Top Five Tegan & Sara Songs
Doing a top five for Tegan & Sara, is like asking a person, "You have ten fingers. Pick five, the rest get the axe?"
Honestly, what do you do? Well, thumbs, I gotta keep my thumbs. Three more left, my index fingers, I need those too. The last one? Should I take the middle finger on my left-hand since that's my dominant hand, and strategically placed for communication? Or how about my ring finger, on the off hand chance I get married?
Well, that's exactly what picking five of Tegan & Sara's songs is like. Which favourite songs do I pick, and which awesome and glorious songs do I give the axe?
Okay the list. Format is Song-Album. I figure I should throw in the album as well.
5) Walking With A Ghost- So Jealous
This is the ring finger of the bunch. This was the Tegan & Sara song that sold me. andythesaint {See, hyperlinked, happy now?} burnt me a CD with Walking With A Ghost on it, followed by me buying So Jealous. Listening to Walking With A Ghost right now,I know it isn't their most lyrically driven song, yet it has that guitar rift that simply drives the song.
As a note, another song with music video I don't like. Much like movies derived from books, music videos never seem to capture the essence of a song. Than again, for me most music videos would involve watching walk, while the music plays. Easy to explain as I usually listen to music when I am going somewhere.
4) Monday Monday Monday-If It Was You
One of their poppier numbers. I rather like their lyrics, and Tegan & Sara know how to crescendo. Rather important point when they hit Monday. Not to mention they make Monday sound so happy. Not exactly the worse feeling one might feel toward Monday.
3) My Number-This Business of Art
I'm fairly certain this is andythesaint's favourite song. I can definitely see why. Of course, he was into Tegan & Sara before me. I got in with So Jealous, so I gravitate towards that album.
My Number is of the few songs where the percussion stands out. Also one of their longer songs in that it last longer than 4 minutes. As one of their longer songs, they demonstrate their talent as musicians in drawing it out, starting quietly, yet because of the percussion, boldy, and finally coming to their peak, when they're good and ready. A lot of bands will hit it their sound peak early, or start to loud and leave themselves nowhere to go. Tegan & Sara do not.
2) Fix You Up-So Jealous
One of their ballads. Even though it is fairly average length, 2 mins 53 secs, they really pack the sound in without sounding cluttered. If there is something that Tegan & Sara manage very well, it is their arrangements and how they give their songs a full sound, with that clutter. Clutter being when an artist or whomever throws in that extra bit that is just distracting.
1) I Can't Take It-So Jealous
Another ballad, and one of their longer ones at 4 mins 28 secs. I think this song really is a kind of musical pinnacle for them. I honestly don't think they have a better song. This songs shows their mastery at restraint. Not until they only have a minute and a half left do they really start belting it out. Everthing before that last minute and a half they are building, they're leading, they're beguiling the listener till they finally take the listener to the next level of the song which is simply majestic.
Next on my list of things to do is, well a Geology Exam, but after that I'll have to do an album by album top Five Lists.
As a note, I can't tell the difference between Tegan & Sara. I also haven't bother trying, but that's beside the point.