by Dusty Henry
Throughout their 25-year year career, Toronto pop-rockers Sloan have taken a democratic approach to music. But after some 10 albums of contributing equally to songwriting and recording, the band members decided to take a more novel process for the follow-up to 2011’s The Double Cross. Though still working together in one room, each of the four members were responsible for writing and shaping their own section, named in part after a different suit of card (“Diamond”, “Heart”, “Shamrock”, and “Spade”). The resulting album, entitled Commonwealth, is due out September 9th via Yep Roc Records.
According to a press release, the 15-track effort “allows for all four members’ work to at last be heard through the prism of individual identity. Ferguson’s opening “Diamond” side showcases his remarkable knack for symphonic pop, Pentland’s “Shamrock” offers a substantial helping of pedal-hoppin’ psych rock, and Murphy’s “Heart” is fit to burst with wit, jangle, and eclectic energy. (Andrew Scott’s “Spade” is taken up by an 18-minute suite.) Ultimately, what makes Commonwealth so special is how the fragmented approach in fact only serves to underscore the veteran band’s extraordinary strengths, showcasing the particular ingredients without ever losing sight of the sum of their parts.”
Already the band has shared Jay Ferguson’s “Cleopatra” and Patrick Pentland’s “Keep Swinging (Downtown)”. Today, Sloan previews frontman Chris Murphy’s “Heart” section with “Carried Away”. The chamber pop track plays to Murphy’s knack for writing radio-ready hits, complete with a doubly infectious melody and finger snaps. The track goes back and forth between an upbeat, “That Thing You Do” aesthetic and lush string arrangements as Murphy mourns his lover falling in love with another man. It’s a prime example of the “sad-song-that-sounds-happy” songwriting Sloan has perfected over the years.
“As I Google ‘Carried Away,’ I realize that I managed to write the song ‘Carried Away’ without having known about the 1996 movie Carried Away (6.5/10 IMDB), or the 2009 movie Carried Away (6.6/10 IMDB),” Murphy said of the song. “I swear it is neither about ‘a middle-aged schoolteacher who lives on a farm with his dying mother’ nor ‘a young man pursuing his dreams in Hollywood (who) returns home to Fort Worth, Texas, at Christmas time to find his family in turmoil.’ I guess if I were to stretch this song into a 90-minute feature, it would read, ‘couple’s alleged polyamorous lifestyle is thrown into jeopardy when woman’s affair gets complicated.’ I would hope to get 6.7/10 or higher.”
Commonwealth Tracklist:
“Diamond” Side (Jay Ferguson):
01. We’ve Come This Far
02. You’ve Got a Lot on Your Mind
03. Three Sisters
04. Cleopatra
05. Neither Here Nor There
“Heart” Side (Chris Murphy):
06. Carried Away
07.So Far So Good
08. Get Out
09. Misty’s Beside Herself
10. You Don’t Need Excuses to Be Good
“Shamrock” Side (Patrick Pentland):
11. 13 (Under a Bad Sign)
12. Take It Easy
13. What’s Inside
14. Keep Swinging (Downtown)
“Spade” Side (Andrew Scott):
15. Forty-Eight Portraits
--taken from: Consequence of Sound
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