Now that SLS19 is in the bag, it's time to deconstruct the 20 tunes that made the final cut. How much of SLS19 is CanCon? How many artists are making their first appearance on SLS? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.
Canadian Content - 7 (USS, City and Colour, Tokyo Police Club, The Flatliners, The Weakerthans, Sam Roberts and Bedouin Soundclash)
Making Their SLS Debut - 8 (The Black Keys, USS, MGMT, The Flatliners, The Bravery, My Morning Jacket, Foxboro Hot Tubs and Bedouin Soundclash)
Artists That Also Appeared On SLS18 - 5 (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Radiohead, Serj Tankian and The Weakerthans)
Providing a Female Voice - 0
Longest Current SLS Streak - 3 (Queens of the Stone Age)
It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS19. For an SLS primer, go here and to see what appeared on SLS18, go here.
We listened to hours and hours of new rock before deciding upon these 20 tracks. Without further ado, I give you SLS19.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Hammerhead" by The Offspring.
I used to have a lot of respect for The Offspring. I must have spun their disc "Smash" a billion times. "Ixnay On The Hombre" was pretty good too, and then they released the song that killed The Offspring in my eyes. "Pretty Fly For A White Guy". Argh, thinking about that sell-out of a garbage tune makes me want to puke.
This latest track from The Offspring is actually pretty good. It's on ultra high rotation on all rock stations so if you want to hear it just tune in for 20 minutes and you might hear it twice!
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "I'm Amazed" by My Morning Jacket.
A couple of years ago I saw My Morning Jacket open for Pearl Jam on back-to-back nights. By the end of their second show, I was totally digging their sound. I dove into It Still Moves and Z and loved them both.
This is their new single from their new album, Evil Urges.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Time To Pretend" by MGMT.
There is an official video for this song and it's all over YouTube, but each instance of the vid has embedding disabled by request. I've never understood "embedding disabled by request". Isn't the objective to have people watch your video? If you let blogs like this embed your video, doesn't that ensure more people see what is essentially an ad for the album and band?
I couldn't embed the official "ad" so here's a fan-made clip of the song over nice BBC footage of nature. Take that, MGMT's management.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Tessellate" by Tokyo Police Club.
I don't think it's as good as "Nature of the Experiment", but "Tessellate" grew on me. They got bonus points for being from from Newmarket, Ontario, but they didn't need 'em. These guys are gonna be big.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Sleeping Sickness" by City and Colour with special guest Gord Downie.
I've written quite a bit about this song, but I've never officially submitted it for SLS consideration. Now, it's official. There's no official video yet, but you can hear this sweet song by clicking play below.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "This Respirator" by The Flatliners.
Is it wrong to favour local talent? Sometimes I'll hear a song and dig it, but when I find out the band is from Mississauga or Burlington or Newmarket or wherever, I'll dig it just a little more.
"This Respirator" is a cool new tune from The Flatliners and these guys are from Richmond Hill and Brampton. Ya gotta love it.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab For Cutie.
It's 8:31, pretty lengthy for a tune these days, but the first 4:40 are just to warm you up. The first time I heard this new DCFC song, I wasn't sure. But after a few listens, I'd lovin' it. If this song makes the cut, it will be their 3rd appearance on SLS.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole" by USS.
I'm told USS stands for Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker. I heard these guys talking to Bookie tonight on 102.1 and their stuff has a great sound. They'll be at Edgefest, so I'll see them July 19. This is their breakthrough single.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Strange Times" by The Black Keys.
I instantly liked this tune, from the first time I heard it. I know there's an official video featuring Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney playing laser tag, but I couldn't find it, so this will have to do.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Tournament of Hearts" by The Weakerthans.
This song reminds me of the previous Weakerthans single, "Civil Twilight", which I also dug. You know a band's Canadian when they drop curling references in their song lyrics. I couldn't find an official video, but here's the tune.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Pork and Beans" by Weezer.
I just heard this today for the first time, and I'm digging it. Of course, I've seen Weezer a couple of times in concert and I worship their blue album and Pinkerton, so I'm what you might call a warm audience.
This YouTube clip has audio ripped off the radio and you'll never guess what song they played next. It's shocking!
