Dick Bingo Song of the Day - 11/30/10
“People of the Sky”, Sloan (from the album Twice Removed - 1994)
To my knowledge, this album is not very easy come by in the United States, but is one of Sloan’s very best. The Nova Scotia-based band releases all work through their own Murderrecords. But the US has never been kind to them. Volleyed from label to label, lackluster response from American radio and media outlets, and shoddy distribution were all causes for Sloan to only be a household name north of the border.
I got this album when I saw the band at Ludlow’s Bar in Columbus in 2001. They played for a house of about 200 people, which is probably missing a zero or two with the Canadian music exchange rate. They’ve been pleasing Canadian crowd since their 1992 released Peppermint EP to present.
In my book, they are at the pinnacle of modern rock acts with a knack for storytelling. More phenomenal is that all members split songwriting duties, and nearly each album they have released has vocal duties from each member. Early on in my listenership, I could not even tell. That’s what I call cohesive and masterful.
Other album highlights: “Coax Me”, “Deeper Than Beauty”, “Penpals”
I once knew a pair that used to fit very tight
But now a man standing tall in the wake of this night
(na na na na na)
His eyes are watering in anger at the thought of her sight
(na na na na na)
The scene of adultery sets the stage for his plight
On an innocent trip, how can one ruin so much
A belief in a soul, in a beauty, or in a touch
(ba ba bada ba)
It’s like a three-legged dog in search of a crutch
(ba ba bada ba)
Dissecting in past all the motives of such
She once loved this person in a trial out of sight
But disposing of their present situation, it felt right
(ba ba bada ba)
Two winters and summers passed over like a sound
(ba ba bada ba)
And now the two of them are lost in a screaming battleground
With support all around him like a fence or a drink
He realises in sadness that now he must begin to think
(ba ba bada ba)
To filter his energy upon losses and fame
(ba ba bada ba)
She’ll think of the restful, the peaceful or the gain
His sister’s a friend, she’s like a relative to both
Obliged through her brother under silhouetted oath
(ba ba bada ba)
But she’s there for the two with her bias undone
(ba ba bada ba)
And she’ll help see it through under moonlight or sun
But today they’ve still yet to look each other in the eye
And in a second he manages to dip to the other side
(ba ba bada ba)
Up to the people of the sky
(ba ba bada ba)
And now he’ll never die!
