Sainthood is Heavenly: T
By Karl S. on April 20, 2009 in main
I discovered Sainthood at the very end of last term, and now it is one of my favorite albums. It was, if you will, love at first listen.
I have always thought of this Canadian sister-duo as "pretty good indie pop", but this album changed my mind for the better. Their semi-desperate but confident vocal styles work together nicely, and there is no song on the album I ever want to skip. The way the songs are crafted is always satisfying: every song has some really nice keyboard parts and creative rhythms; every song has a catchy chorus and a thought-provoking bridge. One thing that sets Tegan and Sara apart from other indie pop duos is that their lyrics are so "excessively accessible". There are no mysterious metaphors; almost all of the words are conversational and refreshingly honest sentiments about love, relationships and the complex kinds of situations they create (e.g. "I know you feel it too / These words get overused"), and are sometimes linguistically clever (e.g. "Unnerved / The nerve! / You're nervous, nervous that I'm right" and "now you know you know it now"). Despite the nature of their lyrics, Tegan and Sara manage to avoid sounding whiney or trite because they have so much fun with the instrumentation.
The album starts with "Arrow", which has a contagious and quirky beat, setting the tone for the album. "On Directing Me" is one of catchiest songs on the whole album. The bridge of "The Cure" gives me chills, and the song in general expresses mixed feelings about being in love really well. "Northshore" is a self-indulgent rock-out anthem, almost as cathartic for the listener as it must be for the Quin sisters to perform; directly following it is "Night Watch", which is a cool-down song with some really interesting electronic bloops that escape from the usual straight-forward rhythm for a moment here and there. The lyrics in "The Ocean" are sad but, like I said before, refreshingly honest, and this makes it one of most musically satisfying songs on the album. "Sentimental Song" has some nice "ooohs" and "soooo's" in the background, and it leads into "Someday", a great ending track that talks about the future and self-confidence (or lack thereof).
So whether you want to vent about relationships, get your head-bob on, or hear a really well-crafted album, this is a really heavenly candidate.
In "Someday," one of the Quin sisters says "Mark my words, I might be something someday". But Sainthood makes it clear that she already is.
Hem - An Easy One
Hem - Carry Me Home
Hem - Redwinge
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Carleton alums are in Hem, too.