Pretty Together [LIMITED EDITION]

Sloan

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: October 16, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Murder Records
• ASIN: B00005QC6K
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,685 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Even though Sloan's sixth studio album kicks off with the exuberant "If It Feels Good Do It"--another one of the band's cheeky, mock-metal rockers that seems destined for a beer commercial--Pretty Together also presents a more low-key and heartfelt side to this East Coast power-pop quartet. That's not to say that Sloan are referring to themselves when Chris Murphy--doing his best impression of Paul Stanley of KISS--sings, "Are you one of the ones who went and gave up on rock & roll?" in the burly "Pick It Up and Dial It." This band's love of '70s pop and rock is as strong as ever, and like every Sloan album, Pretty Together is full of nods and winks to classic sounds from yesteryear. "In the Movies" has a dramatic guitar intro worthy of Who's Next and a chorus that could've been ghostwritten by Ray Davies, while "Never Seeing the Ground for the Sky" matches the band's Beatleseque sweetness with a sense of swagger that is pure Thin Lizzy.

At other points, the disc bears the influence of the widescreen epic pop of the Flaming Lips' Soft Bulletin because the band uses more synthesizers and electronic effects than ever before. Full of smart pop hooks and close harmonies, Pretty Together also shows off the band's characteristic humor and good cheer. Nevertheless, this can also be a pretty dark and lonely place. "The Life of a Working Girl" is a folksy lament for a careerist lover who's too busy for love, and "I Love a Long Goodbye" and the haunting "Are You Giving Me Back My Love?" are powerfully bittersweet songs about relationships gone wrong. Even "It's in Your Eyes," which begins as a straightforward love song with strident guitar riffs, contains barbed lines like "You're too good for this, you don't deserve this" and closes with a ghostly, unsettling vocal part floating somewhere deep in the mix. The optimism expressed in the closing "Your Dreams Have Come True"--which features a delightful trumpet part by guest Bryan Baird--feels very hard won.

Throughout the disc, there's a renewed sense of cohesion and collaboration among Sloan's four songwriters and coproducer Brenndan McGuire. (The last Sloan disc, Between the Bridges, was disparate enough to sound like a set of EPs.) Though Twice Removed is most often cited as Sloan's best disc--and as one of the best Canadian albums ever--Pretty Together tops it in terms of sophistication and sincerity. Now is definitely not the time to give up on rock & roll. --Jason Anderson

Product Description
This is a limited pressing of a few thousand of 'Pretty Together' (Murder Records) sounds as it was made as an effort by the band as a whole and not 4 individual singer/songwriters. Pretty Together shows the band members styles becoming more blurred and with pleasing results. 13 tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty 'Together', January 2, 2002

By	Eliot Wilder "eliotwilder.com" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Always the bridesmaid but never the bride in the United States, Sloan apparently hasn't lost hope of catching the bouquet outside its native Canada, where the band remains wildly popular. But you have to wonder if a modern-day foursome that trades on Beatlesque harmonies and comely hooks can make much of an impression in these grim times. "Pretty Together," Sloan's follow-up to the shiny '70s power pop of 1999's "Between the Bridges," is loaded with plenty of goosebump-raising vocals, all of which leap to the fore on the opener, "If It Feels Good Do It," an expression that best describes the vibe this group exudes. The Who is the other major influence here, evident on the shake and rattle of "In the Movies" or the supercharged riff-a-rama of "Pick It Up and Dial It." It's all ebullient and deliciously whipped, performed with a go-for-broke spirit. Maybe they've yet to spark the international frenzy currently buzzing around the ultra-hip Strokes, but after listening to "Pretty Together," you'll have to admit that Sloan has it pretty together.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Sloan greatness, October 22, 2001

By	Joshua Benton (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I first heard Pretty Together, I was disappointed: the songs seemed weak and disjointed, not fully fleshed out, and the '80s references didn't excite me much. But I also didn't like Between the Bridges the first time I heard it, and repeated listens kept that CD in my player for many months. So if you don't like PT, give it a few more chances and you'll change your mind -- it's really a very remarkable work, if more melancholy than their previous albums put together.

It's a strong album for all four Sloaners. Patrick gives a typical Patrick rocker in "If It Feels Good," but "It's In Your Eyes" has a hypnotic backbeat and is my favorite song on the album and "Your Dreams Have Come True" is sweet enough to roll over the closing credits of a John Hughes movie. Jay's "Dreaming of You" and "Are You Giving Me Back My Love" are both strong, but "Who You Talkin' To" is gorgeous. Chris is more contemplative than usual (it'll be interesting how his songs on PT work out in concert), and Andrew is his usual baroque self ("In the Movies" is very good).

Twice Removed is still the gold standard by which Sloan albums should be judged, but this one's right up there. Now if they'd only play down here in Dallas, the world would be perfect.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars really together, November 15, 2001

By A Customer

this is a wonderful album. as with many sloan albums, you must do time with it. visit the website. read the bio. do a google search. you may learn the fact that there are 4 equally strong singer/songwriters in this band. that's one more than the beatles, folks. i suggest you spend some time mapping song to writer - and then span this map across 6 albums, you start to understand the brilliannce of sloan. a drummer that sings like a painter, a nice guy that sings complex poetry, a natural-born bathroom mirror trained rockstar, and a rocker that knows it's easy to blow minds...and chooses to do it.

spend time with this band. but don't sweat it if you don't have the time. just know that sloan IS that person you made suggestive eye contact with back when you had game. a heartbreaking empty spot you can certainly live with. yeah, you'll kick yourself someday...kick yourself very hard. you forgot to live a little bit harder. you slacked on sloan, dummy!