Tegan and Sara :: The Con

Tegan and Sara

I have to admit, when I first heard Tegan and Sara on the radio, I was completely turned off. I thought that the two vocalists grated on each other like a cringe-inducing, high-pitched rendition of an Indigo Girls song. Needless to say, when I heard that they had a new album coming out, I didn't exactly jump at the chance to hear it. But I am always willing to give something a second chance, so I picked it up out of a stack and threw it in my car, planning to listen to it the next time I was craving something new.

Surprisingly, once the CD made its way into my car stereo, it stayed there. Instead of being annoyed by the Canadian twins' bright harmonies, I was charmed. Their voices rang out with youth and vibrance, and their lyrics were poignant. I have to believe I'm not the first to undergo this transition with Tegan and Sara; the duo's unique sound is what makes them so polarizing. Their sharp vocals can either grate or elate, depending on the listener. But for new and old fans of the sisters Quin, their latest album, The Con, is an absolute treat.

With production help from Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla and additional instrumentation by Death Cab drummer, Jason McGerr, longtime friend and collaborator Matt Sharp (ex-Weezer, The Rentals), and AFI's Hunter Bergan, the album finds the pair taking on a heavier, industrial pop feel than their past work. The high, piercing vocals of the Quin twins are complemented by the gritty contrast of echoing drums, muddy guitars, and buzzed-out synthesizers; Tegan and Sara's almost childlike voices and upbeat melodies act as sunbeams, breaking through the cool steel of the instrumentation and burrowing themselves into the recesses of the listener's brain.

Highlights include “Relief Next to Me,” which churns away like a carnival organ as the chorus cries, “I promise this: I won't go my whole life telling you I don't need”; in “Are You Ten Years Ago,” a booming trance-like beat accompanies a cyclical vocal line that has the sisters trading off lines and melodies. Overall, this is a more mature and emotionally developed album than I would have ever imagined the duo capable of producing, and their best album after eight years of recorded work. Consider me sold.