TEGAN AND SARA "SAINTHOOD" REVIEW - Brandon Weight

On October 27, 2009, Canadian sweethearts Tegan and Sara have released yet another stellar album on Sire Records entitled "Sainthood". With their sixth major release, they have continued their trend of catchy pop-beats, entrancing melodies, and flowing lyrics. Furthermore, in their sound, Tegan and Sara project a sense of maturity that seems lacking in most other pop artists. While their lyrics continue to have a catchy sing-song focus, the sound behind it develops into much more than a simple album. Given a 4 out of 5 stars from Spin Magazine, and an A- from The A.V. Club, "Sainthood" is truly worthy of all the acclaim it has received.


Starting off the album, "Arrow" seems like a cleaned up, spacey Nine Inch Nails song. The industrial synth leads to Tegan’s angel-like voice spewing words syllable-by-syllable. The song culminates with a dreamy chorus, harmonized by both sisters. The lyrics perfectly complement the hardness of the song, while having some romantic undertones. "Would you take a calm and tender terminal kind of care?" Tegan asks. "Would you touch me, cling and wage an intimate fight for me?"
By the third song, "Hell", the Tegan and Sara Quin sisters settle into their renowned style. Arguably one of the most single-worthy tracks on the album, the song is a non-stop power-pop sing-along. A 3 minute and 24 second thrill ride, the song does nothing to find some deeper sound, yet it works perfectly.

On the songs “The Cure” and “Northshore”, Tegan and Sara explore sounds of bands they love and admire. With "The Cure",they take their basis from the band of the same appellation. Fragmented lyrics sung at a slightly lower octave capture the dreamy essence of Robert Smith. The next track, "Northshore", abides by a faster tempo, while taking influence from the British rockers the Arctic Monkeys. A brightly distorted guitar complements beats focused on just a bass and snare drum, laying the background for the catchy lyrics. Tegan shows a fascination with parallel structure and internal rhymes to produce an upbeat melody. "Something's so sick about this," she begins. "My misery is so addictive/ I'm halfway there with your Northshore from the floor singing to you over my shoulder."

The only negative aspect of the album is the romantic undertones of all of the songs. While it does seem to be the focus of most pop albums, this is only a minor flaw at worst. Tegan and Sara lyrics take on a subtle form, not showing the gooey-lovey influence of artists like Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson.

The album is already spreading around Briar Woods, reaching new listeners and old fans. Junior Meghan Jacoby is especially fond of the album after only a few listens. "There isn't a song on the album that I don't like," She stated, "and even if some have some questionable parts, there is still more than enough of the older Tegan and Sara within the song that it's very redeemable." For those that have not heard the new songs, it is definitely a worthwhile album that deserves the highest praise.