Day: The Twenty-Eighth
Okay, so back in the very beginning of the month I wanted to do a Tegan and Sara post because I got the new CD in advance and it was just so wonderful that I felt all this TnS love and I just have to share. SO I'M SHARING.
Um, it's really big though. FYI for slow connection peoples.
First of all, meet Tegan Rain Quin (you can tell her apart by the labret piercing she has):
And her twin sister Sara Kiersten Quin:
Together they are Tegan and Sara!
So who are they really? Well, they have a bunch of labels, but they hate them.. and I hate people pigeonholing them into those labels. So, they're Tegan and Sara Quin, and they're cool. They're songwriters, guitarists and vocalists. They're funny and tell hilarious stories in the middle of performances. They fight all the time and it's so funny. And okay, they're from Canada. Calgary, Alberta to be exact. You know that's cool.
What genre do Tegan and Sara fall under? I have no clue! In my iTunes they're "indie," at Wikipedia they're "indie pop/indie rock," they describe themselves as "indie/pop/alternative." See, to me that's a lot of genres, I dunno. They're very fluid. Each CD changes sounds. They go from early acoustic sound to later pop-hooky sounds, while still keeping themselves very alternative. They've got influences ranging from the early 80s music they grew up listening to, to contemporary alternative bands they tour with. Plus, both Tegan and Sara write their own songs separately, so it's like getting two artists on one CD. It's pretty much just good music. That's the genre: good. No, FANTASTIC. I should change that in my iTunes.
How did you get into them anyway? Okay, I'll admit it. I'm one of those awful, no-good RECENT fans. I came in after So Jealous was ALREADY OUT! *gasp* And part of my getting into them was hearing them on Grey's Anatomy! Obviously my fan status should be revoked. In all seriousness though, it was a combination of things. Mostly, Lauren (abunchofcrap) sent me a mixed cd with a bunch of their songs. At the same time, I was hearing them on Grey's Anatomy and Veronica Mars and liked what I heard. But it was one song that Lauren sent me that they did live, a cover of "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls (Edit: spoonerknife wanted this song so here.) ... and they were just so funny quibbling with each other and telling stories, plus, 80's love hello, that I had to go looking for every single live performance I could find, and trust me, there's a lot. In a sense, YouTube should get just as much credit for it. Anyway, I obsessed HARD after that. And here we are!
Okay so how about we start with some video clips?? I've got a variety here, so if you don't want to watch them all (though you SHOULD), you can pick based on what you think you'd like most.
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First off we have a segment of their performance at Yellowknife in Canada. This is one of my favorite shows. It's an excellent example of what I meant by both the hilarious story-telling and the fighting. The sound quality isn't the best for the actual performance, and it's acoustic.. so don't base what you hear in this as any sort of real indication of their music or talent.
It starts off with Tegan referencing something from earlier (you can find that and pretty much the whole performance here.) and then launching into a story about the song she's about to sing. My favorite part of it is this interaction:
Tegan: Sara was really supportive though, through it all. *pauses and shakes head* No, she wasn't.
Sara: I was! I wasn't totally sure how many nights you were going to sleep in my bed.
Tegan: Whatever, I slept in your bed once, and that was right after it happened. ... And I didn't like it. *starts playing song*
Hee. Anyway, after that they start playing.. but keep watching, because right in the middle of the song Sara screws up. Twice. And Tegan gets pissed. What follows is hilarity. I would quote my favorite bits, but that would be the whole thing, so just watch!
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This is a commercial they released for their 4th album So Jealous. Pretty much, it's them just yelling at each other. According to their interviews and such, the recording process is ridiculously stressful for them and they constantly have meltdowns. This is a hilarious montage of that happening.
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This is a better clip of them doing acoustic live. If you're an acoustic fan, you'll probably enjoy it. I don't tend to like it as much, but with Tegan & Sara I do. Also as a little bonus, they tell another funny story.
