Sainthood
I have spent much of this week so far listening to a lot of Duran Duran and Adam Ant. Nothing new there, but as it came time to get on with the Song of the Week I realized I’d been putting a lot of focus on music that I’ve been loving for many years. It’s been a while since I’ve featured something new, and so I give you “Hell.” I picked up Sainthood toward the end of ’09 and, though I’ve heard much of Tegan & Sara’s music, this was my first financial commitment to the band. While Chris Walla’s production here can tend to be a little antiseptic, the song structures and lyrics are compelling and they definitely have a sound, an asset that’s getting rarer and rarer. ”Hell” is a great example of one of the sisters’ greatest strengths: their effective use of repeated phrases and how they use them to build intensity.
Given my rock bent, it’s no surprise that “Hell” is a standout track for me, not least because of the lyrics which appeal to my post-punk proclivity for smoothly delivered mouthfuls of almost-too-many words. Jason McGerr‘s drumming is especially effective here, too; simple, driving, and crisp. I find myself playing this track on repeat. A lot. It’s news to me that it’s a single from the record. Can I pick ‘em or what?
Awww yeah. When I first got ahold of this CD I couldn’t listen to anything else for a few days. And granted, there are a couple songs on it I could do without, but Hell is not one of them.
Yeah, I neglected to mention that I had the whole disc on repeat for a couple weeks after I picked it up. It’s one of those kinds of records.