Tegan and Sara- Sainthood
The first track, “Arrow,” immediately reminded me of a cross between an “industrial” sounding Madonna and an unrefined Feist. The song itself was almost too repetitive for my taste, the driving and overly pronounced drum kick took away from the music. The synthesizers and trance beats made me draw comparison to Hypercrush.
The second song on the album, “Don’t Rush,” has a very similar feel to “Arrow.” Factory rock with driving drums with synthesizers that are paired with repetitive lyrics. I would have preferred to not have these songs right next to one another.
Finally there seems to be some change with “Hell.” I do enjoy how Tegan and Sara choose their phrasing and breathing patterns here with the lyrics. I know that’s a very minute detail, but it helps smooth and separate the lyrical from the recitative (spoken, almost like a rap). It’s always dangerous to sing the same note for extended amounts of time, but they managed to avoid the monotony. One thing they could have done differently to keep the listener from getting bored with the repetition would have been to have more harmonization on the chorus in the upper vocal register. The drums and lead instrumentals are well paired with the rest of the content.
I’m not very fond of “On Directing.” It’s average lyrically; but the problem is I’ve heard three songs before it that have the same patterns- repetitive lyrics, overpowering drum beats. I do find solace in that on the chorus in “On Directing,” there is an upper register vocal harmonization to the melody. The synthesizers could have been more guitar-like, similar to the introduction before the beat begins looping.
“Red Belt” is the first song where, as the listener, I have a connection to the song. The beat does not take away from the lyrical content. The layering is pleasant, also. The bubbly electronic synthesizers looping help add depth. At last- a two minute song without one minute of pure verbal redundancy.
Guitar. Rock beats. Sans industrial electronic sensation. Upper registry harmonization. “The Cure” sounds out of place compared to the other tracks on the album to this point. It has depth and doesn’t feel as overproduced as the other songs. The drums don’t over power the lyrics and the looped guitar effect is a nice change from the Abercrombie & Fitch techno feel.
The Offspring and No Doubt had a baby and called it Tegan and Sara. “Northshore” oozes heavy drumming reminiscent of Atom Willard and eccentric bass lines similar to those of Tony Kanal. Blend that with layered half-spoken/sung lyrics that instantly reminded me of Gwen Stefani. Sadly, “Northshore” has too much in common with the first six tracks, leaving me frustrated and almost inclined to skip the rest of the CD.
Instead, I gave “Night Water” a chance. It’s one of the easiest songs to listen given the blandness of the rest of Tegan and Sara’s album Sainthood. The electric bubbly synthesizers have returned and sound too much like “Red Belt.” The ice-chilled bubble riffs combined with the eerie and unsettling horn scratches have left me without appetite for the final five tracks.
I can honestly understand why each song is between 2:20-3:15 minutes now. After speed sampling the last five tracks as though I were listening to excerpts from the iTunes store, I honestly cannot bring myself to finish listening to this album in its entirety. I’m sorry.
