quality that can lead to misconceptions
Telling everybody I know about the other side
Sharing the knowledge and experience of the other side with those around me
Contributed by Grace R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Thelma
on Everything You've Done Wrong
Thelma I like the title