Name That Tune: I Can Feel It by Sloan

Whenever Sloan’s I Can Feel It is played at the Hangover Lounge two things happen:
•someone asks “what’s this?”; and
•upon being told responds, “oh, I didn’t think I’d like Sloan”.

Geffen, who released Twice Removed, the album from which I Can Feel It is taken, were similarly surprised by Sloan’s mix of Big Star powerpop, Beatleseque melodies and Pavement-style literate college rock, and promptly dropped them after realising that rather than signing the Canadian Nirvana they’d signed the Canadian Built To Spill.

For my money, Twice Removed is Sloan’s second-best album; for an album of unrelenting powerpop greatness – ringing guitars, chiming hooks and three-way harmonies – look no further than 1999’s Between The Bridges which is so breathless in its all-out pop assault there’s barely a respite between songs.

I gave up on Sloan in 2002 after their seventh album, Pretty Together, which was well under par; if their subsequent efforts capture their 1990s vintage, please let me know.

The video is Sloan playing I Can Feel It in Australia in 2007 (the female singer is an audience member; trivia fans may be interested to know that Jale’s Jennifer Pierce sings on the record).

Name That TUNE! #1

[The first in a series* of posts about songs we’ve played at the Lounge: the only rule is that someone has to have asked about the record, while it was playing.]

Rozi Plain: Stolen Shark (Played: August 9, by Tim)

Rozi Plain (it’s pronounced “rozzy”, apparently) is the common factor between the Fence Collective, which I’m sure you know all about, and the rather more delicate and obscure Cleaner Collective. I don’t really know how tight or loose a collective this lot are: where Fence has that village-y feel, Cleaner come from the larger and rather more cider-scented surrounds of Bristol. Some of the stuff is great: I’m a particular fan of Rachael Dadd and her various offshoot bands including Whalebone Polly, a name for the project Rachael shares with Kate Stables, aka This Is The Kit, who also sometimes guests with Soy Un Caballo, Francophone Belgians who seem to be playing in London quite a lot and whose LP “Les Heures Du Raison” is a real treat (Sean O'Hagan AND Will Oldham? There's a night in the pub I'll likely avoid) and a longstanding favourite for the Lounge’s more delicate moments. And so on.

And so anyway, there is quite a lot of the good stuff around this bunch of people, but I can’t shake the feeling that Rozi Plain might be the oddly fascinating kid sister of the bunch who nobody really notices until it becomes surprisingly clear that she has all the pop sensibility and a cheeky fizz and a mad glint in her eyes which sets her up and apart.

“Stolen Shark” appears to be about being slowly eaten by sharks, except it doesn’t really stack up: under what circumstances does one snag ones jumper on a shark’s tooth? How possible is it to be completely devoured apart from “a very much alive part of [ones] head”. My friends, we may be dealing with a DREAM SEQUENCE here. Or it may be METAPHOR. Or possibly we are experiencing GOOFING ABOUT. It’s not for me to say. I am happy to venture the opinion that the way the song builds to the four part weaving harmonies (courtesy of Rachael Dadd, again) is delightful. The thing to do is to listen to the song on Rozi’s myspace and then seriously consider purchasing the LP, “Inside Over Here”, which is on Fence and packed full of folk-pop fun - more so even than the myspace demos and oddments suggest.

*We hope!

Half-Price Menu

For the next two Sundays (and all days inbetween) food prices at the Lexington have been slashed by half.

The food's good and now it's even better value. Eat up!

Scrabble Sunday, 9 August

This Sunday's a special Sunday at the Hangover Lounge - we are delighted to be playing host to the second ever Scrabble Sunday event! Bring your board and your tiles and be prepared to meet likeminded souls who want to beat you at Scrabble!


The Scrabble won't be compulsory so if you fancy just coming down and coming down to the usual great mix of smooth sounds and Sunday goodness, then please do. We're slowly working our way through the Lexington's menu as well and it turns out that their Sunday selection of chow is worth a bash also.

Facebook fans can read more about the Scrabble here.

On The Beach July 26

The Hangover Lounge welcomes the fine folk at On The Beach this Sunday, July 26. A look at the playlists from their Buffalo Bar club on their myspace shows they have fine taste in music.

They will, of course, be playing the mellower side of things to heal Saturday night's over-indulgences.

The kitchen, which got the thumbs up from punters last week, will be open to give you something to wash down.

DJ Downfall and Help Stamp Out Loneliness 19 July

This Sunday 19 July the 40th anniversary of the moon landing is commemorated with lunar-themed sets by DJ Downfall and Mike Winship.

As if that wasn't enough, Colm from Help Stamp Out Loneliness will be recovering from his stag do hangover by playing a set (non-moon related, just to mix things up).

You want more? Then you shall have it: FOOD. Yes, the Lexington kitchen starts this week offering roast dinners, burgers, chips, that sort of thing.

As ever, the recovery process starts at 2pm.

Minutes from July 5

Minutes from the Hangover Lounge 5 July 2009.

1. White dreads = bad thing.
2. PJ Harvey was not once half of PJ and Duncan; in fact, PJ Harvey made PJ and Duncan change their names to Ant and Dec.
3. Helen from Shrag begged for the Heaven 17 album no one else would claim.
4. Liam Gallagher has a cheese butler who recommends what cheese nibble will complement whatever continental lager he’s drinking.