What�s the connection between Led Zeppelin, a custard pie and one of Canada�s best-known power-pop bands?
According to Sloan singer-guitarist Patrick Pentland, a touch of anxiety.
On the cusp of releasing Parallel Play, he�s worried about the band getting pegged with another overriding influence, such as earlier comparisons to the Beatles. While Sloan has worked to shake that tag, it�s a stress.
�The other day I brought a custard pie into the studio from a bakery down the street. Someone said �Hey, remember Custard Pie, that Led Zeppelin song?�� he said. �Someone had it in their iPod and we put it on, and Jay said �Why don�t we rip off the drum beat and write a song around it?��But then we thought someone might say �Oh they�re going through a Zeppelin stage�!�
Pentland also bats away possible connections to roots rock, despite the acoustic base of some of the new disc�s songs and Wilco-esque production flourishes. Instead, he points to the band�s diverse influences: rambling, electric-era Dylan, reggae, and keyboards played by Pentland�s father.
This range, he said, stems from the band�s songwriting process � an approach referenced in the title Parallel Play. The term, pulled from child psychology, describes a situation where children enjoy playing independently, but in the company of other kids.
�Sometimes in the past, we had not wanted to talk about how we make songs, since there�s this romantic idea we all straggle into the studio, and one person starts counting out the tempo and we all start playing,� he said. �It�s not like that. We all play and record together, but go off and write the songs alone.�
Not every member likes Spoon- and Shins-style production flourishes � but Pentland sure does. Album-opener Believe in Me features backwards guitar, reverb, eight guitars layered over one another, and a delayed organ. Pentland assembled the song piece by piece over time � the opening guitar riff was actually written last, and then cut and pasted as an intro.
�You can play (the songs) on an acoustic guitar, but there�s all kinds of production on top of that,� he said. �It adds flavours�It�s like making an apple pie and throwing in a little chili, or if your popcorn is too salty, you pour some syrup on it. It tastes good, even if it�s not something you�re supposed to do.�
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