03-11-2009, 01:55
new album released Oct 27th
Sainthood
![[Image: n22904pvu4v.jpg]](http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drn200/n229/n22904pvu4v.jpg)
from the album - Arrow
YouTube - Tegan And Sara - Arrow (New Song) 2009
from amg
Folk-rock duo Tegan and Sara first burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1998, when they earned the highest score in history at Calgary's "Garage Warz" competition; their quick rise didn't stop, for their melodic acoustics and charming stage personas led to a slew of dates with Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair that same year and a record deal with Neil Young's Vapor Records in April 2000. Natives of Calgary, these twin sisters transpired their music interests from the likings of their parents. Tegan and Sara began playing piano at age eight, and in their teens they were skanking around in their own punk bands. This Business of Art, which was produced by singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman, marked their debut in mid-2000, and a summer tour with Neil Young and the Pretenders followed in July. Two years later, Tegan and Sara released If It Was You, and So Jealous hit shelves in 2004. In 2007, Tegan sang backup on a song on new Sire labelmate Against Me!'s album New Wave, and the twins, who had by then moved far from the singer/songwriter mold and were more interested in exploring pop, punk, and indie rock, came out with the Christopher Walla (of Death Cab)-produced The Con. Working with Walla went well and the duo utilized his production skills on their next album as well. Sainthood was released in October of 2009.
album review
Tegan and Sara's fifth album, The Con, found them expanding their sound to incorporate more texture and space in their approach. With the help of producer Chris Walla, they built on what they had done before to make something more complex and adult-sounding. Their sixth album, Sainthood, retains Walla as producer but discards much of the restraint and atmosphere of The Con in favor of a punchier, more direct feel that's more in line with the duo's best album, So Jealous. The arrangements are less cluttered, the songs are more straightforward, and the simple to understand and feel emotional impact of the album is visceral. They still put care into the way songs are structured and aren't shy about adding unusual sounds occasionally, but there is far more energy and fire on this record. Maybe they felt too restrained by the tightly sculpted and adult sound of the previous album and needed to get back to their roots. Maybe they didn't want to simply repeat themselves. Whatever the reason, the decision to strip back the sound a little bit was a good one that helps the album immeasurably. The high quality of the songs the sisters brought to the album helps even more. As on The Con, Sara's songs are more complicated musically and more nuanced lyrically, while Tegan's are simpler and poppier, with a more direct lyrical slant. It may be unfair to split them so clearly, but Sara seems like the artist and Tegan the pop kid. She definitely writes and sings the catchier tunes; her "The Cure" sounds like the hit single from the album, "Northshore" is a punky blast of fun, and her other tracks aren't far behind in the hook department. That's not to say that Sara can't write catchy songs (her "Alligator" would be the second single); they are just a little less open and more mysterious. There's a depth to her writing that Sara's songs don't always have. That's OK, though, because it's the contrast between their writing styles and voices, slight as it may be, that works to make Sainthood another rich and rewarding album.
Track Listing
1 Arrow Quin, Quin 03:06
2 Don't Rush Burgan, Quin, Quin 02:43
3 Hell Burgan, Quin, Quin 03:24
4 On Directing Quin, Quin 02:46
5 Red Belt Quin, Quin 02:11
6 The Cure Burgan, Quin, Quin 03:22
7 Northshore Quin, Quin 02:04
8 Night Watch Quin, Quin 02:33
9 Alligator Quin, Quin 02:42
10 Paperback Head Quin, Quin 02:38
11 The Ocean Quin, Quin 03:06
12 Sentimental Tune Quin, Quin 03:23
13 Someday Quin, Quin 02:57
Sainthood
from the album - Arrow
YouTube - Tegan And Sara - Arrow (New Song) 2009
from amg
Folk-rock duo Tegan and Sara first burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1998, when they earned the highest score in history at Calgary's "Garage Warz" competition; their quick rise didn't stop, for their melodic acoustics and charming stage personas led to a slew of dates with Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair that same year and a record deal with Neil Young's Vapor Records in April 2000. Natives of Calgary, these twin sisters transpired their music interests from the likings of their parents. Tegan and Sara began playing piano at age eight, and in their teens they were skanking around in their own punk bands. This Business of Art, which was produced by singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman, marked their debut in mid-2000, and a summer tour with Neil Young and the Pretenders followed in July. Two years later, Tegan and Sara released If It Was You, and So Jealous hit shelves in 2004. In 2007, Tegan sang backup on a song on new Sire labelmate Against Me!'s album New Wave, and the twins, who had by then moved far from the singer/songwriter mold and were more interested in exploring pop, punk, and indie rock, came out with the Christopher Walla (of Death Cab)-produced The Con. Working with Walla went well and the duo utilized his production skills on their next album as well. Sainthood was released in October of 2009.
album review
Tegan and Sara's fifth album, The Con, found them expanding their sound to incorporate more texture and space in their approach. With the help of producer Chris Walla, they built on what they had done before to make something more complex and adult-sounding. Their sixth album, Sainthood, retains Walla as producer but discards much of the restraint and atmosphere of The Con in favor of a punchier, more direct feel that's more in line with the duo's best album, So Jealous. The arrangements are less cluttered, the songs are more straightforward, and the simple to understand and feel emotional impact of the album is visceral. They still put care into the way songs are structured and aren't shy about adding unusual sounds occasionally, but there is far more energy and fire on this record. Maybe they felt too restrained by the tightly sculpted and adult sound of the previous album and needed to get back to their roots. Maybe they didn't want to simply repeat themselves. Whatever the reason, the decision to strip back the sound a little bit was a good one that helps the album immeasurably. The high quality of the songs the sisters brought to the album helps even more. As on The Con, Sara's songs are more complicated musically and more nuanced lyrically, while Tegan's are simpler and poppier, with a more direct lyrical slant. It may be unfair to split them so clearly, but Sara seems like the artist and Tegan the pop kid. She definitely writes and sings the catchier tunes; her "The Cure" sounds like the hit single from the album, "Northshore" is a punky blast of fun, and her other tracks aren't far behind in the hook department. That's not to say that Sara can't write catchy songs (her "Alligator" would be the second single); they are just a little less open and more mysterious. There's a depth to her writing that Sara's songs don't always have. That's OK, though, because it's the contrast between their writing styles and voices, slight as it may be, that works to make Sainthood another rich and rewarding album.
Track Listing
1 Arrow Quin, Quin 03:06
2 Don't Rush Burgan, Quin, Quin 02:43
3 Hell Burgan, Quin, Quin 03:24
4 On Directing Quin, Quin 02:46
5 Red Belt Quin, Quin 02:11
6 The Cure Burgan, Quin, Quin 03:22
7 Northshore Quin, Quin 02:04
8 Night Watch Quin, Quin 02:33
9 Alligator Quin, Quin 02:42
10 Paperback Head Quin, Quin 02:38
11 The Ocean Quin, Quin 03:06
12 Sentimental Tune Quin, Quin 03:23
13 Someday Quin, Quin 02:57