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Quin sisters explore electronic pop side of indie music

Posted by Stephen Centanni | May 14, 2014 | Music Feature | 0 |

Sisters Tegan and Sara Quin could be considered icons of the indie rock scene. Their music remains an eclectic mix of electric and acoustic guitars, electronic elements and impeccable vocals.

Screen Shot 2014-05-09 at 9.06.06 AM

Since the late ’90s, the Quin sisters have displayed a talent for keeping their sound fresh by consistently forcing evolution on their music. This evolution is definitely evident in their latest release “Heartthrob.”

Tegan & Sara went to great lengths to make this album an obvious departure from their previous material. With a team of four producers, the duo created an album that delves into the electronic pop side of the indie world.

While many were skeptical as to the outcome of this project, a majority of critics and fans have lauded “Heartthrob.”

When Lagniappe spoke with Tegan Quin, she explained that the duo’s sonic evolution is just part of the process.

SC: With “Heartthrob,” one of your goals was to evolve your sound and give the public something different. What kind of challenges did you face trying to meet that goal?

TQ: With each record, we attempt at doing something fresh and unexpected. The main goal is to excite ourselves. The worst thing in the world would be getting bored or uninspired with our own project and have to quit, but with “Heartthrob,” we took it one step further and decided to try and really shake things up in the T+S world. We wanted to make something undeniably good, but also completely and totally different.
I think we bridged the world we’ve been in and the world we want to explore. Intelligent pop can be done. I think we just wanted to ensure we could do it. Who knows what’s next?

SC: While many artists might work with one or two producers, you two had a team of four. What made you want to take that route with the album’s creation?

TQ: We did the bulk of the record with Greg Kurstin (Pink, The Shins). He did eight of 12 tracks. Justin Meldal-Johnson (Young the Giant, Paramore) did two of 12, and then, Mike Elizondo (Maroon 5, Mastodon) did the remaining two that ended up being B-sides on the digital deluxe release. Our goal was to try and use one producer, but the universe had other ideas. It stressed us out to imagine doing it the way we ended up doing it, but looking back I loved using different producers. I loved doing the record in parts. I think the record is stronger, because we had time to listen back to what we were doing and make changes. Each new song we worked on influenced the next. In the past, we’ve just done it all in one shot with one producer, and I think we really needed to do something different.

SC: Do you think you will revisit some of the musical choices that you made on this album?

TQ: We never know what kind of record we’re going to make, until we write the songs. They influence our choices about producers and production and the direction we go in. I think we definitely have seen and heard loud and clear that our fans like the upbeat stuff, so likely, we’ll do a lot more of what we did with ‘Heartthrob.’

SC: When you hear about siblings performing together, you usually hear about how they can’t stand each other. However, you and your sister have been going pretty strong for many years now. To what do you owe your longevity?

TQ: Truthfully, if we didn’t get along as well as we do, we would have quit. The true privilege of doing what we do is sharing it with Sara. It makes our lives so special. If we weren’t enjoying it at this point, we could have signed off and moved on to something else. There are definitely moments of intense struggle, but we both see it as us struggling to create something wonderful. So, the struggle is almost celebrated. In general, we give each other space to be grumpy. We take turns being the boss. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders, and we avoid conflict, if we can. That’s how it’s done!


Tegan & Sara
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Stage: Chevrolet Stage

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About The Author

Stephen Centanni

Stephen Centanni

With the exception of two years spent at Auburn University, Steve Centanni has spent his life in Mobile County while focusing on his two passions: music and the written word. As soon as he was issued his driver’s license, Centanni began to explore the local music scene in the early ‘90s. He filled his weekend with visits classic local venues such as the Four Strong Winds Coffee House, Vincent Van Go-Go’s and Culture Shock, all of which welcomed those who had yet to reach 18. After high school, Centanni traded Mobile for Auburn to complete his B.A. in English with an emphasis on general writing. While at Auburn, he had the honor of studying under the Pulitzer-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, who served as the nation’s Poet Laureate in 2012 and 2014. After receiving his diploma, Centanni quickly moved back to Mobile and completed the University of South Alabama’s graduate program with a M.Ed. Eventually, he was tapped by the nationally distributed Volume Entertainment Magazine to serve as the magazine’s managing editor/senior writer. His time with Volume allowed him to exercise his love for both music and writing. As Volume began to fade, Lagniappe recruited Centanni as their Music Writer and later their Music Editor, where he has remained for a little over a decade. As far as his involvement in the local music scene, Centanni organized Cess Fest at the Langan Park, which was a mini-festival focused on original local music in a time when original local music was veritably taboo in Downtown Mobile. For a short time, he brought original music to Downtown Mobile as the in-house promoter for the now deceased venue Cell Block. He managed local underground powerhouse Fry Cook, until the members parted ways. Centanni has lent his bass to bands such as Keychain Pistol and The F’n A-Holes, and he toured nationally as a member of Abstract Artimus & the Torture Children. Currently, he provides vocals for the garage blues rock outfit Johnny No. Ultimately, Centanni’s experience in the local music scene as both a participant and an observer has allowed him to witness the ever-changing persona of Mobile’s enigmatic music scene, which continues to leave him with more questions than answers.

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