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Tegan and Sara The Con
Sire / London/Rhino
Tegan and Sara are somewhat of an enigma to me. I can’t decide if I really like them or if, more times than not, they just annoy me. Although these are my personal feelings, with their latest release The Con they, without a doubt, prove they can produce some catchy, frantically driven songs that are addictive to listen to and make you think. This album is overflowing with witty lyrics that are desperate, deep, and put an interesting spin on love. Having come to this realization, I guess I’m somewhere in the middle of the love-hate scale when it comes to the singing sisters – but nevertheless I find them intriguing at the least.
Track listing:
01 I Was Married
02 Relief Next To Me
03 The Con
04 Like O, LIke H
05 Are You Ten Years Ago
06 Back In Your Head
07 Hop A Plane
08 Soil, Soil
09 Burn Your Life Down
10 Nineteen
11 Floorplan
12 Like O, Like H
13 Dark Come Soon
14 Call It Off
This is Tegan and Sara’s fifth album, and what has been said to be a far cry from the bare folk-rock of the duo’s early work. The now 26-year-old Quin twins play guitar and provide vocals on every track, and are accompanied by a team of musicians: they are joined by Jason McGerr (of Death Cab for Cutie), Hunter Burgan (of AFI), and Matt Sharp (of The Rentals) to name a few. It should also be noted it was co-produced by the infamous Chris Walla who’s worked on numerous projects.
One very captivating aspect to The Con is the overall theme to the album – each song speaks of some element of relationships, love, and marriage. Although the comprehensive idea to the album is amore, it’s far from hearts and flowers – more than likely alluding to the title The Con. Many of the songs vocalize feelings of hardship, starting over, and the need to feel wanted again echoed with a pessimistic point of view. For lyrics that are so serious, they manage to pull it off pretty damn well in a very short amount of time, considering the entire album is only a mere 36 minutes long.
A major highlight to the album for me is “Back in your head” – a song that has amazing keyboard lines that are somehow just barely topped by the profound lyrics. I’m in love with this track because I can understand relating to it and empathize with everyone who does. This song serenades about the need to feel wanted while in a long term relationship and wanting that spark back. Getting too comfortable, not feeling that passionate love that somehow inevitably dies and the desperation of trying to get it back are addressed here. Lyrics “I’m not unfaithful, but I’ll stray” are repeated making the track unforgettable.
The Con is not perfect – but I honestly don’t think perfection was the goal. At once urgent, remorseful, and delicate, this record is quite evocative. The overwhelming feeling seems to be one of longing, pining and yearning. A sense of anxiousness permeates these complex tracks, as if the women are looking for something they never really find - in that regard, it is somewhat bittersweet and worth checking out.
