Tegan And Sara - Sainthood

I have to admit I discovered Tegan And Sara pretty late, at a time when they were closer to their indie-pop mainstream success than their alt-folk early days. I really can't brag about being a specialist of the band but the least we can say about the two Canadian twin sisters is that their music can appeal to a lot of different kinds of fans. 'Sainthood', their sixth full-length album, is here to confirm this statement.

If the Quin sisters had the will to create a kind of blend of their previous records by getting both 'So jealous' 's producer Howard Redekopp and 'The con' 's one, Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie), to work on this one, 'Sainthood' yet pushes even forward the limits of their sound. With Chris Walla behind the production and the mix and Death Cab For Cutie's drummer Jason McGerr behind the drums, it's safe to say several songs have a Deathcab-ish vibe ('On directing', 'The cure'). But Tegan And Sara didn't stop at the indie-rock frontier. The record, their most experimental so far, is almost entirely electronically-driven and you'll be surprised to hear the amount of programming in a track like 'Night watch'. 'Don't rush' goes even further with its hipster club beat that could fit into a MGMT or The Ting Tings song. Other boundary-breaking, 'Northshore', one of the best moments of the album, is nothing else than a 70's punk-rock song, combining heavy riffs, fast-paced drums, rapidly sung verses and excellent back vocals. The dynamic single 'Hell' is another truly rock song and almost has a 'New wave'-era Against Me! feeling in its intro riff. 'Sainthood' is also the first record that features a track the sisters wrote together ('Paperback head'). Fans shouldn't be too scared though, as they also recorded songs reminding of their previous album ('Sentimental tune') and of the ones before ('Red belt'). As every Tegan And Sara release, this sixth full-length is characterized by big bass lines and catchy, repetitive choruses that will stay stuck in your head for days. The album's overall theme being moving on from a breakup, it could be the twins' most heartfelt and serious work to date. 'The ocean', maybe the best song, is a superb fast beat-driven song with a beautiful chorus and poignant lyrics.

The Canadian duo once more proves their originality and diversity with 'Sainthood', a record that extends all their musical boundaries without sounding unfocused or losing sight of what made their success. Their pop is catchy, their rock is raw and their folk is soothing. This album is a beautiful, emotional, bittersweet piece of music for every indie lover.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Death Cab For Cutie, The Format, Eisley
Check also:
An Horse, Uh Huh Her, Bella

www.myspace.com/teganandsara
(Sire Records, 2009)