TEGAN AND SARA

Genres: Indie/Pop/Alternative

I just have the slightest inclination that this will garner much "lulz" from a certain someone, however, I shall press forward, unencumbered by their chiding remarks. You hear that, pleroma? I have no shame. None at all.

I used to think Tegan and Sara were/was a bunch of hype. How hypocritical of me. Anything considered remotely indie or pop was quickly disregarded and thrown aside, having been exposed to bands such as The Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Of Montreal (UGHHH), and Black Moth Super Rainbow (UGHHH) by trendy hipsters and consequently despising them. Think back to the film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas came across that enormous mound of charred bodies of the slain Uruk-Hai orcs while searching for Merry and Pippin. Yes, that image perfectly embodies (no pun intended) how I felt about the whole genre. A rotting pile of mutilated, dismembered corpses. And Tegan and Sara were/was just another casualty, buried deep in that pile. However, if you remember well enough, Aragorn initially believes that their compact companions were carelessly cast into the collection of carcasses by the Riders of Rohan. That is until he finds the detached elven pendant-brooch thingie from, is it Merry or Pippin's cloak? Either way, the point I am trying to make is that, for me, some goodness, some optimism exists in that genre(s) in the form of T & S.

Now, having been somewhat of an English "scholar" for the past four years of my life, the capacity to "use critical thinking and analyze blah blahbadjla" has become somewhat of a habit for me. So, looking at the name "Tegan and Sara," I just get a simple feeling of candor and honesty. As if they were both saying, "Hi! This is just us making music about us, for you, and for us." This sentiment carries into the melodies and vocals, which are catchy without being brain-drillingly repetitive. Especially, in The Con, each song beautifully flows into the next without making the error of seeming like one, long song. There is noted difference reflected each sisters' songs; each having an individual but charismatic touch. The album is paced very well, in an emotional sense, I might add. And the lyrics are charmingly poetic and melancholy. It's a truly wonderful listening experience.

The fact that I did think they were a bunch of hype at one time really adds to the appealing factor of their music for me in that, I mistook them for something else and once I gave them a chance, it was truly rewarding.