A couple of weeks ago, I heard Hell, the first single off this album, while I was in my car. I was kind of in shock at how much it...rocked. I turned it up so loud that my car shook.
In a lot of way, Sainthood is a departure from the sound you're used to hearing from Tegan and Sara. For one thing, there are way more rock and electronica influences. You might attribute the chances they took, sonically, to Chris Walla's production. You might attribute it to Tegan's work with AFI bassist Hunter Burgan. Or you might attribute it to Tegan and Sara's collaboration with Tiesto on his remix of their song 'Back in Your Head.'
The thing that hasn't changed, though, is the way in which the sisters can write a lyric that stops you in your tracks. Gut wrenchingly honest, the duo treks through the muddy, murky waters of the way in which we sacrifice ourselves for those we love and who we hope will love us back.
For me, the aforementioned 'Hell' and the album-closing 'Someday' were the best songs on the album. Other standouts included 'Alligator' (a total earworm) and 'The Ocean' (careful: this catchy chorus is hard to shake). Fans of Tegan and Sara's...folksier sound need not worry. The earnest song 'Sentimental tune,' a track that sounds eerily like their earlier song 'And Darling,' is a throwback track that would fit in on any track from If it was you.
There was only one song that just didn't work for me: Night watch. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but I did think it lacked cohesiveness. And on an album full of standouts, a 'meh' track is hard to ignore.
Overall, I'm a fan of Sainthood. It's totally worth the investment.
No comments:
Post a Comment