Disco de Tegan and Sara: “So Jealous”

This is hands down the best punky pop cd since the gogo's beauty and the beat. I can't get the melodies out of my head. Every song grows on me more each time. "I Know I Know I Know" is total ear candy with just enough kick to be fun. "Fine By You" is delicous grrr rock, and the finale "I Can't Take It" reminds me of such classic enders as "Only in My Dreams" on the Weezer blue album. Do purchase. The best album this year by FAR!

I should admit that my motivation for writing this review - I never write Amazon reviews - is just to help kick this album up to its rightful 5-star rating. (Is Hughes Orsetti a creep or what?)

I was turned on to this record by a recommendation from USA Today's website (of all places!) and they instantly became my New Favorite Band. What excellent songs, my goodness. This is easily one of the best records of 2004.

The thing that freaks me out about Tegan and Sara is that they write songs separately, each having very much their own style, yet their respective songs complement the other's so well. Two great songwriters for the price of one. Either could make outstanding records on her own if she wanted to, but I'm glad they stick together. They're stronger that way. Tegan strikes me as a little more classic pop: I definitely hear an early Pretenders influence in her melodies, and that's not a bad thing. "I Know I Know I Know" and "Wake Up Exhausted" both have a lovely, lilting swoon to them that reminds me of Chrissie Hynde's best songs. Great stuff. Sara's songs are, as others here have noted, a little more experimental on this record, often with thrilling results. "So Jealous," with its unpredictable structure and ever-changing dynamics, makes a perfect title song for the record. When the song gets to the chorus and Sara wails "I GET SO JEALLLLOUSS!" - it's a goosebump moment. Brilliant.

I've given up on trying to predict when a group will hit it big. There doesn't seem to be any connection these days between merit and success. We have to hear about all these crappy teen pop-stars while awesomely talented artists are shoved off to the indie music fringe. I just don't get it. Do Tegan and Sara deserve to be hugely successful? You bet they do. Will they be? I honestly don't know. I hope so. Their songwriting is right at the front rank of the best stuff that's out there right now. And they're very charismatic, very charming, very everything. What's not to like? Who doesn't like excellent, emotional power-pop? If Tegan and Sara, with all their obvious greatness, don't attain a high level of popularity sometime soon, I will lose all faith in humanity.

If you like Tegan and Sara, the best thing you can do to help them is simply: spread the word. Every single one of my friends that I've recommended them to is now a fan. Good taste will prevail! There is still hope! Thank you and goodnight!

While I am a fairly new fan of T&S, having discovered this CD in 2007, it has already become one of my favorite albums. The 14 tracks here are simply perfect heartbreak pop. All the songs WILL be stuck in your head at sometime or another. Good hooks, bright guitar and the ever emotive voices of Tegan and Sara Quin make for one essential album. On tracks like the brilliant "I Won't Be Left" the sisters voices are layered perfectly in the choruses and the result is pure magic. The Quin sisters are so good at what they do that even songs that are slower and built around minor chord progressions will have you nodding your head, or tapping your foot. The disk is produced by Howard Redekopp and David Carswell(the New Pornographers) so you know there is plenty of gloss and polish on this refined piece of ear candy.

Simply put, this is one of those records that comes around once or twice a year, if you're lucky, and stays in your CD player seemingly forever. This is the best pop music, pop with staying power, that you will keep coming back to over and over again. A must buy.

Being a huge Tegan and Sara fan, I had high expectations for this album. Thankfully, I was not let down. Not at all. In fact, this is my favourite album from Tegan and Sara to date, and among my top five favourite albums of all time. In all honesty, I haven't stopped listening to this CD since I bought it the day it was released. With a running time of just over 45 minutes, 'So Jealous' is Tegan and Sara's longest album to date. This is awesome as the short length of their previous two major-label records was their largest set-back.

