Tegan and Sara
The Con
Release Date: Jul 24, 2007
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Sire/London/Rhino
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Album Review: The Con by Tegan and Sara
Great, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Although identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin first appeared in the music scene in the late '90s playing the kind of folk-rock and folk-punk more associated with other Lilith Fair (in which they participated) artists of the time, by the time 2007 rolled around they had moved into much poppier territory. It was a progression, to be sure, from This Business of Art to their fourth Vapor full-length -- one that can be heard in the time spent on production, the louder guitars -- but that still may not prepare listeners for The Con. Produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, the album is full of quirky, Aqueduct-like keyboards, punchy bass from Weezer's Matt Sharp and AFI's Hunter Burgan, and even some guitar help from Kaki King that stretch and shove their way into the spaces between Tegan and Sara's hook-driven melodies and clean harmonies, more complex than anything they've done before.
Based on rating B+
In 2005, twin Canadian rockers Tegan and Sara got a chance to win over an army of couch potatoes and McDreamy-eyed housewives when no fewer than five songs from their critically adored fourth album, So Jealous, were featured on the first season of ABC’s medical shagathon Grey’s Anatomy. Though the duo’s sound was sorely missing from the soap’s second season — only one track, from a pre-Jealous record, made the cut — guitarist-vocalists Tegan and Sara are back with The Con, a collection of angsty, catchy pop that’s also ideal for scoring the antics of young doctors in heat. Come next fall, Seattle Grace’s plucky residents ought to be rushing through the hospital’s halls saving lives to the exuberant keys of ”Back in Your Head” or the Green Day-esque ”Hop a Plane.
Based on rating 3.5/5
Review Summary: Indie pop goodness but underdevelopedThe Con, on the outside, looks like a headstrong, fast punk album, with half of the songs falling under three minutes and three of them under two. However, this is anything but. It’s the fifth full length album from Canadian indie pop duo Tegan and Sara. The Quin sisters have gained a fair amount of popularity in the indie world, but this album is sure to take them to the next level, with two members of Death Cab for Cutie co-producing.
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