I think one of the best things about their story-telling is that they're still playing the song in the background, and as soon as they finish talking they can launch right into it. It makes for a great comedic effect. Like in this video, Tegan's annoyed smile straight into the song. And then right in the middle of it Sara talking to Rob.
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This is the released segment of the DVD for The Con, which is their newest album that is yet to be released. (JULY 24TH PEOPLE) It's pretty much talking about the song "The Con" and how they determined what to name the album. It's not as funny as the other clips, and it's a lot longer.. but it's THE CON so I got really excited and had to put it in. Emy in a forest ranger outfit is pretty amazing though. And also Tegan in glasses. Glasses like MY glasses. Also, you get to hear the song at the end of this clip, and it's one of my favorites off the new CD.
Tegan: "Sugar, Spell It Out," Sara explained it to me like "spell it out," "get to the point," "say what you mean," but I don't think we ever fucking do that.
Sara: I do that.
Tegan: Sara thinks she does that.
They don't do that.
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Okay, I love this clip so much I had to load it onto my own photobucket to show you (because YouTube is a big brat sometimes). This is a clip from an MTVU special they did on Valentine's Day. They answered questions from a bunch of college students on love or sex or Valentine's Day in general. The best bit is at the end.
Tegan's face?? PRICELESS. She looks completely horrified. "WTF is a baller?!" Oh Tegan.
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Okay! Whew. Now that the video bit's over, it's time to talk about SONGS. I tried thinking of how I should do this. I wasn't sure if I should just do a mass of all my favorites, but I realized that would be wayyy too much. So I settled on doing a couple from each album so you could get a taste for it. AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE WANT MORE??!
Under Feet Like Ours
Okay first of all, is that not the cutest picture ever? Aww. Okay anyway. This is their first actual studio album. They released a couple of demos before this, but we'll ignore that. The sound for this cd is a lot more acoustic than any of their later works. They released this independently, so it's simple. This is the only CD of theirs I don't actually own :( Well, except the new one that's not released but I WILL own it as soon as it's released.
- Divided: She's out on the highway / she's got a homemade sign that says / go ahead try to figure out what my future looks like - I'll be honest, I only put this song up because of the beginning. Little!Tegan (I think it's Tegan) says "This is MY tape recorder!" in the cutest voice ever. EVER. And then older!Sara says "Yeah, talk like that so when you're 18 and listening to this you can hear what a brat you were." Hehehe.
- Come On: You got your prophets and your mathematicians / the vocal fuel of a generation - This is possibly my favorite song by them. There's a version on This Business of Art too, and I couldn't pick which one I wanted to upload. I guess I decided on this version? Uh, whatever. I don't even know why it's my favorite song. It's just good? The lyrics are pretty. *shrugs*
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This Business Of Art
This is their first album released under the Vapor label. Of course, since they got signed like right away, a lot of the songs on this CD are the same as the ones from their independent album. The only difference is that they're a little louder, they've got a bit more going on in the melody. But they still didn't have a permanent "band" at this point, so not as developed drums or anything.
- The First: We decide to go out walking / the whole time that we're talking / convinced that we're living / the whole time that we're dying - I like the momentum of this song. It kind of just keeps you bopping along. Can you tell I'm so out of steam for this post? Also, this is the first song they had a music video for. They start it off with "Uh, this is kind of a boy's set. Did you know we were girls? Where are all the flowers and shit?"
- My Number: He grabs me by the hand / drags me to the shore / and says maybe you don't love me / but you'll grow to love me even more - I have no clue why I picked this one. Maybe because it got released and played on David Letterman? *shrugs* It's pretty though.
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If It Was You
This is my favorite album, but that's completely arbitrary. I think it's because it's between the acoustic sound of This Business of Art and the So Jealous pop-hooky sound. It's a nice combination of both, but at the same time it's a sound all its own. This is also the cd where they started forming a more solid fan base.
