Sloan
May 9, 2011
Toronto power-pop gods Sloan turn 20 in 2011, but are showing no signs of slowing down. On May 10th, the quartet will release their tenth full length, The Double Cross, via YepRoc Records, and the album's lead track, "Follow the Leader", can be streamed now.
The band have just announced a big North American summer tour, including two shows in the NYC area on June 29th at the Bowery Ballroom and June 30th at the Knitting Factory.
The Double Cross, a punny reference to the band's 20th anniversary (XX), is a particularly strong album in the band's solid cannon. Fans of their late '90s records should be happy in particular. Most songs segue into one another, songs get reprised later in the record and there is more cross-polination between band members on this record than any since 1999's Between the Bridges.
Chris Murphy sings on Jay's songs and vice versa, and Chris shows up for a verse on Andrew's "She's Slowing Down Again," which sounds like it could've been on Navy Blues. Patrick contributes one of his best stompers in ages, "Unkind," complete with guitar harmonies right out of the Tom Scholz's Guide to Soloing.
"I think every band always says of their latest LP, 'it's our best yet!' or perhaps 'it's our greatest work since Exile on Main St.', and then you hear it and you say to yourself, 'hmm, well, not quite, guys'," explained Sloan guitarist Jay Ferguson in an issued statement. "Hopefully I'm not joining those ranks, but for this our 10th album, I personally feel it's up there with my favorites of ours. Short and sweet with unexpected turns down different paths."
The Double Cross Tracklisting:
- Follow the Leader
- The Answer Was You
- Unkind
- Shadow of Love
- She's Slowing Down Again
- Green Gardens, Cold Montreal
- It's Plain to See
- Your Daddy Will Do
- I've Gotta Know
- Beverly Terrace
- Traces
- Laying So Low
Upcoming Tour Dates:
- May 25 Cleveland, OH at Grogshop
- May 26 Chicago, IL at Subterranean
- May 27 Minneapolis, MN at 400 Bar
- May 28 Winnipeg, MB at The Pyramid
- May 29 Saskatoon, SK at Louis' Pub
- May 31 Edmonton, AB at Starlite
- June 1 Calgary, AB at Republic
- June 2 Penticton, BC at Barking Parrot
- June 3 Vancouver, BC at Commodore Ballroom
- June 4 Seattle, WA at Tractor Tavern
- June 5 Portland, OR at Doug Fir
- June 7 San Francisco, CA at Café Du Nord
- June 8 Los Angeles, CA at Bootleg Theatre
- June 11 Milton, ON at Milton Rocks Festival
- June 22 Toronto, ON at Mod Club
- June 24 Philadelphia, at Kung Fu Necktie
- June 25 Baltimore, MD at Ottobar
- June 27 Vienna, VA at Jammin'Java
- June 28 Cambridge, MA at TT The Bear's
- June 29 New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
- June 30 Brooklyn, NY at Knitting Factory
- July 1 Kanata, ON at Kanata Canada Day Celebration (Festival)
- July 21 Meaford, ON at Meaford Hall
- July 22 Belleville, ON at Empire Square Live (w/ Stone Temple Pilots)
- July 23 London, ON at Rock The Park Festival
- July 29 Barrie, ON at Kempenfest (Festival)
- July 31 Kenora, ON at Harbourfest (Festival)
- Aug 6 Chatham, ON at Rockstock (Festival)