In Stores Now: B Sides Win by Sloan

Cover photo from New York Magazine, October 20th, 1969

I think I may not be the most observant person in the world, based on how often I find myself saying, "When did THAT happen?" Case in point - Sloan released a 26-song b-sides-and-rarities collection way back in February, and I didn't know about it for months. In my defense, I think the release was not especially well promoted - I didn't see anything about it on the usual music news sites/blogs. Maybe it didn't get much attention because it's a "digital-only" release available from their website. On the other hand, it's an AMAZING COLLECTION OF SONGS that Sloan fans have been wanting to get their hands on for years and years - there is even an old fan-circulated collection that the hardcore fans call "the thing that shall not be named" or something (referencing the band's famous reticence to give their second-rate songs a second airing).

And it's true that, by strict definition, there are some second-rate songs on B Sides Win. But this is Canada's best power-pop band we're talking about - well, the New Pornographers fan in me says "one of Canada's two best power-pop bands". Over sixteen years and nine albums, this band has amassed a considerable collection of excellent non-album tracks, and they are now available in lossless format for under ten bucks. Not bad. Of course, the "chronological b-sides collection" format creates the awkward situation of putting their ugly baby photos up front - in the early '90s, the band let their love of shoegaze and grunge color their songs in less-than-flattering ways. However, the Smeared-era songs on B Sides Win aren't terrible, with the exception of Chris Murphy's interminable "Sleepover" - in the collection's digital liner notes (which make for a fun read), Murphy pokes fun at the song by saying, "I'm certain we were happy that our guitars had whammy bars."

Once you get to the songs from post-1992, it's smooth sailing for the rest of the collection, showcasing excellent tunes from each of the band's contributors - Murphy's "Stood Up" is an excellent track from the Japanese release of 1996's One Chord to Another, Jay Ferguson's "Pretty Together" is a great ballad that should have made it onto the album of the same name, and Patrick Pentland's two b-sides from Never Hear the End of It are among the best things he's written. Even the band's least prolific contributor, drummer Andrew Scott, shows up here with the rough-and-ready "Helen", with lyrics showcasing the band's trademark cleverness. It's been a while since we've seen a new album from Sloan, probably because Murphy got hit by a car last year and has spent some time convalescing. The band managed to put together a first-rate EP last year, cheekily titled Hit & Run, and it is also available on the band's site. So you can put B Sides Win and the EP together and you have 31 songs to tide you over until Sloan's next full-length release. Not bad.

"Stood Up (Studio Version)" by Sloan