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Believe" by The Bravery.
This is yet another song I've been digging for some time. We'll call this a little SLS spring cleaning over here. I'm afraid to even look at the official site, which I've neglected for the better part of a year now.
Kic lent me The Sun and the Moon and I'm digging it. Parts of "Believe" remind me of Nirvana's "Plateau" from their MTV Unplugged in New York disc. Does anyone else hear that?
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "St. Andrews" by Bedouin Soundclash.
Allow me to explain... My first exposure to Kingston, Ontario's Bedouin Soundclash was "When the Night Feels My Song", a song that was played to death back in 2005. I would hear "When the Night Feels My Song" in a Zellers commercial and for whatever reason it turned me off of the song. I refused to put "When the Night Feels My Song" on SLS.
I've actually enjoyed the singles from Street Gospels, but I've fought it. I don't know why I've been fighting it, I guess I hated hearing that first hit single in that damn Zellers ad. Finally, after hearing St. Andrews on the radio for weeks and weeks, I'm agreeing it's SLS-worthy.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Mother Mary" by Foxboro Hot Tubs.
Who are the Foxboro Hot Tubs? The smart money is on Green Day. They sound an awful lot like Green Day and there are rumours on the Internets. After hearing this song, I'm wondering if Green Day has been listening to a lot of The Fratellis lately, particularly "Flathead". "Mother Mary" and "Flathead" are awfully similar...
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" by Radiohead.
Those who celebrate the supposed demise of Radiohead should give this track from In Rainbows another listen. It's a fantastic single, and like "Bodysnatchers", it's SLS-worthy.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Long Way To Ruin" by the Foo Fighters.
Hey kids, you're not going to believe this, but Mr. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame used to play drums in that band your dad keeps talking about. That's right, lead singer rock star Dave Grohl was the drummer for Nirvana. No foolin'...
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Sky Is Over" by Serj Tankian.
I'm a sucker for Serj's delivery. I'm a big System of a Down fan who always preferred the tracks with Serj on vocals. This is yet another Serj winner. This isn't the official video but some fan thing I found on the 'Tube.
I remember when we launched the Smells Like Sour website. Mark and I were quite enthusiastic. Smells Like Sour, or SLS if you prefer, was our Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. If we dug a tune, it was SLS-worthy and this site would act as a tremendous forum where people could openly debate what song was or wasn't up to snuff.
The site is quite popular, and there's lots of traffic and discussions, but neither Mark nor I have the time or interest in maintaining it. That doesn't mean SLS is dead, it just means the official SLS site has been running on auto-pilot for a while now and will probably do so for a while longer. We didn't even add a page for SLS18 which was unveiled a few weeks ago.
Most of you don't know or care about SLS, but I still believe in the SLS spirit and I've been using this blog to keep her going. Here are my SLS links of importance.
I'm submitting a song for SLS19 consideration. I'm submitting "Make It Wit Chu" by Queens of the Stone Age.
It totally dig this bluesy QOTSA number. It's quite unlike any QOTSA song I've ever heard, and I own the entire catalogue. This sucker plods along and when it ends you're forced to play it again. Go ahead, try and play it just once.
Now that SLS18 is in the bag, it's time to deconstruct the 20 tunes that made the final cut. How much of SLS18 is CanCon? How many artists are making their first appearance on SLS? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.
Canadian Content - 6 (Arcade Fire, Kevin Drew, Matthew Good, illScarlett, Stars & The Weakerthans)
Making Their SLS Debut - 9 (Against Me!, Band of Horses, Kevin Drew, Matthew Good, Interpol, The Raveonettes, Serj Tankian, Eddie Vedder & The Weakerthans) (of course, we've heard from Kevin, Matt, Serj and Eddie on SLS before...)
Artists That Also Appeared On SLS17 - 7 (Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, IllScarlett, Linkin Park, Queens of the Stone Age, Silversun Pickups & The White Stripes)
Providing a Female Voice - 2 (Stars & The Raveonettes)
It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS18. For an SLS primer, go here and to see what appeared on SLS17, go here.
We listened to hours and hours of new rock before deciding upon these 20 tracks. Without further ado, I give you SLS18.
