Tegan and Sara – “Sainthood”
Sire/Wea
-out now
4 / 5
Almost the perfect bookend to Phoenix’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix,” Tegan and Sara churn up a beat-oriented popfest in their sixth full-length. While this album isn’t quite up to par with Phoenix’s there is still plenty here to recommend it: driving music, great melodies and choruses, and simple, sugary fun. Out of the thirteen presented here, “Arrow,” “The Cure,” and “Alligator” are the sure bets, with the best choruses out of the bunch, but that’s not to say there is a weak track in the mix. Rather, the biggest complaint is that, like Phoenix, these songs are fairly similar to each other, both in structure and mood, and even in tempo. There are no ballads here, nor slower songs to break the status quo, unlike the Yeah Yeah Yeahs “It’s Blitz.” While this is a fairly big drawback, “Sainthood” is still good if you’re in the mood for a boost. Recommended.
Listen to “The Cure”: www.myspace.com/453173424