Monday, February 22, 2010
A+E, Music, Reviews

Tegan and Sara

“SAINTHOOD”  (VAPOR/SIRE)

     Push play on these twin sisters’ sixth offering, and only an expert will be able to tell that this wasn’t released in 1982 or thereabouts. The clipped vocals, sharp, snare drum-infused pop songs and snappy arrangements all date back to the days when Toni Basil, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Wilde and even the Go-Gos were making radio friendly “alternative pop” that in retrospect sounds anything but alternative.

    This blast from the past adds synths while compacting songs to less than three and a half minutes. How existing fans will accept this is uncertain, but it sounds like the duo is having fun musically, while still singing about the relationship traumas that have always been foremost in their lyrics. The hooks fly fast and furious, lessening—or at least changing the impact of—choruses such as “run around on me, soon as I was out” from “Alligator” (as in tears), where the closing refrain “over you” is repeated over a hum-along riff.   

    The words are delivered at a machine-gun clip, in an attempt to stuff them into short songs that chug along feverishly, neatly avoiding ballads or changes in tempo. Tegan and Sara punctuate “oh-oh’s” between their alternately solo and harmony vocals.
 
    That frantic approach works well for a while, but results in diminishing returns as the disc zips through its 37 minutes like an Olympic sprinter eyeing the finish line. Its retro vibe may not be cutting edge, but this is an enjoyable romp that feels fun, frisky and seldom calculated. 3 STARS—Hal Horowitz