'You Wouldn't Like Me' starts the album off on a high note. It's simple, which allows the girls' genuine lyrics shine through. About halfway through the track, the music really starts to speed up, which sets the tone for the rest of the album. It's a genius opener. 'Take Me Anywhere' starts up perfectly, as though the previous track never ended. Despite the smooth transition and both songs being simple and relying a lot on vocals, the two tracks are still very distinct. The third track, 'I Bet It Stung' is among the best on the album. Beginning with the lyrics "I know you plan out/everything that you want to say/I wish that we didn't/have to go about things this way" before slipping smoothly into the girls' self-proclaimed love for rock and roll. The vocals and music sit together perfectly on this song and the end result is beautiful. 'I Know I Know I Know' is a sweet (but not sugary, gag-inducing sweet) song. Probably among the more pop-inspired, upbeat tracks, it's very catchy and the listener can't help but fall in love with it. I find myself really liking the drums on it.

The fifth track is 'Where Does The Good Go'. I absolutely love this song. It's about a break-up, and obviously poses the question asked in the title as well as wondering things such as where you go "with your broken heart in tow". The vocals are definitely the best part of this song. I'm not sure if it's Tegan or Sara taking the lead, but whoever it is, she sounds almost as if she's on the verge of tears, which sounds incredible. You can almost see the emotion radiating from this song, as if it's you the girls are singing to. 'Downtown' is a sweet song and includes some of my favourite lines from the entire album; "If I'm gonna get up/I'll just admit it/I'll only get up for you". The chorus is very smooth and tranquil, almost innocent in a sense. It leaves the listener imagining the girls in a dream-like state. 'I Won't Be Left' is my personal favourite song from the album. It deals with refusing to be the one left behind reliving old memories and regretting things gone wrong. It opens very simply, with just vocals and a guitar before really starting up. When the drums come in, that's when the chorus and the song really begin. Very simple and catchy, this is an amazing song.

'Walking With A Ghost' was the first single to drop from 'So Jealous', and with good reason. It's an awesome track which seems to be directed to an ex-lover, referring to them as a "ghost" who is out of the girls' mind for good. It's very short, but the fact that it's so good makes up for it. There's no question that 'So Jealous' is one of the most original tracks the girls have done to date (right up there with 'Superstar' and 'Living Room'). An amazing array of instruments, and such honesty in the lyrics make this track flawless. You never really know what's coming next, which (in my humble opinion) is the mark of a great song and extremely talented musicians. 'Speak Slow' is a very upbeat, infectious track. Extremely catchy and danceable, it's among the most enjoyable songs off of 'So Jealous'. In fact, I'd venture in saying it's probably the most fun track from this album, and possibly from the girls' two previous major-label albums as well. The music video for it is also something you won't want to miss, as you can't help but fall in love with the girls and their silly antics while watching it.

'Wake Up Exhausted' slows down a bit at the beginning, quite unlike it's predecessor. This is an extremely calming song which leaves me swaying in my seat every time I hear it. 'We Didn't Do It' makes certain to tell listeners that the twins didn't "do it" for such reasons as money or happiness, and that they actually don't know why they did "it" (presumably, get into music, or that's how I interpret it). My favourite line would definitely be, "We didn't do it/To be happy/So I can whine". Although this track has a slightly dark feeling to it, it's still rather upbeat, at least compared to some of their older songs. I find 'Fix You Up' to be a very heartbreaking song. Tegan and Sara invite someone who is assumingly depressed to come on in so that they can fix them up. However, they also speak about how they're unhappy as well, which makes it even sadder than it would have previously been. The album closes with a bang with 'I Can't Take It'. The transition between the last two tracks is amazing and flawless as they are both very simple and relaxed. With repetitive lyrics (that actually don't get old, amazingly enough), you can't help but mouth along. I put on these last two tracks to calm me down, and they work every single time.

This is definitely not an album you'll want to miss. There's no doubt that this is one of the best albums of 2004. If you've liked the girl's previous work, why haven't you already bought this album? Go get it! If you're unsure if you should get it, I'd recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone and everyone, this is an album no good CD collection should be without.

THE FINAL VERDICT: 100%

These gals are incredible musicians, especially considering that they are so young and are twins too! This is a very good CD. Existing fans will love it. Those new to T and S will like it too. However, I'd suggest starting with "This Business of Art" to introduce you to who and what and how great they are. It was their first album and I think it is still their best. But this one and "It Was You" are just so great too. You really can't go wrong with any of their albums. Such a distinct sound that incorporates angst, love, feelings confused, feelings realized, seemingly random thoughts that, in the end, make perfect sense and metamophasizes music into life.