Today is the most important day to ever happen in the history of the music since Britney & Madonna kissed on the MTV VMAs because today Tegan & Sara’s brand new album SAINTHOOD comes out. You know, the one you’ve been listening to via MySpace, causing your ex-friends to wonder why you’re suddenly on myspace all the time again. I can’t wait to buy it and not have to see that effin’ Twilight ad every time the music stops!
So put on your little emo t-shirt and hop skippity jump to the record store to get your copy. Crystal & Emily have already reviewed Sainthood overall and reviewed Sainthood track-by-track and offered you a chance to win a copy. You have until October 31st to do so!
Furthermore, Katrina and Crystal each took a turn interviewing our New BFF Tegan Quin in Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara: The Autostraddle Interview(s).
The girls at saraandtegan [dot] ca [Autostraddle Trivia: “dot ca” is where Internicaine Katrina and Intern Emily Choo of Autostraddle met each other! Isn’t the internet MAGIC?] want to celebrate the release of Sainthood by making #sainthood a trending topic on twitter tomorrow. Why? Well, WHY THE F*CK NOT!
Wrists [Sara]
Emily: Hey! Something new: I love Sara’s lyrics. The weirder, the better. Initially I thought this was another collaboration song because Sara uses a lot of backing vocals and I thought the lower voice was Tegan. Regardless, this is still a good song. Does the guitar make anyone think of the Like O, Like H demo? Um.. so.. I think ‘Wrists’ is about a relationship.. JK.
Maybe it’s about Sara having to carry more than her weight in a relationship (I don’t what this means, I don’t know how to have ‘relationships’ but I hear of this thing called ‘balance’ and there might be a lack of it here). She says “I carry weight like a shadow” which I’m assuming is the other person, and then says “so put me next to the window, put me next to the light” which would make the shadow disappear. She also says, “Could be this way with almost just anybody.” Is her partner easily replaced? Only Sara will know. And whomever may be sleeping outside her window.
Crystal: Thank God for the internet, without it I would have no idea what Sara is singing in either of these bonus tracks. That’s the thing about Sara’s songs though, isn’t it. You hear the lyrics and instinctively think ‘no, that can’t be right!’ but then they are right, when you hear, “don’t judge a book by the size of its wrist” then that is exactly what she means, no matter what that means. This is a good track, I like it because it’s a little different, unexpected. Those of you who were hoping these acoustic tracks would be similar to fan favourites like ‘Call It Off’ and ‘Fix You Up’ could potentially be a little disappointed, but that should clear right up before the song is over.
Light Up [Sara]
Emily: I really like this song. It’s dreamy, and I agree with Crystal, it sounds like a lullaby. Unlike Crystal, however, I never even thought of smoking. I think it’s because my opinion was tainted by this article and now I’m convinced it’s about Britney Spears. Also there was a picture on their myspace once with the caption ‘Britney, it’s Sara, bitch’. Clearly that was foreshadowing for this song. Other than that, I really love the line “let them say what they will, ’cause they will anyhow”. SO CATCHY/profound.
Crystal: I bought this song for $1.69 on iTunes and it was totally worth it. It’s sounds like a dark lullaby, one that makes me want to smoke weed and then take a very long nap. Although I’m not certain that lighting up is a direct reference to smoking, I feel like it’s a metaphor for not worrying rather than an actual instruction that kids everywhere should toke up. I could be wrong. But generally speaking, Sara’s a fan of the metaphor, isn’t she. I’ve noticed that. If Tegan & Sara ever decide to take on more side projects then Sara should maybe start a band with Live frontman Eddie Kowalczyk, they would make such amazing metaphors together.
It Was Midnight [Tegan]
Emily: I have to admit it: I’m not really impressed with It Was Midnight. I think it sounds like a radio pop song or Miley Cyrus (I expect people will now TP my house on halloween for these blasphemous comments). When I hear “don’t run away” my mind wanders and I start singing “Change Your Mind” by the All-American Rejects, and that’s not a good comparison. Well, maybe it is for the 15 year old me. Anyways, good things about this track: I really dig the drums and guitar. Um, that’s it. Sorry, Tegan.
Crystal: This is my favourite bonus track. I see where Emily is coming from, sure. It doesn’t sound like the Tegan & Sara I’ve been listening to lately but that’s fine, I enjoy that the T train has mixed it up I mean she’s just bein’ Miley. And it’s fast and only two-minutes long, which is perfect for my attention span. You know what really like in a recording? When you can hear faint squeaks of the guitarist changing chords. Hat tip, Tegan.
Also, this week wraps up your entry period for the Tegan & Sara: Sainthood giveaway, so be sure to do that STAT.
Here’s a bunch of photos of your favorite twins, from the 90s ’til the ’09. What cuties!
