Sloan - Parallel Play
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Music CD Cover
Artist: SloanEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-06-10
Music Label: Yep Roc Records
Soundtracks:
- Believe
- Cheap Champagne
- All I Am Is All You're Not
- Emergency 911
- Burn For It
- Witch's Wand
- The Dogs
- Living The Dream
- The Other Side
- Down In The Basement
- If I Could Change Your Mind
- I'm Not A Kid Anymore
- Too Many
Free Music Notes for Parallel Play
Free Music Review: Now the times have changed and all the questions too...
Hit: 5 Stars
In another time (maybe 1976) or a parallel universe, this album would instantly become the hit it deserves to be. For the uninitiated, this is the same kind of smart, catchy pop-rock that you'd find on Revolver [UK], mixed with the proto-cruch-rock of Cheap Trick (Heaven Tonight) and a dash of classic punk (Ramones Mania) in a perfect, lump-free blend. It's the kind of stuff that is never exactly popular but continues to exist just under the radar (other great and fairly recent examples include Grand Prix, Crashing the Ether and Utopia Parkway). It's truly timeless music, and I am sure that I will still be listening to these albums years from now while stuff like Vampire Weekend winds up in the used bins at whatever record store still exists.
Up until last year my favorite Sloan discs were One Chord to Another and Action Pact, each representing a different side of Sloan. One Chord To Another was a pure pop record, with punchy horns and catchy tunes (ie, it leans more heavily towards the Revolver side of the house). Action Pact, on the other hand, was crunchier and louder (ie, it leans more heavily towards the Cheap Trick side of the house). However on last year's masterwork Never Hear the End of It, the band brought all of its influences together in an unexpected way. Echoing the grand, loosely-conceptual approach of Abbey Road and tossing in a dose of Queen (a la A Night at the Opera), the band stitched together 30 songs and song-fragments that tied together virtually all the threads they had pursued throughout their long career while transcending the subgenres to create pure rock n roll. This was the first really divisive album in Sloan's career, repelling some of the critics and fans while attracting some new listeners to the fold. It was a bold move for a band reaching the early stages of middle-age, and proved that the band wasn't about to go soft around the middle.
So where to next? One year later the band has produced a more conventional rock album with only 13 songs. The songs do lead right into each other at times (this is nothing new however; the band used this trick on Between the Bridges years ago), but there is nothing overtly conceptual about the album. However, the band seems to have benefitted from the work that went into creating NHTEOI, sounding revitalized and full of energy. Like NHTEOI, the band's influences are blended seamlessly. What makes this such a captivating listen however are the songs. The band seems intent on accepting middle age ("Down In The Basement" and "I'm Not A Kid Anymore" are reflective of this) while still rocking and obviously enjoying doing so. Each band member also plays a vital role in this album, revealing a band that is democratic and functions well as a unit. After all these years toegether, that is saying something.
I don't have a track-by-track commentary to provide, as it takes time for songs like these to really sink in and reveal their meanings and relevance to my life. A cursory listen makes clear that this certainly will happen. This is a high-quality rock album made by people who have stuck to their revolvers (hee hee) for years and are oviously doing so for love rather than money or fame. This will certainly be one of the best albums of the year (even against stiff competition, see for example Blame It On Gravity) and my guess is that it will stay with you much longer than that. Excellent stuff.
Parallel Play Poster
The boiled down brother to their 30 song magnum opus ''Never Hear the End of It'',''Parallel Play'' is the latest from power pop royalty Sloan. Less a conscious answer to NHTEI's unabridged creative approach, ''Parallel Play'' is a continuation of the musical concepts put forth on their last album and a further exploration of the band's four-songwriter dynamic. A term taken from the science of developmental psychology, ''Parallel Play'' is a behavior seen in young children in which they enjoy independent activities in the company of other children, something the four boys in Sloan know a lot about. As per their unique musical modus operandi, the members of Sloan wrote songs independently and then joined forces in the studio to produce yet another album of timeless, guitar-driven pop. For Sloan, ''Parallel Play'' proves once again that four times the songwriters equals four times the rock. ''Parallel Play'' will also be available on vinyl.Alternative Rock Music CDs
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