- City Girl: I sleep so little / watch the stars fade into day - I realized I picked a lot of Tegan songs in this. I tend to like Tegan songs better. Sara's got good songs too, but the ones I find the catchiest and like the most lyrically are Tegan songs. Like this one, awesome lyrics.
- Living Room: I hope I never figure out who broke your heart / and if I do if I do / I'd spend all night losing sleep / I'd spend the night and I'd lose my mind - This one also had a music video you can take a peek at. It's got this kind of odd twangy sound to it, like country banjo sound or something. But in a good way... promise.
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So Jealous
So, this is the album that's blamed for Tegan and Sara becoming "mainstream" by the older fans. Which is really just bull. I don't understand why it's bad when a band you like does well? Whatever. Anyway, this CD is probably my least favorite, but I still adore it. The sound is very hook-y and simple. The lyrics are repetitive and get stuck in your head very easily. It's hard to explain... it has a very simple sound, but not in the acoustic way. Does that make sense?
- Walking With A Ghost: No matter which way you go / no matter which way you stay / you're out of mind / out of my mind - Ah, here's a Sara song. This is what I mean by repetitive and simple. But this song did very well, and it was probably a significant factor in propelling them toward a more mainstream fan base. This one also had a music video. It's weird. Very Sara. Apparently she thought it up while drugged up on medications... and it shows. =P
- You Wouldn't Like Me: I can't stop talking for fear of listening to unwelcome sound - I really like the lyrics in this song. For a while I was like this should be my theme song, but not really because I'm rarely that emo. Also kind of repetitive, but not in the same way.
- Speak Slow: When your love lets you go / you only want love more - It's interesting that for my least favorite album I wanted to put up three songs. This one is a lot catchier and rock-out-ish. If that makes sense. You can really get into the rhythm of it.
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The Con
Since this CD hasn't been released yet, I'd feel bad uploading songs from it in a public post like this. So instead I'm going to direct you to their Myspace page where you can sample two songs, "Back In Your Head" and "The Con" This CD is amazing though, really. It may just bump If It Was You out of first place. It's got a much more complex sound and a lot of different influences. Sooo good.
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Live
How could I skip their live stuff? This is what made me fall in love with them in the first place! Yeah, this is pretty much self-explanatory. They have some songs they haven't released but have done live. The thing about Tegan and Sara fans? They're crazy (obviously, look at this post). There is a audio and video recording of almost every single concert out there. Tegan and Sara not only know about this, but in fact encourage it. Anyway, live is when they do most of their story-telling, so there's some of that in these clips.
- Your Love: I trust in you and me to keep us up above / the dark clouds that are circling around - I love this story and the bantering between the two of them. "This song is for Sara." "No it's not, she just couldn't think of someone funny to sing it about." "No, it's for you." "Ok, thank you." Plus it was one of the clearer live songs I have.
- When I Get Up: I don't need air / I don't need to breathe / I don't need rest / I don't have time to sleep / cause I've got you and you've got me / and that's all we need - This is the second song from the Yellowknife clip, but not from that show. You know, the "road" song, haha. More acoustic fun. "Again, it's not for Sara, 'cause that's creepy."
Um. Okay I think I'm done.
Oh! SOMETHING I'M VERY EXCITED FOR:
I'M GOING TO SEE THEM THIS AUGUST YAYAYAYAY. Yes, that is my iTunes playing Tegan and Sara in the background. I had to be listening to them to get in the groove of this post, right? It's possible I'm more than a little obsessed.
Anyway, to conclude. IF YOU LIKED ANY OF THIS STUFF? TELL ME AND I'LL BE SOOOO HAPPY. Also I'll get you more! *is a complete pimp*
Song of the Day: Uh. Take a gander at the 35092347 songs above. Those are your songs of the day. Aren't you LUCKY?!
Random fact of the Day: Early versions of the first album Under Feet Like Ours had the name "Sara and Tegan" until they changed it later and re-released it with the new name. These early versions are extremely rare, so if you ever find one and gave it to me I'd love you forever. FOREVER.
