Who remembers Jale and Sloan? In the mid-’90s, I suspect that there were pockets of teenagers around the country (like myself) who ordered 7″‘s by these Sub Pop bands, just because their names looked cool in the catalogue and in those packages, there would undoubtedly also be a slab by Eric’s Trip. Who wouldn’t drop a few bucks on something by a band named for a Sonic Youth song? Clearly, it was going to rock. These Canadians, whose artfully messy indie fit perfectly between Sebadoh and Unrest on a mixtape, were the first from the Great North to be signed to Sub Pop. They made three memorable albums for the
label: 1993’s Love Tara (whose track “Stove” Sloan covered and kinda bettered), ’94’s Forever Again, and ’96’s Purple Blue. With the band now ensconced in obscurity and indie-nerd memory, bassist Julie Doiron (as a singer-songwriter on the folksy side) is the only member to have continued creating to public acclaim. If you missed the band in the ’90s, check SP’s catalogue it can be 1993 forever, whenever you want.
Sat., July 12, 2 p.m., 2008