Stars - Take Me To The Riot
Serj Tankian - Empty Walls
Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost
Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
Kevin Drew - Backed Out On The...
The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight
Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
The Raveonettes - Aly, Walk With Me
The White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)
We're about to put the 18th edition of SLS to bed and for the first time since we started throwing SLS together I've taken my eye off the prize. The past three months have been insanely busy... I haven't even looked at smellslikesour.com let alone maintained the sucker. Still, the show must go on and SLS18 is due at the end of the month.
If you're wondering what the hell this SLS thing is, this guide answers your FAQs. In a nutshell, we (and we is essentially me, although I let one other dude think he's part of the process) pick 20 songs every six months and bless them as SLS-worthy.
Here are the twenty I'm looking at for SLS18. I'll lay down the final tracks in a few weeks.
Against Me! - Thrash Unreal
Arcade Fire - No Cars Go
Arctic Monkeys - Teddy Picker
Attack in Black - Young Leaves
Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
Ill Scarlett - Nothing Special
Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver
Linkin Park - Bleed it Out
Matthew Good - Born Losers
Queens of the Stone Age - 3's and 7's
Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
Serj Tankian - Empty Walls
Silverchair - Straight Lines
Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles
Stars - Take Me To The Riot
The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight
The White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)
I just submitted a song for SLS18 consideration. I submitted "Empty Walls" by Serj Tankian.
A big System of a Down fan, I wanted more Serj. His solo effort, Elect the Dead, gives me what I asked for, and this single rocks. It's a slam dunk for SLS18 which we'll put to bed in a few weeks.
I just submitted a song for SLS18 consideration. I submitted "Civil Twilight" by The Weakerthans.
I'm seriously digging this tune. I caught The Weakerthans at Fort York when they opened for The Hip and I thought they were pretty damn good. "Civil Twilight" appeals to my sensibilities. Have a listen for yourself.
I just submitted a song for SLS18 consideration. I submitted "Thrash Unreal" by Against Me!. We can't forget that exclamation mark, it's very important. Just ask Yahoo!.
When I hear this song I always think the lyrics should be far more clever than they are. It's written at a fourth grade level, so I feel bad for digging it. It is what it is and I think it's at least worthy of SLS consideration. Have a listen for yourself.
I just submitted a song for SLS18 consideration. I submitted "Young Leaves" by Attack in Black.
I wasn't sure about this tune at first, but I now think it's at least worthy of consideration. It sounds an awful lot like late 90s Goldfinger to my ears with a tinge of "Flagpole Sitta", but that's not necessarily a bad thing. And besides, these cats are from Welland, Ontario, and that's good for bonus points.
I just submitted a song for SLS18 consideration. I submitted The White Stripes' "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)".
This was a no-brainer as far as I'm concerned. I recently referred to The White Stripes as the best band of the past decade. This is yet another bluesy romp to hit heaven and most definitely SLS worthy.
With great power comes great responsibility and I don't want to let down the esteemed SLS franchise. The 18th instalment of SLS is being put together over the next four months and I've got a backlog of songs that demand consideration. Here are three:
Velvet Revolver - The Last Fight
Foo Fighters - The Pretender
Queens of the Stone Age - 3's & 7's
I'm going to share "The Last Fight" from Velvet Revolver because I can't get enough of it these days. This is what Velvet Revolver should be, and if they were more like this, I'd stop slagging them.
I just submitted a song for SLS18 consideration. I submitted Linkin Park's "Bleed It Out".
Linkin Park is a band I don't think I should like, but I always end up liking. Every album is good for two or three awesome singles and "Bleed It Out" is an awesome single.
The video hasn't yet been released, but here's an uncensored version of the song complete with subtitles. For better or for worse, my ears dig it.
On another beautiful Saturday afternoon in Toronto I'm thinking about late December when the 18th instalment of SLS will be unveiled. Here are a few songs I've recently submitted for consideration.
Matthew Good - Born Losers
Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver
illScarlett - Nothing Special
Here's the video for Interpol's The Heinrich Maneuver which is pretty cool because it's really only a few seconds of footage dragged out over 3:28. Why didn't I think of that?