And if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the music video for “Hell.”
can someone go through that amazing slideshow and just write ‘tegan’ and ‘sara’ w/ little arrows pointing to the appropriate gal, plz? that’d be great. k thnx.
I’m glad to hear that you cannot tell them apart either. Thank you for making me feel a little less alone.
I COULD DO THAT. Well, I dunno about on the slide show, but I was thinking about doing that exact thing on my blog…
Elizabeth if you can really do that go into “manage galleries” and indicate [right] and [left] on all this shit. email me!
Wow now i feel like a freak ’cause i can tell them apart so easily… I spend a little too much time watching the youtube videos. I’ve been talking non stop about them for the last couple of weeks and i have been banished to a corner of the house my roomate has decided to call the “obsession corner” whenever i even start to mention them… I spend a lot of time there. XD
I have been into them less than a year. But I could always tell the difference. IDK I just get it..
i can’t even imagine how i used to be unable to tell them apart… like, its so blatant to me now. whenever i see a picture where they actually do look similar i think “oh yeah, they’re twins, i forgot” lol
anyway: sainthood! number one on my priority list tomorrow, screw lectures. :)
There are postal strikes here, yet my copy of Sainthood still arrived in the post. I’m convinced it is magic.
I’m pretty sure it is too. That, or everyone else in the postal service wanted to make sure they got their copies of Sainthood too, and so it’s the only thing being processed.
They are practicing sainthood.
THIS
sainthoodaaaaaaaaahun. I’m pretty sure that’s the only noise that would come out if I opened my mouth right now.
lalalala my itunes is being lazy. My ears want the bonus tracks!
oh lynne, it was lazy for me too. but seriously 4:24 am??
Stinkin iTunes. I ended up canceling my pre-order because I couldn’t wait any longer. Evidently if you buy It Was Midnight by itself on the regular album, then the bonus tracks album, you’re set!
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P.S. Yay for AS reviews! (:
ehhh. I was up anyway!
I love Light Up. The layering of the vocals is so soothing. I like this album more than anything from the past and don’t freak out on me – remember I’m probably not their target audience age-wise. ha.
FUCK. After hearing these two bonus tracks I take back my earlier negative comments regarding Sara. They’re both so powerful, and they clicked instantly, the only Sara songs to do so since Relief Next To Me.
I have nothing more to say, except…wow.
really? i thought wrists was pretty weak compared to sentimental tune.
although i like the bonus tracks because they don’t get overproduced like the rest of the album.
I actually prefer Wrists to Light Up, though I think most people are the opposite. Both are nothing compared to Sentimental Tune, howevs.
Werd.
Is there not another song from pre-orders… It Was Midnight? Or something like that?
What about it was midnight? It said it was a pre-order only but if you click on the 9.99 version of sainthood on itunes its there to buy seperatly.
bastards!
I haven’t heard ‘It Was Midnight’ because I pre-ordered through a record store, not iTunes. iTunes Australia does not have this track listed, maybe it wasn’t released in my country.
So! If anyone would like to email this track to me, we’ll share our feelings about it. (crystal at autostraddle dot com)
Scratch that, got the track now.
Thank you Autostraddle for those awesome pictures, you made my day! SAINTHOOD FTW!!!
thanks!! you guys totally made my day better!!
Haha! I don’t think that Light Up has anything to do with BSpears. Immediately while I was listening to it I knew that it was about her mom and her parents divorce. With that being said, I downloaded the album last night from iTunes as soon as I was able to, then today during my lunch break I went out and bought the actual hard copy. Best fucking day. Ever!
I feel like only word from Sara herself will convince me Light Up is not about Britney Spears :P.
I hate to admit you may have a point there.
I got my album and I’ve listened to it like… 8 times now? *today* Lots of stuff I love, and some I need to listen to a few times. I REALLY like Wrists, like, really really.
NOT to spam, but I made a coloring page of the pic of T&S with Amanda Palmer and Amy Cook a week or two ago – just click the ~ without shading go “HERE” and print it out.
:)
wait. wait. wait. emily, who are you on .ca?
hahaha ooh. I was tempted to reveal myself in the article thread about the track by track review. But mystery is attractive, I hear. Just so you know, I rarely post there anymore.
lay back and light up without any guilt…
the best of the bonus tracks. When did Sara become a lyrical genius?
So wait, am I the only dumbass who doesn’t know where these magical bonus tracks can be listened to?
I love It Was Midnight.
And Sentimental Tune is just ok for me.
Crystal is going to hurt me for bringing this up, but have we heard the track “sheets”? do we have feelings about it? Am i living under a rock for only just realising this exists? Just a heads up, sportsgirl have this track up to download on the freebies page of their website. i know, right? weird.
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off topic: i bought a playsuit from sportsgirl yesterday, and i’m in LOVE with it.that’s all.