Sainthood tolerable, not preferable

Knowing nothing more about Tegan and Sara than what the NOFX song “Creeping Out Sara” provides, I was a little scared about what I was getting myself into after being assigned this review.

My musical taste is pretty much confined to bands labeled as “alternative”: The Cab, Every Avenue, Forever the Sickest Kids. On iTunes, Tegan and Sarah’s newest album Sainthood is under the “alternative” category. This made me feel slightly more at ease…until I pressed play.

I can’t say that I was particularly surprised at what came out of the speakers. In fact, it was probably just about what I was expecting.

To be frank, they’re two sisters with what sound to me like completely identical voices, minimal instruments, and honest lyrics.

As far as style goes, they’re pretty indie. If you like radio music, a strong beat, and synthesized vocals, they probably won’t do much for you. But if you like music that sets itself apart from the typical Top 40 hits, then you’ve most likely found yourself a new favorite.

Their style is reminiscent of New Wave artists from the past decade, although they still possess unique qualities that keep them from sounding like imitations of earlier groups.

The songs themselves aren’t what I would describe as uplifting or empowering. There’s no pounding bass or speedy tempo. They’re probably not ideal for a hardcore cardio workout, if that’s your thing. They provide better background music for a lighter activity, perhaps writing, reading, or something else relatively tame.

Tegan and Sara belt out songs from the female perspective, which may be a breath of fresh air if you, like me, listen to bands primarily fronted by male singers.

Their voices also aren’t bad by any means. They harmonize together well, but I couldn’t tell them apart to save my life.

The one song that really impressed me was “Northshore.” It’s the only part of the whole CD that I would feel remotely inclined to listen to on my own.

Halfway through playing “Paperback Head,” my little sister walked into the room. “Do you actually like this?” she asked, confused. I shook my head slightly. “It’s horrible.” With that she left. I can’t say I completely disagree.

To be fair, Tegan and Sara are talented. And compared to many other groups out there, their music is most definitely tolerable. But as far as my personal taste goes, I’m just not impressed. Give me some electric guitar and a love song.