T & S: NOT SCREAMING TO BE HEARD

By: Caitlin Hoffman
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

They’re sharp, they’re crisp, they’re striking. They embrace the visual and mental spaces one can elaborate on with the music scene; easily can they encompass the concept of ‘walking art’. They’re not determined by cliche methods to entice particular demographics, and can therefore be accessible and appealing to almost anyone who cares to listen. They are Tegan and Sara, a band who hails from Calgary, Alberta, and are swelling with creative energy.

This duo is proof of how many places music can take you, and all of the ways that it can challenge you if you let it. This pair of sisters, both masterful musicians in their own right, have globetrotted with the power of the melody behind them, and an intelligent force within them that strengthens their passion to challenge themselves and open up their art. Witty, transcendent, and modern, their quizzical performances show you don’t have to scream to make your voice heard.

They began learning to play guitar when they were fifteen, and it is clear that their fingers were meant to pluck away at those strings, and their voices were meant to sing out. Being related doesn’t at all diminish the effect that their chemistry carries; if anything, it enhances it. Their vocals blend perfectly, and their abstract methods of lyrical organization and use of synthesizers and guitar makes a lush listening experience. Taking cues from indie, mod, and punk cultures (both regarding musical genres and fashion styles), the concoction of music they come up with is as invigorating as it is incapacitating. The result of their combined explorative efforts really indicate what it means to mesh artistic expression with musical genius.

Their juxtaposed personality traits are a perfect mix of introversion and boldness, and if you ever see them in an interview or watch videos on their site, you would immediately be able to tell that their keen articulation goes beyond writing their music.

Now, just in 2009, they released their sixth album, entitled Sainthood, which I think is the centerpiece of their inventive exploits, simply because it is the first album that they wrote together. As Tegan puts it, “We wanted to challenge ourselves. It was really complicated and difficult, (so) the music that came out of it was really complicated and difficult.” Needless to say, it carries their mark of fresh artistry and innovation. A fantastic record like this shows that music isn’t just a bunch of notes sewn together, but that it is a correlation from the brightest sparks of the human soul.

Right now the girls are touring, but planning concert dates didn’t make them too busy to volunteer to help raise funds for Haiti with the Crafts For a Cause organization. As long as this duo keep making wicked-smooth songs, then there is hope for keeping music at its best, and at its most profound.

Check out my favourite song from Sainthood entitled Hell, below. (Trust me, the song title is totally ironic.)
　