01-02-2013, 14:04
online listen
more pop than I expected
enough so to put it in the pop thread
Bangles anyone?
picking up Kelly Clarkson producer
good pop for me
ties for my highest grade of the young year
1.7 from me and a converted 2.4 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Closer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e9NSMY8QiQ
released Jan 29th, 2013
![[Image: MI0003469642.jpg?partner=allrovi.com]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_250/MI0003/469/MI0003469642.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
Bio - from allmusic
Folk-rock duo Tegan and Sara first burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1998, when they
earned the highest score in history at Calgary's "Garage Warz" competition; their quick rise
didn't stop, for their melodic acoustics and charming stage personas led to a slew of dates
with Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair that same year and a record deal with Neil Young's Vapor
Records in April 2000. Natives of Calgary, these twin sisters derived their music interests
from their parents. Tegan and Sara began playing piano at age eight, and in their teens they
were skanking around in their own punk bands. This Business of Art, which was produced by
singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman, marked their debut in mid-2000, and a summer tour with Neil
Young and the Pretenders followed in July. Two years later, Tegan and Sara released If It Was
You, followed in 2004 by their commercial breakthrough, So Jealous. In 2005, the White Stripes
released a popular cover of If it Was You's "Walking with a Ghost." That same year saw the duo
touring the U.S. with the Killers and landing seven songs in the popular medical TV drama
Grey's Anatomy. In 2007, Tegan sang backup on a song on new Sire labelmate Against Me!'s album
New Wave, and the twins, who had by then moved far from the singer/songwriter mold and were
more interested in exploring pop, punk, and indie rock, came out with The Con, produced by
Christopher Walla of Death Cab for Cutie. Working with Walla went well, and Tegan and Sara also
utilized his production skills on their next album, 2009's Sainthood. 2009 also found the duo
collaborating with Tiësto on the song "Feel It in My Bones" for his album Kaleidoscope and with
comedian Margaret Cho on the track "Intervention" from her Cho Dependent release. 2011's live
CD/DVD Get Along was paired with three short behind-the-scenes films called States, India, and
For the Most Part. On their seventh studio album, the duo turned to producer Greg Kurstin (Lily
Allen, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha) for help in making an album that reflected the modern pop sound.
The very slick, yet still emotionally powerful Heartthob was released in early 2013.
Album Review - from allmusic
On their 2009 album Sainthood, Tegan and Sara made some tentative steps into the pop mainstream
by stripping their sound down to the bare essentials and delivering a batch of their hookiest
songs to date. Four years later, on 2013's Heartthrob, the duo dives into the pop mainstream
headfirst. Working mainly with producer Greg Kurstin, the duo's approach is slick and punchy
with lots of synthesizers, programmed drums, and a sound that falls somewhere between Robyn and
Katy Perry on the pop spectrum. While longtime fans might be a bit perplexed by the shift, they
will find plenty of familiar ground to cling to as the record plays and the smartly written and
tear-filled songs follow one after another. Indeed, the core musical values that have always
made Tegan and Sara special, like their ability to write super-hooky melodies, their
willingness to strip their emotions bare, and their powerful voices, remain fully intact on
Heartthrob, and the shiny package that surrounds them only seems to have made their collective
impact stronger. The insistent impact of the album's opening track serves as a statement of
intent -- "Closer" comes bursting out of the speakers in a rush of barely contained emotion and
sports the type of thrilling chorus that fills your heart with joy as you breathlessly sing
along. The rest of the album has the same sonic impact and emotional power as it alternates
between new wave-influenced rockers ("Goodbye, Goodbye," "Drove Me Wild") and moody and
dramatic midtempo tracks ("Love They Say," "How Come You Don't Want Me") that wouldn't have
been out of place on an early Cyndi Lauper record, before finishing with a pair of bleak synth
pop heartbreak ballads ("Now I'm All Messed Up," "Shock to Your System") that make La Roux
sound like Bananarama. After a long career spent making subtle adjustments to their approach,
it took some real guts to make such a drastic change, and the gamble pays off for them.
Heartthrob is the sound of Tegan and Sara taking on modern pop music head-on and winning in
triumphant style. One would have to go a long way to find a pop record that is as easy to
swallow, yet contains such depth. Welcome to the mainstream, Tegan and Sara...thanks for
classing the place up a bit.
