CD Review: Tegan and Sara's So Jealous
It seems like it was so long ago when I first heard Tegan and Sara. I believe it was on CBC Radiosonic when the twins first came out with Under Feet Like Ours. But the second time I heard them, the first time I really listened, was during my internship at Chart. Oh how young I was then. I had barely interviewed anyone and I remember being assigned to interview them in person. I listened to This Business of Art on the subway, thinking that I really identified with these chicks from Calgary.
That was four years ago. Things are very different now. Tegan lives in Vancouver. Sara is in Montreal. (And me? Well, I'm back at my parents place in the suburbs of Toronto, but that's besides the point.) But more than geography, a lot seemed to have happened to both Tegan and Sara in the past four years. There was cries of heartbreak in their last album, If It Was You and hints of musical maturity. With their latest release, So Jealous, there is a sense that the duo have really come into their own. I won't pretend to know the twins, but musically, the album features more complex arrangements and better sense of drama, like the numbness of a stalled love in "I Know I Know I Know"—a song driven by a simple, yet solid bassline—and the bittersweet "Downtown."
Despite all the postive developments in the production Tegan and Sara's music, they have maintained their pop song credibility. The first ingle, "Walking With A Ghost" leads with sweet acoustic guitar chords and a great sing-a-long melody. The entire album is not all wonderful. "Speak Slow" is messy and the title track is simply odd. Standing on its own, it would be a fine track, but despite its title, "So Jealous" doesn't fit. Still, this may be my favourite Tegan and Sara album yet.
So Jealous comes out tomorrow, September 14th.
How do you compare the new album to their last one? Their last album was pretty good pop-rock music of varying styles...I never heard their first album all the way through, but I had heard clips of it and their Ani Difranco-influenced acoustic folk-rock wasn't really my cup of tea. Is the new album like their last album?
Posted by:mike | September 14, 2004 at 09:36 AM
Yes, So Jealous is most like the last one, If It Was You. I'm not really sure which I like better yet, but I enjoy the arrangements and harmonies on the new one a lot so far...
Posted by:foxymoron | September 14, 2004 at 10:03 AM
maybe the new album has to grow on me, but i've had an advanced promo for a while, and it hasn't done anything for me. i found their last album quite 'charming' but it (obviously) had no longevity in terms of space in my stereo.
hmmm.
and hey, you interned for CHART as well? did you like it? i just started monday...please let me know of your experiences, i've very interested in knowing the dirt! haha.
Posted by:mishie | September 15, 2004 at 07:12 AM
maybe the new album has to grow on me, but i've had an advanced promo for a while, and it hasn't done anything for me. i found their last album quite 'charming' but it (obviously) had no longevity in terms of space in my stereo.
hmmm.
and hey, you interned for CHART as well? did you like it? i just started monday...please let me know of your experiences, i've very interested in knowing the dirt! haha.
Posted by:mishie | September 15, 2004 at 07:13 AM
Very useful comments - good to read
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