The Automatik

Murderecords, 1999

The N.S.
I love the way the song fades in, quietly entering the room before announcing its presence without a lot of undue fanfare. It sounds uncannily like Double Fantasy-era John Lennon with Andrew’s typical clear, strong vocals, then it changes into a spiffy little piano melody. Only Sloan could rhyme “ocean” with “Nova Scotian” and not sound too cheeky. It’s the perfect length and stops on a dime.

So Beyond Me
When you first notice how well this picks up after the last beat of “The N.S.” you know this album is just going to get better and better. For now, you get a fabu tune with clever lyrics (I feel that we’re on a roll/so now I feel it’s time to rock), terrific vocals from Chris and great guitar riffs. It also has an awesome bridge (with a lyric hint at the subject matter of “Friendship”) that melts effortlessly into the next song.

Don’t Believe a Word
This is starting to become one of my favorite songs on this album, and certainly one of my favorite Jay songs. His vocals complement the melodic keyboards in a breathtaking way. It sounds like night driving on an overpass into a city with all the lights twinkling below. One of the coolest things about this song is that when you start to adore “Friendship” (and you will), this song becomes imbued with this marvelous feeling of anticipation.

Friendship
How could I convey how fantastic this song is without sounding like a blubbering fool? Stunning guitar, awesome Patrick vocals?and THAT chorus. All the “Whoo-ooh-ooh-ooh”s give me that creepy/melancholy 70s feeling, the same one I got as a kid listening to “Magic Man” by Heart or “Dream On” by Aerosmith. There is a “Woooh!” in the last verse that is full of the kind of ecstatic release that I’ve come to cherish from Sloan. I worship the way the drums shatter out of the wah-wah guitar at the end.

Sensory Deprivation
This song starts and ends within the first minute. Then it starts again and just overwhelms you with this amazing bass/guitar exchange that can only be described as “Elvis introducing the band and rocking out in his white jumpsuit.” And it’s about the movie Altered States! The repeating guitar riff at the end, the one that fragments into a hundred other melodies, is so hot. And then…

All By Ourselves
…instantly you are transported into the next song, with its joyful, Chris-style catchiness and harmonies that defy you NOT to sing along at the top of your lungs. The “Ahhhhhhh” background vocals and rippling, jagged guitar scattered almost randomly throughout are what make the song stand out. I dig the 25 second reprise of keyboards from the opening track. It nicely ties the two sides of the album together and is a fine segue into song number seven.

A Long Time Coming
Sigh. Total Eagles/Fleetwood Mac style, Northern California classic rock, but not cheesy in the least. Patrick’s husky/whiny vocals are sublime with the gentle cascade of the melody just gliding along beside them.

Waiting for Slow Songs
It might sound strange to the uninitiated that this song manages to evoke the jangly guitar sound of both The Smiths and America’s “Ventura Highway,” but it does! This is the Southern California driving-in-the-desert song. Charming Jay vocals and lyrics abound (But you write the saddest songs/Turn around and make it a singalong). The song shimmers away like a sunset as the powerhouse drums of the next song sneak in for the conquest.

Losing California
What a treat: another head-tossing, hip-grinding number with killer Patrick vocals. With a chorus that demands jumping up and down and squealing guitar that turns into the kind of solo hair metal bands could only dream of achieving, this song rocks HARD. The lyrics ring true:

And everybody loves it
but nobody knows what it stands for
Get into yourself in dark sunglasses
and elevate it all ’til it means more

The Marquee and the Moon
A few piano notes later, the mood shifts beautifully from power chords to this heartfelt, stirring song, my favorite of Chris’ contributions to the album. I don’t know precisely how a few artfully applied and sincerely sung “yeah”s can sound so uplifting, but they do. Also, you have to admire a song with a line like, “To me, buzz is onomatopoeia.” With the same piano flourish from the beginning, the song ends?

Take Good Care of the Poor Boy
?and in a heartbeat some tinkling “Gimme Danger” piano moves in and takes control. Here is an infectious song that has a kinda glam feel as well as some great guitar. The contrast of Jay’s voice against the foot-stomping music is wonderful.

Delivering Maybes
The keyboards from the beginning of the album slink in, slow and sassy, and then the song starts with a bang. If the word ironic can be used to describe Andrew’s vocals, then that is exactly what they are here. There’s a delicious tease of jazzy piano groove in the beginning that picks up later in the song and reminds me a lot of Steely Dan. The lyrical interplay of baby/maybe is sweetly witty. While the iris of the screen closes in on the drum kit, the song fades away. Although it is over, you know Sloan is still there, playing their hearts out. What a satisfying yet addictive album. Suddenly, my fingers are inept and can’t hit the rewind button fast enough.