Date: March, 2005 Author: Evan Long Publication: sickamongthepure.com Headline: identical twins bring on the mature Alt-Pop

copyright © 2005 sickamongthepure.com. all rights reserved. On one hand, it’s sad to see these two girls move away from the more experimental and folksy territory of their previous efforts, which sounded unique and new. On the other hand, I detested their previous work, and this album is just fantastic. Extremely melodic Alt-Rock revolving around themes of melancholy, self-reflection, and relationship analysis, Tegan and Sara once again bring us an intelligent and thoughtful piece of work, only this time it’s radio-friendly, has higher production values, and an overall more Goth-y impending gloom that seems to hang over the work as a whole. Hearing identical twins harmonize is both haunting and strange, and the two elfin sisters’ songwriting habits equally complement one another – one sister writes lush melodic Pop songs, while the other pens somewhat more esoteric Rock songs. An album that reveals its complexity over repeated listens – you hear something new each time, and the lyrics seem to tell a story of sorts, about a relationship that has its ups, downs, highs, and lows. However, as Pop music it’s extremely intelligent: it never sinks to assuming an asinine or idealized worldview, and maintains a wisdom you can’t find elsewhere.