Tegan and Sara's fifth album, The Con, found them expanding their sound to incorporate more texture and space in their approach. With the help of producer Chris Walla, they built on what they had done before to make something more complex and adult-sounding. Their sixth album, Sainthood, retains Walla as producer but discards much of the restraint and atmosphere of The Con in favor of a punchier, more direct feel that's more in line with the duo's best album, So Jealous. The arrangements are less cluttered, the songs are ...
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Tegan and Sara's fifth album, The Con, found them expanding their sound to incorporate more texture and space in their approach. With the help of producer Chris Walla, they built on what they had done before to make something more complex and adult-sounding. Their sixth album, Sainthood, retains Walla as producer but discards much of the restraint and atmosphere of The Con in favor of a punchier, more direct feel that's more in line with the duo's best album, So Jealous. The arrangements are less cluttered, the songs are more straightforward, and the simple to understand and feel emotional impact of the album is visceral. They still put care into the way songs are structured and aren't shy about adding unusual sounds occasionally, but there is far more energy and fire on this record. Maybe they felt too restrained by the tightly sculpted and adult sound of the previous album and needed to get back to their roots. Maybe they didn't want to simply repeat themselves. Whatever the reason, the decision to strip back the sound a little bit was a good one that helps the album immeasurably. The high quality of the songs the sisters brought to the album helps even more. As on The Con, Sara's songs are more complicated musically and more nuanced lyrically, while Tegan's are simpler and poppier, with a more direct lyrical slant. It may be unfair to split them so clearly, but Sara seems like the artist and Tegan the pop kid. She definitely writes and sings the catchier tunes; her "The Cure" sounds like the hit single from the album, "Northshore" is a punky blast of fun, and her other tracks aren't far behind in the hook department. That's not to say that Sara can't write catchy songs (her "Alligator" would be the second single); they are just a little less open and more mysterious. There's a depth to her writing that Tegan's songs don't always have. That's OK, though, because it's the contrast between their writing styles and voices, slight as it may be, that works to make Sainthood another rich and rewarding album. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Vapour/Sire.
Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $2.74, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Sire / Wea.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $3.00, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Sire.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $3.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Sire / Wea.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $3.89, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Sire / Wea.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $3.89, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Sire / Wea.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Sainthood to cart. $31.87, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2009 by Vapour/Sire.
I simply love this CD! While I've talked to some people who were disappointed that the songs were extremely electronic based, they have already performed acoustic versions to many of the songs which are equally phenomenal to the originals.
Personally, I was enraptured by the evident maturity in their music compared to The Con and the continuous improvement in their vocals and instrumentation. Their song Hell has terrific electric guitars and in Alligator and On Directing Sara's voice is exceptionally crooning. As always, Tegan wrote an upbeat, fast paced track The Ocean which is delightful!
I must admit, I believe this is their best record yet, proof that they are only getting better!