Now that SLS17 is in the bag, it's time to deconstruct the 20 tunes that made the final cut. How much of SLS17 is CanCon? How many artists are making their first appearance on SLS? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.
Canadian Content - 6 (AlexisOnFire, Arcade Fire, Billy Talent, illScarlett, Sam Roberts & Tokyo Police Club)
Making Their SLS Debut - 6 (Fallout Boy, The Fratellis, Peter Bjorn & John, The Shins, Silversun Pickups & Tokyo Police Club)
Artists That Also Appeared On SLS16 - 5 (AlexisOnFire, Arctic Monkeys, Billy Talent, IllScarlett, & Sam Roberts)
Providing a Female Voice - 2 (Tokyo Police Club & Peter Bjorn & John)
Longest Current SLS Streak - 3 (Arctic Monkeys & Billy Talent)
It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS17. For an SLS primer, go here and to see what appeared on SLS16, go here.
We listened to hours and hours of new rock before deciding upon these 20 tracks. Without further ado, I give you SLS17.
I've put together a list of the 20 songs I think should comprise SLS17. They're now with Mark who will either bless the collection or counter offer with a modified playlist. Then, the negotiations begin.
Hang on SLS fans. The official lineup should be unveiled soon.
Holy crap, June is almost half over. That means SLS17 is almost due.
Mark and I were talking about SLS yesterday and we realized it will celebrate its ten year anniversary next year. Don't know what SLS is? Start by reading the guide then check out this list of every SLS song, ever.
Here are the tunes that will get heavy consideration for SLS17.
Velvet Revolver - She Builds Quick Machines
Smashing Pumpkins - Tarantula
Chris Cornell - Billy Jean
Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
Queens of the Stone Age - Sick, Sick, Sick
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm
The Kooks - Naive
The Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
Linkin Park - What I've Done
The Fratellis - Flathead
Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
Tokyo Police Club - Nature Of The Experiment
Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
The Shins - Phantom Limb
Sam Roberts - With A Bullet
Modest Mouse - Dashboard
Incubus - Anna Molly
The Tragically Hip - Lonely End of the Rink
Billy Talent - Fallen Leaves
illScarlett - OneA
It's not too late to submit a tune for consideration. This compilation is the 20 best new rock tunes from the previous six months, according to the esteemed SLS committee.
I'm submitting a new song for SLS17 consideration. I'm submitting "Young Folks" from Peter, Bjorn & John.
I'm not going to lie to you, this one took a while to win me over. At first I didn't think the style would suit SLS and I thought the opening whistling thing was just silly, but after a few listens it won me over. I'm now totally digging the vibe, chilling out to it on beautiful spring nights.
I'm submitting a new song for SLS17 consideration. I'm submitting "Sick, Sick, Sick" from Queens of the Stone Age.
You might remember this song from the QotSA promo video I shared previously. This awesome track also has Julian Casablancas of The Strokes on backing vocals and guitar.
I'm submitting a new song for SLS17 consideration. I'm submitting "Icky Thump" from The White Stripes.
It's such a funky track you've got to give this a couple of listens before you judge it. This is some fan made vid, but it's all about the audio anyway.
There's not much time to go before SLS17 is unveiled. I've been digging a few new tunes late, but we'll start with The Kook's "Naive".
It's a cool track, but damn it sounds like Hot Hot Heat to me. These guys are from Brighton, which means they're definitely not Hot Hot Heat under a different name, but if Steve Bays had an English accent, this is how he'd sound.
There's only about four months to go before SLS17 is unveiled. Of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. You're all about the SLS, aren't you?
I just submitted a couple of songs I've been digging lately for SLS17 consideration.
Tokyo Police Club - Nature Of The Experiment
Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye
TPC are from Newmarket of all places, but they sound nothing like Serial Joe. Lazy Eye is a tune that grew on me. I hear The Breeders in there and a little Pumpkins, but I'm totally digging it these days.
On another cold February day in Toronto I'm thinking about late June when the 17th instalment of SLS will be unveiled. Here are a few songs I've recently submitted for consideration.
I just submitted a tune for SLS17 consideration. I submitted "Fallen Leaves" from Billy Talent.
