Album Cover
Tegan and Sara
“Sainthood”
October 2009; Sire Records
By Emily J Ramey
Click Here to See the Published Version on American Music Channel
By now you better know that the indie rock duo Tegan and Sara is comprised of Canadian identical twins Tegan and Sara Quin. The eclectically charismatic pair of women has been gathering critical acclaim for their raw and distinctive power pop since the 2004 release of So Jealous and its single “Walking with a Ghost.” However, it was 2007’s The Con and its singles “Back in Your Head” and “The Con” that led to T&S’ international renown and household name status. Ring any bells? Okay, fast forward nearly two years.
Now, with their six full length album Sainthood, Tegan and Sara are demonstrating their staying power in a rapid-moving industry as well as their ability to adapt and develop their music as the women themselves mature as songwriters, performers, and musical icons.
Sainthood is a badass girl rock album with strong, driving percussion, sharp, choppy vocals, and clever, buoyant lyrics. Essentially, Tegan and Sara have recorded an assortment of syrupy love songs turned edgy eighties synth pop by the twins’ tight electronic instrumentation and tensely expressive, angular performance.
Sainthood’s track listing is well-balanced and robust. A few of the can’t-miss songs are “Don’t Rush,” a grungy, distorted tune, simple and distinguishing with its pithy chorus: “One way or another/I’ll find my way to cover/I sing to find my other;” the album’s first single “Hell,” a catchy tour de force with quick wordplay and heavy, upbeat guitar contradicting its darker content; the silky and dynamic tune “The Cure” with its silvery harmonies, mellow flow, and sanguine lines like, “I know the world’s been mean to you/ I’ve got a cure; hold tight./I know the world’s not fair to you/I’ve got a cure for its crimes;” the post-punk-influenced “Northshore,” complete with rebel adolescent lyrics like, “Don’t save me, don’t save me, don’t save me,” and the repeated chorus line, “There’s something so sick about this/My misery’s so addictive;” and the effortless and unpretentious “Alligator,” a sunny tune of love lost.
Tegan and Sara use simplicity and hazy instrumentation to downplay their lyrics, which somehow works in reverse to highlight the duo’s unparalleled ability to speak to the heart of complications in love and other similar stories. The Quin women are irresistible, but to be fair, they did warn us: “Watch/With a bit of friction/I’ll be under your clothes./With a bit of focus/I’ll be under your skin.”
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