Tegan and Sara: The Con

Tegan and Sara: The Con
Sire: 7/24/2007

Tegan and Sara are twin sisters that record and perform together, but they write songs independently. On The Con, their antipodal approaches to songwriting are represented in almost equal measures. Tegan's songs are frenetic and harried; Sara's are more contemplative and unfold more gently. The common threads, however, are baroque structures and youthful angst. Chris Walla's production reins in the sisters and anchors the songs, preventing the kind of excess that could have destroyed the balance and ruined a gorgeous album. The tension that pervades The Con is rarely spills over into histrionics, providing just enough drama to keep the songs interesting without inducing eye-rolling in the listener.