My brother Steve and I recently had a Billy Talent debate. He's tired of their sound and not digging them anymore while I'm still feeling it. "Fallen Leaves", for example, is another catchy rocker that I believe deserves SLS consideration. The fact they're from the Saug has nothing to do with it.
Now that SLS16 is in the bag, it's time to deconstruct the 20 tunes that made the final cut. How much of SLS16 is CanCon? How many artists are making their first appearance on SLS? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.
Canadian Content - 9 (AlexisOnFire, Billy Talent, City and Colour, DJ Champion, illScarlett, k-os, Sam Roberts, The New Pornographers & The Tragically Hip)
Making Their SLS Debut - 9 (AlexisOnFire, City and Colour, DJ Champion, illScarlett, k-os, Regina Spektor, Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips & TV on the Radio)
Artists That Also Appeared On SLS15 - 7 (Arctic Monkeys, Billy Talent, The New Pornographers, The Raconteurs, The Strokes, Wolfmother & Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Providing a Female Voice - 3 (DJ Champion, Regina Spektor & Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS16. For an SLS primer, go here and to see what appeared on SLS15, go here.
We listened to hours and hours of new rock before deciding upon these 20 tracks. Without further adieu, I give you SLS16.
This Could Be Anywhere In The World - AlexisOnFire
Fake Tales Of San Francisco - Arctic Monkeys
Original Fire - Audioslave
Nausea - Beck
Red Flag - Billy Talent
Comin' Home - City and Colour
No Heaven - DJ Champion
Heaters - illScarlett
Sunday Morning - k-os
Fidelity - Regina Spektor
Bridge To Nowhere - Sam Roberts
Incinerate - Sonic Youth
Free Radicals (A Hallucination of the Christmas Skeleton Pleading with a Suicide Bomber) - The Flaming Lips
Lest we forget, the sixteenth edition of SLS is due at the end of the month. The SLS committee is listening to a bunch of new stuff so expect some late additions. Don't know what we're talking about? Check out the SLS guide and my little SLS tracker for the 411.
It hasn't been a particularly good six months of music, in our humble opinion. Here's where we're at, but not where we'll be.
Level - The Raconteurs
Sunday Morning - k-os
Fidelity - Regina Spektor
Nausea - Beck
Red Flag - Billy Talent
This Could Be Anywhere In The World - AlexisOnFire
I just submitted a tune for SLS16 consideration. I submitted "Sunday Morning" from k-os.
k-os is one of my favourite Toronto-born artists and this is another cool vibe from the man. And yes, it's k-os, not K-os or K-Os or K-oS or K-OS or any other variation.
Warning: This "Sunday Morning" is not to be confused with great tracks from No Doubt or The Velvet Underground.
I just submitted a tune for SLS16 consideration. I submitted "Red Flag" from Billy Talent.
Admittedly, I'm a little late on this one. It took a while to hit me, but now I see the light. For a band with only a couple of albums under their belt, they've done well with SLS. The SLS Database reveals that they appeared on SLS10, SLS11, SLS12, SLS13 and SLS15. Probably a home town bias, eh?
I just submitted a tune for SLS16 consideration. I submitted "This Could Be Anywhere In The World" from AlexisOnFire.
Is St. Catherines' Dallas Green the hardest working musician in Canada today? Possibly. There's City and Colour, his collaboration with Neverending White Lights and his work with Alexisonfire. This song grew on me and now I'm digging it. Another great vocal performance from DG.
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Fake Tales Of San Francisco" from the Arctic Monkeys.
Sometimes a tune is just so cool it's begging for SLS attention. "Fake Tales Of San Francisco" has it all, a catchy beat, fun lyrics and a heavy dose of the next big thing. You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham, and don'tcha forget it!
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Heaters" from illScarlett.
I liked "Heaters" the first time I heard it. Of course, one of my favourite discs of all time is Sublime's self-titled disc and "Heaters" sounds as if it came from that disc, so there's no wonder why I dig it. There's a definite ska influence in the rocky punk sound and it's ideal for a hot summer's day. As an added bonus, illScarlett is a local band.
Sounding like Sublime isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've been singing this tune all week.
