Tegan and Sara - The Con

I used to wonder whether or not I should refer to Tegan and Sara as a guilty pleasure. On one hand, they kind of come off as bubble gum rockers perfectly suited for sound tracking an episode of Grey's Anatomy. But on the other hand, they come off as a stylish indie pop duo that make approachable records. I have dismissed the former point of view in favor of the later because Tegan and Sara have steadily made good music and they have a cool that seems to attract more cool. They've been covered by The White Stripes and Ryan Adams, and Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla has been involved in producing their last two albums. The first of those two is The Con, which features Walla along with his Death Cab For Cutie band mate, Jason McGerr, as well as Kaki King, and Matt Sharp. Even while surrounded by all that cool, Tegan and Sara manage to maintain their sound, letting the mood differentiate the record from their other work by occasionally replacing poppy angst with sincere melancholy and vulnerability. It also seems emotionally direct, largely due to nine of the fourteen tracks clocking in at three minutes or less. These shorter songs tend to keep me from settling into a mood before the next song creates a new one. The Con is simply Tegan and Sara at their best in a display of musical accessibility, artistic focus and, of course, cool.

Tegan and Sara MySpace