Um, it's really big though. FYI for slow connection peoples.
First of all, meet Tegan Rain Quin (you can tell her apart by the labret piercing she has):
And her twin sister Sara Kiersten Quin:
Together they are Tegan and Sara!
So who are they really? Well, they have a bunch of labels, but they hate them.. and I hate people pigeonholing them into those labels. So, they're Tegan and Sara Quin, and they're cool. They're songwriters, guitarists and vocalists. They're funny and tell hilarious stories in the middle of performances. They fight all the time and it's so funny. And okay, they're from Canada. Calgary, Alberta to be exact. You know that's cool.
What genre do Tegan and Sara fall under? I have no clue! In my iTunes they're "indie," at Wikipedia they're "indie pop/indie rock," they describe themselves as "indie/pop/alternative." See, to me that's a lot of genres, I dunno. They're very fluid. Each CD changes sounds. They go from early acoustic sound to later pop-hooky sounds, while still keeping themselves very alternative. They've got influences ranging from the early 80s music they grew up listening to, to contemporary alternative bands they tour with. Plus, both Tegan and Sara write their own songs separately, so it's like getting two artists on one CD. It's pretty much just good music. That's the genre: good. No, FANTASTIC. I should change that in my iTunes.
How did you get into them anyway? Okay, I'll admit it. I'm one of those awful, no-good RECENT fans. I came in after So Jealous was ALREADY OUT! *gasp* And part of my getting into them was hearing them on Grey's Anatomy! Obviously my fan status should be revoked. In all seriousness though, it was a combination of things. Mostly, Lauren (abunchofcrap) sent me a mixed cd with a bunch of their songs. At the same time, I was hearing them on Grey's Anatomy and Veronica Mars and liked what I heard. But it was one song that Lauren sent me that they did live, a cover of "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls (Edit: spoonerknife wanted this song so here.) ... and they were just so funny quibbling with each other and telling stories, plus, 80's love hello, that I had to go looking for every single live performance I could find, and trust me, there's a lot. In a sense, YouTube should get just as much credit for it. Anyway, I obsessed HARD after that. And here we are!
Okay so how about we start with some video clips?? I've got a variety here, so if you don't want to watch them all (though you SHOULD), you can pick based on what you think you'd like most.
-----
First off we have a segment of their performance at Yellowknife in Canada. This is one of my favorite shows. It's an excellent example of what I meant by both the hilarious story-telling and the fighting. The sound quality isn't the best for the actual performance, and it's acoustic.. so don't base what you hear in this as any sort of real indication of their music or talent.
Click to viewIt starts off with Tegan referencing something from earlier (you can find that and pretty much the whole performance here.) and then launching into a story about the song she's about to sing. My favorite part of it is this interaction:
Tegan: Sara was really supportive though, through it all. *pauses and shakes head* No, she wasn't.
Sara: I was! I wasn't totally sure how many nights you were going to sleep in my bed.
Tegan: Whatever, I slept in your bed once, and that was right after it happened. ... And I didn't like it. *starts playing song*
Hee. Anyway, after that they start playing.. but keep watching, because right in the middle of the song Sara screws up. Twice. And Tegan gets pissed. What follows is hilarity. I would quote my favorite bits, but that would be the whole thing, so just watch!
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This is a commercial they released for their 4th album So Jealous. Pretty much, it's them just yelling at each other. According to their interviews and such, the recording process is ridiculously stressful for them and they constantly have meltdowns. This is a hilarious montage of that happening.
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This is a better clip of them doing acoustic live. If you're an acoustic fan, you'll probably enjoy it. I don't tend to like it as much, but with Tegan & Sara I do. Also as a little bonus, they tell another funny story.
I think one of the best things about their story-telling is that they're still playing the song in the background, and as soon as they finish talking they can launch right into it. It makes for a great comedic effect. Like in this video, Tegan's annoyed smile straight into the song. And then right in the middle of it Sara talking to Rob.