Pop quiz, hot shot. What is SLS? If you don't know, you're new to these parts, and that's perfectly alright. This entry is going to bring you up to speed lickety-split.
What does SLS stand for? SLS stands for Smells Like Sour. The phrase was coined before I got involved with SLS, but I hear it has something to do with a road trip, a Nirvana song and an aroma.
What exactly is SLS? SLS is a "hypothetical" collection of new tunes that we "release" twice a calendar year. Henceforth, all editions of SLS will consist of 20 songs the SLS committee deems to be the best new music since the previous installment of SLS. We "release" new editions of SLS around Canada Day and Christmas Day.
How did you get involved in SLS? A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I worked with this guy. It turned out we had similar taste in music, so he lent me a copy of the second installment of SLS. It was simply another mix of new rock tunes for the car and not intended to be much more than that. We began collaborating on the playlists of the next couple of installments, which were "released" periodically, at non-specific intervals. It occurred to me that we should normalize the "release" dates so that they were every six months. Independently we'd come up with our choices for the next edition, we'd meet up and we'd negotiate until we arrived at a consensus.
Does SLS have a home on the web? Absolutely. There's the Smells Like Sour home page which I've been maintaining since September 16, 2003. From this page you can access the songs that have appeared on the previous installments and suggest a song for the next edition. It's also become a popular destination for those who wish to discuss the latest releases and such. Although we only went public with the SLS site a few years ago, we had been using the web as a way to track tunes we each thought was SLS worthy for a couple of years prior, only it was our little secret.
What makes a song SLS-worthy? This is a tough question to answer. If a song is going to qualify as part of the best 80 minutes of music from the previous six months, it's gotta be good. We know an SLS-worthy tune when we hear it, but it's difficult to quantify. There's a spirit to an SLS tune that makes you want to turn it up and get lost in it's aura. System of a Down's "Chop Suey" was SLS-worthy. Simple Plan's "Perfect" was not.
Who decides the final playlist for SLS? Anyone can submit a song for SLS consideration via the Smells Like Sour home page, but the final decision is made by Mark and I. Since I maintain the page and have my ear closer to the ground, I usually come up with a 20 song mix of music and give Mark an opportunity to veto a track or suggest another. We typically come to an agreement pretty quickly.
What edition are you on? We are currently accepting submissions for SLS16 which will be "released" in late December. SLS15 just came out last week. SLS17 will be out in June 2007, SLS18 in December 2007, and so on, and so on, and so on...
Isn't this illegal? There is nothing illegal about compiling hypothetical mixes. Any resemblance to a compilation we share with friends and family is completely coincidental.
What tunes are looking good for SLS16? The best way to catch hints about what the next edition of SLS might look like is to monitor this site. When I submit a tune for SLS consideration, I'll mention it here. I also periodically write about potential track lists and tunes that look good for inclusion. All my SLS-related entries are conveniently located on one page.
That about does it. You now know what SLS is, what it stands for, how it came to be and where you can go to learn more. SLS 2.0: all the tunage and twice the love.
Now that SLS15 is in the bag, it's time to deconstruct the 22 tunes that made the final cut. How much of SLS15 is CanCon? How many artists are making their first appearance on SLS? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.
Canadian Content - 8 (The New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Billy Talent, Death From Above 1979, Metric, Wolf Parade, Elliott Brood & The Miniatures)
Making Their SLS Debut - 11 (The New Pornographers, The Raconteurs, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Wolf Parade, Wolfmother, Gnarls Barkley, The Subways, Elliott Brood, Hard-Fi & The Miniatures)
Artists That Also Appeared On SLS14 - 7 (Metric, Death Cab For Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, Death From Above 1979, System of a Down & Foo Fighters)
By the way, here's the cover of SLS15. If you want a high resolution one with the song list that's ripe for printing, go here. Yes, it was subconsciously Vs. inspired
It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS15. For an SLS primer, go here and to see what appeared on SLS14, go here.
We listened to hours and hours of new rock before deciding upon these 22 tracks totalling more than 75 minutes. Without further adieu, I give you SLS15.
Use It - The New Pornographers
7/4 (Shoreline) - Broken Social Scene
Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "You Only Live Once" from The Strokes.
