Tegan and Sara

The Con

(Sire)

Record Review by Joe Cortez

To call The Con by Tegan and Sara the most personal musical expression of the year is an understatement. That it also happens to be one of the year's best albums, perhaps the best, is all the more reason to celebrate the work put forth on this, the fourth long player proper from the Canadian power pop duo that rocketed to mainstream success in 2004 with the hit single "Walking With a Ghost." Rooted deep within this album is the knowing affirmation that this is an organic point of arrival for the twins Quin, that their previous works have somehow been building to this one moment of beauty, pain, joy, sorrow, despair and love. It is an album that one wants to know intimately. If it were pressed on vinyl, one could imagine running his or her fingers along the grove, tracing and feeling each bump and imperfection in a way to further connect with the sound lies within. It is a  masterpiece from the outset and by the time the final track is revealed, the album solidifies itself as a classic.

Perhaps it's fitting that Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie fame worked with the girls on the album's production as there are certain tracks that lend themselves to said band's sound, only with far more developed imagination. The tracks are densely layered yet never drown in the wallow of Walla's assistance. Each cut is given the precise room needed to breathe and come to life with an emphasis on the song writing and emotion.

Each song flows from one to another with thematic ease and swift, like a concept piece telling one coherent story. Although the material may seem on first listen to be made up of individual songs that have no direct relation to one another the entire package, from the simplistic presentation of the cover design to the ingenious decision to list each track as chapter titles, leans toward a much grander scope and vision that the girls have only hinted at previously. Despite such grand ambitions, the album remains true to the spirit of Tegan & Sara's past works.

The vocals are front and center on "Knife Going In" and "I Was Married" could quite possibly be the best Beach Boys song Brian Wilson never wrote, with its endless harmonies of a melancholy affair. It is here with the girls' voices that we are reminded of what exactly makes their sound so distinctive. Their vocals have a yearning that is unique among the pop landscape and because of this a certain kinship and bond is derived from the act of listening to their music, as if they are, at once, speaking to and for us.

This is the kind of album that demands repeated listenings, to be discovered during unexpected moments, treasured over late nights and loved endlessly, There is the feeling of the familiar when holding the album's outer packaging, an aged digipack with stains and writing on the inner sleeve, "From Tegan Quin and Sara Quin 2007."  A feeling that this album has been passed down personally and not merely released. Perhaps therein lies the key to understanding The Con's power and overall effectiveness. There is nothing contrived on this album, nothing remotely approaching manufactured. Everything on The Con is from the heart, delivered with bravery, sincerity and honesty.