-----
This is the released segment of the DVD for The Con, which is their newest album that is yet to be released. (JULY 24TH PEOPLE) It's pretty much talking about the song "The Con" and how they determined what to name the album. It's not as funny as the other clips, and it's a lot longer.. but it's THE CON so I got really excited and had to put it in. Emy in a forest ranger outfit is pretty amazing though. And also Tegan in glasses. Glasses like MY glasses. Also, you get to hear the song at the end of this clip, and it's one of my favorites off the new CD.
Tegan: "Sugar, Spell It Out," Sara explained it to me like "spell it out," "get to the point," "say what you mean," but I don't think we ever fucking do that.
Sara: I do that.
Tegan: Sara thinks she does that.
They don't do that.
-----
Okay, I love this clip so much I had to load it onto my own photobucket to show you (because YouTube is a big brat sometimes). This is a clip from an MTVU special they did on Valentine's Day. They answered questions from a bunch of college students on love or sex or Valentine's Day in general. The best bit is at the end.
Tegan's face?? PRICELESS. She looks completely horrified. "WTF is a baller?!" Oh Tegan.
-----
Okay! Whew. Now that the video bit's over, it's time to talk about SONGS. I tried thinking of how I should do this. I wasn't sure if I should just do a mass of all my favorites, but I realized that would be wayyy too much. So I settled on doing a couple from each album so you could get a taste for it. AND HOPEFULLY MAYBE WANT MORE??!
Under Feet Like Ours
Okay first of all, is that not the cutest picture ever? Aww. Okay anyway. This is their first actual studio album. They released a couple of demos before this, but we'll ignore that. The sound for this cd is a lot more acoustic than any of their later works. They released this independently, so it's simple. This is the only CD of theirs I don't actually own :( Well, except the new one that's not released but I WILL own it as soon as it's released.
- Divided: She's out on the highway / she's got a homemade sign that says / go ahead try to figure out what my future looks like - I'll be honest, I only put this song up because of the beginning. Little!Tegan (I think it's Tegan) says "This is MY tape recorder!" in the cutest voice ever. EVER. And then older!Sara says "Yeah, talk like that so when you're 18 and listening to this you can hear what a brat you were." Hehehe.
- Come On: You got your prophets and your mathematicians / the vocal fuel of a generation - This is possibly my favorite song by them. There's a version on This Business of Art too, and I couldn't pick which one I wanted to upload. I guess I decided on this version? Uh, whatever. I don't even know why it's my favorite song. It's just good? The lyrics are pretty. *shrugs*
-----
This Business Of Art
This is their first album released under the Vapor label. Of course, since they got signed like right away, a lot of the songs on this CD are the same as the ones from their independent album. The only difference is that they're a little louder, they've got a bit more going on in the melody. But they still didn't have a permanent "band" at this point, so not as developed drums or anything.
- The First: We decide to go out walking / the whole time that we're talking / convinced that we're living / the whole time that we're dying - I like the momentum of this song. It kind of just keeps you bopping along. Can you tell I'm so out of steam for this post? Also, this is the first song they had a music video for. They start it off with "Uh, this is kind of a boy's set. Did you know we were girls? Where are all the flowers and shit?"
- My Number: He grabs me by the hand / drags me to the shore / and says maybe you don't love me / but you'll grow to love me even more - I have no clue why I picked this one. Maybe because it got released and played on David Letterman? *shrugs* It's pretty though.
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If It Was You
This is my favorite album, but that's completely arbitrary. I think it's because it's between the acoustic sound of This Business of Art and the So Jealous pop-hooky sound. It's a nice combination of both, but at the same time it's a sound all its own. This is also the cd where they started forming a more solid fan base.
