The Con

The Con is a noticeable progression

The very first album of twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin was released as far back as 1999. It is hard to say that the record was a masterpiece but still it didn’t pass unnoticed and even gained a rarity status with time. The duo looked quite promising and tried their best indeed to exceed the expectations of their newly born fans. Every following record of Tegan and Sara was raising more and more interest to their original “folk-rock meets soft-punk” stylistic and helped sisters to occupy their niche in the world of indie rockers. However, by the time when their new album The Con was recorded Tegan and Sara have definitely moved pretty far over the territory of pop music. Their songs always contained a fair amount of influence of 80’s pop rock but this time around it became almost basic feature of the record. And this is actually that very trait that will attract crowds of new fans to Tegan and Sara. The album is a noticeable progression from their early works and it surely takes them to a new musical level.

Missing link between mainstream and garage rock

At first glance The Con may seem to be too fast, straightforward and even spastic for a mature indie-pop that this album actually is. All the songs are about two or three minutes length and they never sound like a one coherent whole. But after taking more intimate examination the songs cast away their pop-punk masks and start shining like real gems of indie music. One needn’t go far for good examples. The Con’s title track looks quite appropriate. It is simple and very catchy, there is nothing unexpected or superfluous here – acoustic introduction that proceeds into verse and then, just when the chorus time comes up, the whole band joins the singing twins and their strumming guitar. Nothing new as you can see, but the song’s production, its mood make it sound like a missing link between mainstream and garage rock. Listen to Dark Come Soon – this song could sound quite suitable on any of Avril Lavigne’s albums but a peculiar interpretation of the Quin sisters added some fresh artistic tints into this familiar pop atmosphere.

Each sister performs her own songs

However, the album has its disadvantages too. The main problem here is a feeling of shaky randomness. The songs sound really different, sometimes it is very hard to say what traits except vocals and overall sound of course joins them into one album. Some of the tracks look a little bit undeveloped. Every song has a strong potential but it doesn’t necessarily mean that this potential is realized in a full a measure. The song can simply come to end at that very moment when you expect a full-scale coda or an interesting bridge. In a word, there are some missteps but luckily they are few in number and don’t sound that evident. Another significant thing about the album is that each sister performs leading vocals only on those songs that she had written. And honestly speaking Sara’s songs turned out to be more intricate and mature, at least most of the album’s best tracks were penned by her. You may pay attention at Knife Going In or Relief Next To Me. Overall The Con successfully fits into the duo’s discography and like all the former works of these girls rises their songwriting and artistic level again. The album will be interesting not only for admirers of indie and garage rock but also for those who prefer more popular music – The Con competently combines many elements of these styles.