Track Listing
1. Closer
2. Goodbye, Goodbye
3. I Was a Fool
4. I'm Not Your Hero
5. Drove Me Wild
6. How Come You Don't Want Me
7. I Couldn't Be Your Friend
8. Love They Say
9. Now I'm All Messed Up
10. Shock to Your System
more pop than I expected
enough so to put it in the pop thread
Bangles anyone?
picking up Kelly Clarkson producer
good pop for me
ties for my highest grade of the young year
1.7 from me and a converted 2.4 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - Closer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e9NSMY8QiQ
released Jan 29th, 2013
Bio - from allmusic
Folk-rock duo Tegan and Sara first burst onto the Canadian music scene in 1998, when they
earned the highest score in history at Calgary's "Garage Warz" competition; their quick rise
didn't stop, for their melodic acoustics and charming stage personas led to a slew of dates
with Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair that same year and a record deal with Neil Young's Vapor
Records in April 2000. Natives of Calgary, these twin sisters derived their music interests
from their parents. Tegan and Sara began playing piano at age eight, and in their teens they
were skanking around in their own punk bands. This Business of Art, which was produced by
singer/songwriter Hawksley Workman, marked their debut in mid-2000, and a summer tour with Neil
Young and the Pretenders followed in July. Two years later, Tegan and Sara released If It Was
You, followed in 2004 by their commercial breakthrough, So Jealous. In 2005, the White Stripes
released a popular cover of If it Was You's "Walking with a Ghost." That same year saw the duo
touring the U.S. with the Killers and landing seven songs in the popular medical TV drama
Grey's Anatomy. In 2007, Tegan sang backup on a song on new Sire labelmate Against Me!'s album
New Wave, and the twins, who had by then moved far from the singer/songwriter mold and were
more interested in exploring pop, punk, and indie rock, came out with The Con, produced by
Christopher Walla of Death Cab for Cutie. Working with Walla went well, and Tegan and Sara also
utilized his production skills on their next album, 2009's Sainthood. 2009 also found the duo
collaborating with Tiësto on the song "Feel It in My Bones" for his album Kaleidoscope and with
comedian Margaret Cho on the track "Intervention" from her Cho Dependent release. 2011's live
CD/DVD Get Along was paired with three short behind-the-scenes films called States, India, and
For the Most Part. On their seventh studio album, the duo turned to producer Greg Kurstin (Lily
Allen, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha) for help in making an album that reflected the modern pop sound.
The very slick, yet still emotionally powerful Heartthob was released in early 2013.
Album Review - from allmusic
On their 2009 album Sainthood, Tegan and Sara made some tentative steps into the pop mainstream
by stripping their sound down to the bare essentials and delivering a batch of their hookiest
songs to date. Four years later, on 2013's Heartthrob, the duo dives into the pop mainstream
headfirst. Working mainly with producer Greg Kurstin, the duo's approach is slick and punchy
with lots of synthesizers, programmed drums, and a sound that falls somewhere between Robyn and
Katy Perry on the pop spectrum. While longtime fans might be a bit perplexed by the shift, they
will find plenty of familiar ground to cling to as the record plays and the smartly written and
tear-filled songs follow one after another. Indeed, the core musical values that have always
made Tegan and Sara special, like their ability to write super-hooky melodies, their
willingness to strip their emotions bare, and their powerful voices, remain fully intact on
Heartthrob, and the shiny package that surrounds them only seems to have made their collective
impact stronger. The insistent impact of the album's opening track serves as a statement of
intent -- "Closer" comes bursting out of the speakers in a rush of barely contained emotion and
sports the type of thrilling chorus that fills your heart with joy as you breathlessly sing
along. The rest of the album has the same sonic impact and emotional power as it alternates
between new wave-influenced rockers ("Goodbye, Goodbye," "Drove Me Wild") and moody and
dramatic midtempo tracks ("Love They Say," "How Come You Don't Want Me") that wouldn't have
been out of place on an early Cyndi Lauper record, before finishing with a pair of bleak synth
pop heartbreak ballads ("Now I'm All Messed Up," "Shock to Your System") that make La Roux
sound like Bananarama. After a long career spent making subtle adjustments to their approach,
it took some real guts to make such a drastic change, and the gamble pays off for them.
Heartthrob is the sound of Tegan and Sara taking on modern pop music head-on and winning in
triumphant style. One would have to go a long way to find a pop record that is as easy to
swallow, yet contains such depth. Welcome to the mainstream, Tegan and Sara...thanks for
classing the place up a bit.
Track Listing
1. Closer
2. Goodbye, Goodbye
3. I Was a Fool
4. I'm Not Your Hero
5. Drove Me Wild
6. How Come You Don't Want Me
7. I Couldn't Be Your Friend
8. Love They Say
9. Now I'm All Messed Up
10. Shock to Your System
