Tegan and Sara - Alligator Review
Posted by Vanessa Willoughby on 04.10.2010
Canadian singer/songwriter twins, Tegan and Sara, have released their remix album, Alligator. Seeing as how the album contains seventeen remixes of the same song, the question stands: how can an artist put out a remix album without it becoming repetitive?
Hot off the heels of their 2009 release, Sainthood, Canadian sister-duo Tegan and Sara Quin have released their EP entitled Alligator, which features seventeen remixes of the title song.
The pair, which started playing together in high school, was signed by Eliot Roberts and Neil Young to Vapor Records in 2000. Excluding the Alligator EP, they’ve released six studio albums. The twins, who have had a steady career spanning over ten years, quickly earned a slew of fans with their frank, emotionally honest lyrics and harmonic guitar melodies. With the release of each new album, critics are also recognizing the underrated talent of the band. Sainthood received generous acclaim, as Spin lauded it with four out of five stars. Reviewer Mikael Wood said, “Grown-up is a good look for the sisters, who write about romantic obsession much more compellingly than the majority of their peers; the tougher textures here lend weight to their descriptions of searching and not finding.”
Much to the appeal of every indie/alternative devotee, the record lists talents such as Passion Pit, VHS or Beta, and Ra Ra Riot. Truthfully, seventeen tracks of the same song can feel a bit redundant. With Alligator, the majority of the remixes are not entirely fresh, but they make the honest effort to create something new, interesting, and appealing out of something quite basic. The lyrics of the original song are nothing groundbreaking, albeit cotton-candy sweet and undeniably catchy. In comparison to Tegan and Sara’s other songs, it makes sense that this one would be chosen for such an extensive remix album, as its no-fuss musical and lyrical foundation provide multiple possibilities of reinvention.
Sara sings:
Sensitive
It's true
Alligator tears
Cried over you
Over you, over you
Over you, over you
Run around on me
Sooner die without
Run around on me
Die without
The original demo of the song, also included on the EP, reveals a soulful tug of the heartstrings and in comparison to the highly-processed beats of the remixes, feels much more stripped down. The emphasis is on the sisters’ voices, while the piano in the background sounds almost like the light echo of music from a child’s jewelry box.
The opening remix by Holy Fuck dresses up the lyrics in a trippy, electronic edge, the Nintendo-sounding beats replacing the anchor once provided by the original demo’s piano. In comparison, the second remix, done by Passion Pit, is completely imprinted with the trademark style of the aforementioned group. Instead of Tegan and Sara, the listener is automatically struck by the familiar techniques of Passion Pit; minus the lyrics, the remix has been fully reclaimed by the Cambridge-based band. The keyboard work is fairly reminiscent of the sweeping chords of “Sleepyhead” and “I’ve Got Your Number.” The juxtaposition of the first two remixes, which rely on electronic sounds, shows how two artists can work in the same genre and create two different results.
The third track, as remixed by Toro Y Moi, is a mellow take on the electronic sound. In comparison to Holy Fuck and Passion Pit, the keyboard work is much more subtle, much more soft. The track blends into the proceeding VHS or Beta remix, which is at times, indistinguishable from the previous three tracks. Although sound may be varied, the actual execution does little to separate from the other remixes. The main thing that seems to stick out is that the VHS or Beta remix is much peppier, much more optimistic in a sense, than the controlled restraint of Toro Y Moi’s contribution.
The fifth track, as remixed by Doveman, is not dictated by the keyboard, but rather the intent of the original demo. The electronics aren’t overbearing and help complete the overall composition, rather than shape the song itself.
The Four Tet and Murge remixes are nothing spectacular, though still notable for their ability to bend a track, originally geared in the genre of singer/songwriter, to resemble the distinct style of the indie scene’s electronic bands.
Ra Ra Riot lends their talent to Alligator, producing a track that is unquestionably marked by their style. Like the Passion Pit remix, the sound of Ra Ra Riot is much more detectable than the one connected to Tegan and Sara.
The Morgan Page remix is one of the few that seems much more club-oriented than the other tracks. Nearly a minute into the track and the listener seems to be hit with an homage to Paul Oakenfold or Fat Boy Slim.
As a whole, some of the tracks may appear lackluster and repetitive. But analyzed and dissected on an individual basis, quite a few are quirky reflections of each contributing artist, rather than the creative integrity of the two sisters. While it does have a certain flow, the sheer amount of tracks stacked on one album decreases the impact of each song. Then again, this is due to the very issues that arise with remix albums, rather than the musical ingenuity of each individual song.
All in all, Alligator is an album of seventeen remixes that, in the end, collectively embrace the same New Wave-electronic sound.
The 411: Featuring seventeen remixes of the same song, it's not surprising that some of the tracks are repetitive. At the same time, due to the style of each artist, the overall execution of the tracks stays in a similar genre. In the end, the seventeen tracks are all hoping to achieve an electronic New Wave sound that becomes predictable before even reaching the middle of the album. Even hardcore Tegan and Sara fans may feel that Alligator becomes quickly worn out. Nevertheless, there some remixes that are worth checking out.
