One of my favorite singers, to come out of one of my favorite local bands (i.e. Sloan), it would have to be Jay Ferguson. When the likes of Chris Murphy & Patrick Pentland were more so doing the hit tracks for Sloan successful early albums (think Smeared & Twice Removed), Jay Ferguson & Andrew Scott we’re doing their own thing on rhythm guitar, and drums respectively, but usually it was Andrew Scott who made all of the fun cameos (i.e. the music videos for 500UP, & People Of The Sky), It wasn’t really until the album One Chord To Another that Jay Ferguson took the spotlight, and really shined on track called, “The Lines You Amend”.

Sloan is a band who is really talented, I mean every one of the members can play any instrument, and can actually sing. They conquered alternative rock scene in the 90’s, and kept going strong during the 00’s. But for me, Jay Ferguson has always been a favorite, even when Chris & Patrick, especially Chris, even with his rock star image, he has always taken center stage. But who wouldn’t blame him, with all that charisma. But look into the shadows, and you’ll find Jay, making some small appearances on some of Sloan’s real hidden gems. So, without further adieu, let’s check out some of my favorite Sloan songs, with Jay singing vocals…

Sloan, “Snowsuit Sound”

From their second full length album, Twice Removed, this track was pushed somewhere in the back of the album, and even though it didn’t catch on as a popular hit, it is among Sloan fan favorites. The verse really builds up to an awesome catchy chorus. The simplicity of the rhythm of the song, and endearing vocals by Jay, leading up to an inviting party-like ending, is quite memorable.

Sloan, “Junior Panthers”

I didn’t really get into this song, until it made a short cameo appearance on the music video for Sloan’s “Everything You Done Wrong” on one of my favorite albums… One Chord To Another . This song is very mellow, it almost sounds like the barbershop quartet lost their dog or something (in a sorta happy way). But the melody is just so damn good. When rest of the band are tired rockin’ it out, a song like this comes along, and highlights a different side of the band.

Sloan, “The Lines You Amend”

My favorite, and possibly your favorite Sloan song, coming off the same album as the track before. The song, “The Lines You Amend” is another one that is quite simplistic, yet so so awesome! The vocals are catchy, and you’ll almost find yourself singing to them. The lyrics are interesting since they aren’t as uplifting, and happy as the rhythm of the song would suggest. Gotta like all of the cameras that make appearances on the set of the music video. Ahem… no flash please. =D

Sloan, “I Wanna Thank You”

Jay Ferguson plays a mean keyboard on this track, and also stretches out his vocals. The song is hidden in the back of the album, Navy Blues, but is a real gem, not to be missed. You might not get into the song at first, but when it hits the 1-minute mark, the song is golden. And I wanna thank you for listening to it.

Sloan, “Right / Wrong”

The last song on my favorite list of songs by Jay, it would have to be “Right/Wrong”, off their 30-something track album, Never Hear The End Of It. It’s a bit upbeat for a Jay Ferguson song, but it works really well for him. And the rest of the band really support him in the back-vocals as well.

So yeah, Jay Ferguson, I might do a feature on the other band members in the near future. Since all of them bring their own style to the table, in the band Sloooooooooaaaaaaaaaannnnnn. Check back in the future, or you tell me what you think in the comments below…