Sarah Slean
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Sarah Slean: A One of a Kind Chanteuse
by David Chiu
When it comes to surveying the current
crop of today's young female singers, Sarah Slean definitely
stands out from the rest. Whereas her peers positions themselves
as either flavor of the month stars or tomboy rockers, Slean
comes across as a experienced chanteuse from pop's golden age
(think Edith Piaf). The 20-something Canadian's music evoke Tin
Pan Alley, Euro cabaret, and the bombast of today's rockers like
Radiohead and P.J. Harvey.
The artist from Toronto had released her
latest full length album Night Bugs (Warner Music) that
combined torchy, dramatic music with introspective, fatalistic
lyrics. Night Bugs is a varied album of romantic-sounding
pop, from the sweeping grandeur of "Eliot" and the
character study of "Duncan," through the baroque beauty
of " Book Smart, Street Stupid," and the buoyant "Sweet
Ones" and the horn-laced "Bank Accounts." They
all carry Slean's charismatic, smoky voice and her dominant piano
playing. Not relegated to being an ingénue, Slean also
co-produced the album and was responsible for the musical arrangements.
Slean may be an unknown to a majority of
American music fans (she released the Sarah Slean EP in
the States back in 2001). But in Canada she is already a successful
artist with a full-length album (Blue Parade) and an EP
(Universe) already under her belt. Her music have appeared
in television shows like Murder on Smalltown X and Dawson's
Creek. She also has been touring diligently in her native
Canada and even in the States. Her most recent New York appearances
included stints at the Knitting Factory and Central Park Summerstage
on Canada Day 2003.
NewBeats had a chance to catch up with
the charming and fascinating Slean to introduce herself to American
music listeners and to talk about her sound.
1. Sarah let me start off by saying
that I enjoyed your latest album very much. It is very well-crafted
and tuneful. My first question is, if someone who has never heard
of you asked me how to describe your sound, what it would it
be?
"In my heart of hearts, in my thickest
painting, it would be Leonard Cohen and Marlene Deitrich slow
dancing in the forest. It would be Hansel and
Gretel getting hammered on the coast of France. It's war and
train travel and love letters.
2. Does your roots lie in pop, rock,
jazz, cabaret, or a little bit of
Everything. As a wee bug I was first drawn
to classical music...it continues to be the MUSIC that inspires
me the most...also film stuff...grand orchestral magic....as
far as singers and writers...well a whole cast of characters
from all disciplines inspires me there....Tim Burton, Leonard
Bernstein, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, Maria Callas, Radiohead,
Bjork, Tom Waits, Glenn Gould, Ella Fitzgerald, T.S.Eliot, Jim
Jarmusch, Chopin....etc.
3. Night Bugs seem to vary in
terms of mood and tempo, from the melodic and poppy "Sweet
Ones" and "Bank Accounts" to the subdued fatalism
of "Eliot" and "St. Francis." Is there a
preference you have in writing and performing: the uptempo, whimsical
numbers or the reflective, slower ones? Does songwriting come
naturally for you?
Performing is the craziest beast of them
all because you can't indulge in your own wild tangents and flights
of fancy. You have receiving ears and eyes to contend with and
that's the enjoyable aspect....that's the slow dance, the cheek
to cheek, the diary swap so to speak. So when I perform, i try
to work with what's coming at me --the beauty of it is it's all
unfolding in realtime.
Songwriting is a weird one. For me it's
solely about watching and listening and falling in love with
everything you get to witness or feel as an invitee
on earth. sometimes it's cynicism that paints the picture, sometimes
it's doe-eyed naivete, but it's all a wonder that you feel it
at all.
4. How did you come up with "Book
Smart, Street Stupid"? I just love the title of the song,
as well as the music. Why did you choose to name the album Night
Bugs?
My dad always called me book smart street
stupid. He thinks I'm all philosophy and no reality...no pay-the-phone-bill,
know-what-day-it-is. He's probably right. Zut alors. That song
was written in the studio with some Jameson Irish whiskey and
my heart alight with my magical surroundings--the forest, the
ghosts, the instruments.
"Night Bugs" came from that too...every
night we'd walk home to our on-site cottage to the tune of the
(strangely loud) tree frogs and fireflies...
6. Not only you are the performer and
writer, but you were also the co-producer and arranger on the
album too. Was it difficult wearing that many hats and in the
end, did you present the album the way that you wanted to?
Yes it's difficult to do all those things,
but I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. It's more difficult
to try and translate your vision intact...
easier to try and squeeze it all out of yourself. A co-producer
is good to keep you sane, help with decision making, take the
pressure off, and in [my co-producer] Hawk's case, play a lot!
7. Is it true you practiced on the piano
at a very early age? Did you have voice and piano training through
your adolescence?
I met my piano at 3 and we started
hanging out more at 5 or 6. I've trained formally ever since...never
trained formally for voice.
9. Given the eclectic and unique style
to your sound, do you pay attention to what's out there in pop
music these days?
Pop music these days is like a bag of Doritos.
It's strangely tasty and absolutely everywhere and it doesn't
cost much and it's mass produced and it's got a shiny bag, but
in reality, it's chemicals and fake cheese, it makes you feel
like crap, can't fill you up, rots your belly and it only wants
your $1.14.
10. You have performed in the States,
like in New York. Is there a difference between the American
and Canadian audiences and if so, what are they? Have the Americans
been receptive to your music? Any chance that your albums will
be officially released in the States?
I wouldn't waste a paragraph on the difference
between those audiences People who dig music are relatively the
same everywhere. Yay for us! We're talking to a few American
labels right now. My manager will know all that stuff.
11. What impression do you want to leave
with people after hearing your music?
"Saints alive, my heart is a raging
muscle!"
12. What's next for Sarah Slean? What
are your upcoming plans?
I've run off to the woods to live for the
summer, throw myself into the making of my next opus.....heroes
unite!
http://www.sarahslean.com
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