- City Girl: I sleep so little / watch the stars fade into day - I realized I picked a lot of Tegan songs in this. I tend to like Tegan songs better. Sara's got good songs too, but the ones I find the catchiest and like the most lyrically are Tegan songs. Like this one, awesome lyrics.
- Living Room: I hope I never figure out who broke your heart / and if I do if I do / I'd spend all night losing sleep / I'd spend the night and I'd lose my mind - This one also had a music video you can take a peek at. It's got this kind of odd twangy sound to it, like country banjo sound or something. But in a good way... promise.
-----
So Jealous
So, this is the album that's blamed for Tegan and Sara becoming "mainstream" by the older fans. Which is really just bull. I don't understand why it's bad when a band you like does well? Whatever. Anyway, this CD is probably my least favorite, but I still adore it. The sound is very hook-y and simple. The lyrics are repetitive and get stuck in your head very easily. It's hard to explain... it has a very simple sound, but not in the acoustic way. Does that make sense?
- Walking With A Ghost: No matter which way you go / no matter which way you stay / you're out of mind / out of my mind - Ah, here's a Sara song. This is what I mean by repetitive and simple. But this song did very well, and it was probably a significant factor in propelling them toward a more mainstream fan base. This one also had a music video. It's weird. Very Sara. Apparently she thought it up while drugged up on medications... and it shows. =P
- You Wouldn't Like Me: I can't stop talking for fear of listening to unwelcome sound - I really like the lyrics in this song. For a while I was like this should be my theme song, but not really because I'm rarely that emo. Also kind of repetitive, but not in the same way.
- Speak Slow: When your love lets you go / you only want love more - It's interesting that for my least favorite album I wanted to put up three songs. This one is a lot catchier and rock-out-ish. If that makes sense. You can really get into the rhythm of it.
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The Con
Since this CD hasn't been released yet, I'd feel bad uploading songs from it in a public post like this. So instead I'm going to direct you to their Myspace page where you can sample two songs, "Back In Your Head" and "The Con" This CD is amazing though, really. It may just bump If It Was You out of first place. It's got a much more complex sound and a lot of different influences. Sooo good.
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Live
How could I skip their live stuff? This is what made me fall in love with them in the first place! Yeah, this is pretty much self-explanatory. They have some songs they haven't released but have done live. The thing about Tegan and Sara fans? They're crazy (obviously, look at this post). There is a audio and video recording of almost every single concert out there. Tegan and Sara not only know about this, but in fact encourage it. Anyway, live is when they do most of their story-telling, so there's some of that in these clips.
- Your Love: I trust in you and me to keep us up above / the dark clouds that are circling around - I love this story and the bantering between the two of them. "This song is for Sara." "No it's not, she just couldn't think of someone funny to sing it about." "No, it's for you." "Ok, thank you." Plus it was one of the clearer live songs I have.
- When I Get Up: I don't need air / I don't need to breathe / I don't need rest / I don't have time to sleep / cause I've got you and you've got me / and that's all we need - This is the second song from the Yellowknife clip, but not from that show. You know, the "road" song, haha. More acoustic fun. "Again, it's not for Sara, 'cause that's creepy."
Um. Okay I think I'm done.
Oh! SOMETHING I'M VERY EXCITED FOR:
I'M GOING TO SEE THEM THIS AUGUST YAYAYAYAY. Yes, that is my iTunes playing Tegan and Sara in the background. I had to be listening to them to get in the groove of this post, right? It's possible I'm more than a little obsessed.
Anyway, to conclude. IF YOU LIKED ANY OF THIS STUFF? TELL ME AND I'LL BE SOOOO HAPPY. Also I'll get you more! *is a complete pimp*
Song of the Day: Uh. Take a gander at the 35092347 songs above. Those are your songs of the day. Aren't you LUCKY?!
Random fact of the Day: Early versions of the first album Under Feet Like Ours had the name "Sara and Tegan" until they changed it later and re-released it with the new name. These early versions are extremely rare, so if you ever find one and gave it to me I'd love you forever. FOREVER.