one small sound

I just can't help myself-- Tegan and Sara are irresistible.

Granted, they've gotten to their above pictured glam from this:



which is what they looked like when I first heard them back in 1999, with their extremely acoustic, adolescent folk LP, Under Feet Like Ours. I found them immediately addicting-- I liked their voices, and since I was 16, I really appreciated that they "played their own instruments", which is something of incredible value when you're a teenager with an inflated ego insofar as musical taste/distaste is concerned.

The first time I saw T&S was back in 2001 as part of the free concert series down at South Street Seaport here in NYC-- there were no more than 75 people there and about 10 of them were random drunk tourists who had come too early for the nearby production of Pirates of Penzance. Sad, but true. The girls were young and not yet comfortable with being on stage, but they put on a good show and afterwards I talked with Tegan for a little while (admittedly, I had a little bit of a girl-crush on her at the time...and kinda still do), and Sara didn't seem much interested in talking to anyone.

Fast forward to 2004-- another T&S show, another venue. This time, the Bowery Ballroom-- a spot known for hosting some of the foremost indie artists in the current scene. They had openers. They had electric guitars and longer, painfully hipster haircuts. And most of all, they had $15 tickets. And they were damn good.

The reason I felt compelled to write this post is because I've just gotten my hands on a copy of T&S's new album, The Con, due out on 24 July 2007 in North America. I've listened to it about four times all the way through now, and my iTunes is on repeat-- it's just that good. There's something more mature about this album, though it retains all the characteristics that have made T&S keep my attention thus far-- layered vocals, clever (though occasionally non-sensical on the surface) lyrics, and addictive rhythms.

I don't want to say too much more about it, but here's a cut from the new album-- one of my favourites (though really the whole album is just ridiculously good):

Tegan and Sara - Are You Ten Years Ago