Personally, I’ve always been a huge fan of the albums One Chord to Another and Navy Blues, which came out in 1996 and 1998.  However, in 2006 the band release Never Hear The End of It, which was possibly the fullest expression of Sloan’s artistic vision ever to be committed to wax.  A sprawling double-album consisting of 30 tracks glued together so tight that to listen out of sequence is to miss the overall genius of the presentation, Never Hear The End Of It is the band’s masterpiece and one of the greatest Canadian musical achievements of the past 50 years.  If it sounds like I am gushing, then maybe I am, because on this album Sloan masterfully moves from one influence to another, fluidly handling each of the genres that the band’s four members have incorporated into their own musical mosaic over almost two decades of existence.

I happened to be front row center at the show I most recently attended, which was a first for me.  The venue was tiny – I believe the correct word is ‘intimate’ – but the energy was enormous, and after the show Chris Murphy, singer and multi-instrumentalist took the time to come down to the front of the stage and talk to a longtime fan who had been following the band from show to show since 1999.  He was gracious, polite, and genuine, and he even took the time to shake my hand and thank me for coming to hear his band play music.  He did it again as I said goodbye and headed out into the night, certain in the knowledge that as long as there were fans willing to hear them, there would be a Sloan willing to take to the stage and leave everything on it at the end of each show.

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