Review Summary: Tegan and Sara take a few risks and pull through with an album almost as witty, honest and down to earth as they are.
Many music fans were unsure about what to think of Tegan and Sara Quin when they first wandered into the spotlight 5 years ago. Here were two clearly talented young women who played a unique blend of indie rock, folk and pop while writing songs about heartbreak, independency and feminine empowerment. Did I mention that they are identical twins…and they’re both lesbians? Take a moment to let that sink in. Although their bloodline and sexual preferences garnered much early attention for the young duo, their personal lives quickly took a backseat to their music. The sisters from Calgary have been playing music together for over a decade but didn’t taste any mainstream success until around 2004 when a couple of their songs were featured on the hit show Grey’s Anatomy. 2007 brought us The Con, an album that proved they’re a musical force to be reckoned with. Fast-forward to 2009, Tegan and Sara have become one of the most respected acts in Canada; but with respect comes expectations. So will their latest release Sainthood live up to the hype this time?
Sainthood sets a fun mood very early with songs like “Arrow” and “Don’t Rush” which both play to the twins’ strengths, the most obvious being their harmonizing. “Hell” is Tegan and Sara at their best. Catchy hooks, a simple guitar riff and the heavy drumbeat stand out, but the clever wordplay in the lyrics owns the song. “On Directing” is an indie gem buried under the synth pop. Quin compares her former lover to a director, telling her what to do. The only real slip-up on the album is “Red Belt”. It’s not bad, just not original. Thankfully “The Cure” returns to the duo’s roots and sounds a lot like the early Tegan and Sara, in a good way of course. The girls continue to show off their versatility (and their vocal chords) on the very fast, catchy, punk song “Northshore”. The chemistry between the two is evident very early on this record and only grows as the album progresses.
The synth comes back out again on “Night Watch” whose chorus sound like background music from a Metroid game (we’re talking NES here folks). However, despite being dominated by fast pop songs, Sainthood has its share of slower love songs. Many of the underlying themes on the album are old and tired but are presented from such a fresh perspective. Relationships being the main theme shown on tracks like “The Ocean” and “Alligator”. Where Tegan (or is it Sara?) sings about struggling with having her lover leave her for another and how she’s crying “alligator tears” over him…um I mean her. The girls’ small town charm comes out to play on “Paperback Head” taking jabs at women in popular music who’ve let fame get to their head and have become as fake as their image. In the closer “Someday” Sara (or is it Tegan?) ponders crossing the line between friends and lovers while taking all the repercussions into account, it’s a simple way to finish a simple album.
Great songwriting is the staple that holds Sainthood together. Many songs like the “Sentimental Tune” are more poetry than rock n’ roll: “Hard-hearted, don’t worry, I’m ready for a fight/Unnerved, the nerve, you’re nervous, nervous that I’m right” and you know what? It works pretty well for the most part. In their recent interview for Exclaim! Tegan explained that the title Sainthood isn’t meant to send any sort of religious message, but to point out the parallels between faiths in general, whether it is in God, religion or love. Which is exactly what you’d expect from the two good ol’ girls from Calgary. So did Sainthood live up to its hype? I think so. Tegan and Sara take a few risks and pull through with an album almost as witty, honest and down to earth as they are.
