Date: September 2004 Author: Dean Gordon-Smith Publication: Vernon Morning Star Headline: Sisters are Today's New Wave Sirens

Tegan and Sara - Vancouver's cuddly, nerdy answer to Heart's Wilson sisters - continue their unfolding recording saga with the release of a third CD entitled So Jealous. As the CD shows, the pair has made a marked progression from a demo-like debut to a scrappy sophomore effort on to a solid, rock-friendly release with this album. So Jealous marks departure from the "terminitus alternativitis" that identified the slightly geeky vibe surrounding their prior releases. I nominate "Walking With a Ghost" as the ticket into more mainstream rock for Tegan and Sara. Here they craft solid driving choruses, acoustic riffs and their distinctive blendings and edgy vocals as only siblings can. A video may be imminent for this track, who knows? This song hits the mark here, well realized and punchy, it makes one feel energized as it plays. If a characterization could be made of So Jealous, it would be positive, economical and melodically original. There isn't any waste on the CD and for a 14-song disc, that's a good thing. The sisters know how to write a hook. As earlier mentioned, T and S can wield a mighty chorus, as they do on "I Know I Know I Know" and "Where Does the Good Go". Besides being hookmeisters, the sisters infuse their music with a wall of acoustic richness. "Downtown" slinks along at an unhurried, pointed pace. As always with Tegan and Sara, their intertwined and insidious voices creep through and across like new wave sirens. The title cut is a layered, keyboard laced exercise in trancey melody - a numb song that sounds fresh. Unjaded attitudes and searching songs that give a hip satisfaction are paramount on So Jealous. The sisters are paving a way for new wave sensibilities, alternative approaches and more populist rock sounds to inform their expanding style. Their new CD is a pleasing release from a progressing, hardworking unit sure to please many disparate types.