Tegan And Sara — The Con

The Con

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Scott Bryson (CHARTattack)

07/24/2007 2:29pm

The Quin twins may live at opposite ends of the country these days, but if any disconnection exists between the two, it isn't evident on The Con, their fifth and most mature full-length. Still content to sing about love, Tegan And Sara quickly drift away from wishful opener "I Was Married" into a world of relationships marred by lies, cheating and fleeing from pasts full of self-doubt. The sisters have cast themselves in the role of bad guys on this outing, hurting their loved ones and looking for ways to fix things when it's far too late. The good news is that the duo have become quite skilled in the art of self-deprecation. The mood here is definitely darker than it's been on their past discs, but the songs show a welcomed range, moving from straight-up rock to piano-driven pop to moodier electronic fare. The fact that Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla took enough of an interest in the Canadian sisters to produce this disc should alone throw up flags that something special is going on here.