Tegan and Sara Dissect the Careers of Their Peers

If manslaughter laws were a little more lenient, we probably would have hunted and killed Tegan and Sara Quin after a recent cross-country flight from New York to California. Why, you wonder? Because anyone unwilling to pay for seatback satellite TV service—including us—was treated to two of the twins’ music videos (”I Hear Noises” and “Walking With a Ghost,” the latter of which was once covered by the White Stripes) for the entire trip. Which essentially translates to at least 25 times a track.

It’s not that the songs were annoying. (Complimentary earbuds with the fidelity of tin cans ensured we wouldn’t even bother listening.) It was just absurd—and, yes, a bit infuriating—watching an about-to-break indie act hijack our flight like a bad Wesley Snipes movie.

Too bad Tegan and Sara’s marketing team was onto something. That’s right: After weeks of dreaming about the duo’s perfect bangs and that bassist in the sunglasses, our interest was rightfully piqued. So we popped in the duo’s fifth album (The Con) as soon as it arrived and were pleasantly surprised by what’s obviously one of Canada’s most promising indie pop acts. And no wonder—Tegan and Sara have been sharpening their songwriting skills since high school, when they won a battle of the bands contest and were in and out of a couple punk groups.

Since The Con was produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie’s guitarist) and features drummer Jason McGerr (also of Death Cab) and bassists Hunter Burgan (AFI) and Matt Sharp (the Rentals, ex-Weezer), we caught Tegan and Sara off guard by asking them their favorite AFI/DCFC albums, or in the case of Sharp, favorite tour.

Sara on: The Rentals, Matt Sharp acoustic tour behind his solo EP Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy (2003, In Music We Trust)

Touring with Matt in 2003 was a really cool experience because we got to see him deconstruct the music of the Rentals and play a lot of the songs from Return of the Rentals acoustically. I really like to see songs stripped down, so it was a treat to hear that album played so differently.

Death Cab for Cutie, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes (2000, Barsuk)

I got a mix tape in 1998 when I graduated high school and one of the songs from We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes was on it. I didn’t really understand “indie rock” at that point. I had spent the last few years of high school floating around in the world of punk rock and the “new” music I was hearing was mostly electronic and hip-hop because that was what my friends listened to. Hearing a mix CD of “indie rock” was so interesting to me, because at the time it was almost impossible to get most of those bands’ CDs. Thankfully, I was able to track down a few of DCFC’s records when I moved to Vancouver the following year.

Tegan on: AFI, December-underground (2006, Interscope)

I’m picking this record because I truly think every band wants you to pick their most recent work in these kinds of situations. I do really love this record, though, because it was the one they were working on when I met Hunter. I had known about AFI for a number of years by this point and very much considered myself a fan. Upon hearing an unmixed version of the record, I was thrilled by the new elements they were working on. I pushed for “Summer Shudder” to be the first single [so much] I think Hunter got tired of me saying it. I’ve daydreamed too many times that I was the one who wrote the guitar breakdown in “The Missing Frame.” All the singles on the record are amazing songs. “Miss Murder,” “Summer Shudder” and “Love Like Winter” still make appearances on my mix CDs a year later. I had the pleasure of meeting/interviewing [vocalist] Davey [Havok] once and I asked him to sit on my lap for the interview. I felt like the luckiest girl all day after that. I also daydream from time to time that they throw out [guitarist] Jade [Puget] or Hunter so I can join the band. I would prefer they just add me as a fifth member, but as a backup plan I might be willing to trade places with someone in the band. The replaced member could join Sara for a tour and I could join AFI. I think it would work.

Death Cab for Cutie, Plans (2005, Atlantic)

I’m going to pick Plans for the same reasons as[Decemberunderground]—it’s their latest work and also their best. I met [guitarist/producer] Chris [Walla] at the Sasquatch Music Festival last spring. I met all the boys there, in fact. They were so sweet and the show sounded wonderful. We watched the sun go down as they played and my manager and his wife cuddled. It was sickening… in a sweet way. It was one of my favorite experiences meeting a band I liked, and that’s not the giant guitar-shaped margarita I had earlier in the day talking. When I got Plans I listened to the entire thing constantly. We all did. “Someday You Will Be Loved,” “Soul Meets Body” and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” are my faves, but honestly the whole thing is pretty amazing. Maybe it’s because I know them now and really think they are just the nicest band ever, but maybe I always felt that way about them. Maybe that’s why so many people love them. You can hear it in their songs and in Ben [Gibbard]’s voice—they are sincere, earnest, sweet, genuine and most of all pretty f*cking insightful, as players, as writers and as people. And that’s why you should make them the next President of the United States of America. Or whatever.

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