I was itching to submit the B-side unheard, but that violates a cardinal SLS rule. No song can be submitted until it's actually listened to at least once. "You Only Live Once" is another great tune from The Strokes and it will fit SLS15 like a glove.
I blinked and we were a week into June. How the hell did that happen? As you know, we finalize each edition of SLS at the end of June and December. That means we're only a couple of weeks away from releasing the final track listing for SLS15.
In the olden days, each edition of SLS was a hypothetical audio CD, and that meant we were limited to 80 minutes per edition. We're no longer technically married to such a cap, having moved away from audio CDs some time ago, but old habits die hard and we continue to respect this 80 minute constraint. If nothing else, it keeps us honest and prevents things from spiralling out of control. Here's how our 80 minutes of the best new rock of the last six months looks thus far.
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys
Banquet - Bloc Party
7/4 (Shoreline) - Broken Social Scene
Crooked Teeth - Death Cab For Cutie
Blood On Our Hands - Death From Above 1979
The Bridge - Elliott Brood
The Fallen - Franz Ferdinand
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Cash Machine - Hard-Fi
Poster of a Girl - Metric
Dead Flowers - The Miniatures
Use It - The New Pornographers
World Wide Suicide - Pearl Jam
Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rock and Roll Queen - The Subways
Lonely Day - System of a Down
I'll Believe In Anything - Wolf Parade
Woman - Wolfmother
Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
There's still time to influence the outcome of SLS15 so submit a tune or comment on a previous submitted one. The SLS tradition continues.
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Crazy" from Gnarls Barkley.
I'm trying not to make snap decisions these days. In the past, I'd hear a tune I totally dug and I'd submit it for SLS consideration that day. Now, I try and sit on it for bit, giving tunes multiple listens before making such a decision.
After about 30 listens, I've decided "Crazy" is SLS worthy. It's different, funky and fun. There's room on SLS15 for different, funky and fun, right?
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Woman" from Wolfmother.
This is precisely the kind of great tune that should appear on SLS. I've been digging it for weeks and weeks but I'm only now getting around to submitting it. You can actually hear "Woman" here.
Henry David Thoreau was on to something when he said "simplify". Actually, he said it twice and it would have been more economical had he said it but once. Why double the effort if you don't have to?
The same principles can be applied to SLS. We started the SLS blog a couple of years ago, but rarely do Mark or I actually write an entry. Having said that, I frequently write SLS-related entries on my personal blog. What if, when I write an SLS themed entry on my personal site, it automatically showed up on the SLS blog? That's the kind of simplification HDT was talking about!
And so begins the great SLS cross posting experiment. If successful, this entry will appear simultaneously on both my personal site and Smells Like Sour. What an age we live in.
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Hate Me" from Blue October.
I instantly liked this song, but hesitated to submit it because it's a little poppy. But what the hell! This might be 2006's "Since You Been Gone"... a guilty pleasure I can't help but like.
Or maybe not. Maybe I'm a total loser for liking this song. Hate me... go ahead and hate me. See if I care.
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Steady, As She Goes" from The Raconteurs.
Jack White of The White Stripes contributes vocals, guitars and keyboards to The Raconteurs, a very promising band from the sounds of it. "Steady, As She Goes" is their first single and fantastic. You can hear it on their official site.
Speaking of which, this may very well be the best "official site" for a rock band I've ever seen. It's absolutely brilliant. You'll have to click on over to see what I mean.
I just submitted a tune for SLS15 consideration. I submitted "Blood On Our Hands" from Death From Above 1979.
There's more to You're A Woman, I'm A Machine than "Romantic Rights". For example, there's this tune, which is worthy of SLS15 consideration.
I've already got a solid 1:04 of material for the next installment. As you know from the guide, we cut it off at 80 minutes. With more submissions expected over the next two months, something's gonna haveta give.
Now that SLS19 is in the bag, it's time to deconstruct the 20 tunes that made the final cut. How much of SLS19 is CanCon? How many artists are making their first appearance on SLS? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.
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It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS19. For an SLS primer, 
It is with great privilege and honour that I unveil to you the final song list for SLS16. For an SLS primer, 
