Date: October 28, 2004
Author: Stacey Coburn - Accent Editor
Publication: The Ithacan
Headline: Tegan and Sara explore love and identity (again)
Tegan and Sara has continued its penchant for introspective, witty lyrics about relationships and self-identity on its third studio release, “So Jealous.” With help from members of the New Pornographers as producers, the band has hardened its gritty sound.

Frontwomen Tegan and Sara are lesbian twin sisters and have been compared to the likes of Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne, mainly because they’re females from Canada producing alternative rock. But the formerly-folky duo, along with their bandmates, have developed a catchy, yet complex, sound of their own.

Although most of the songs’ topics are similar, the band comes up with original ways to explore them both lyrically and musically. “Walking with a Ghost” has the traditional pulsating guitar riffs of hard rock, while “So Jealous” explores Dido-like electric experimentation.

And the band members seem to be self-aware. In “Fix You Up” the singers admit in their thin voices, “What I wanted most/What I wanted most/ Was to get myself all figured out/ What I figured out/What I figured out/Was I need more time to figure you out.”

Rated 3 out of 4