I have been a fan of Canadian twins Tegan and Sara Quin ever since I heard their song 'Walking With a Ghost' on an indie music channel. These singing, guitar-playing identical siblings have a husky, raw quality to their sound that is reminiscent of Janis Joplin. The rugged quality of their vocals, teamed with cleverly wrought musical phrases that ring like a nail hammered into the listener's emotional seat, leave the impression of a tangible musical visitation long after the music is through.

Their unique lyrical style and sound structure found a wide audience in Alberta, Canada where the twins performance earned the highest score in the history of 'Garage Warz', a Calgary band competition. This critical victory allowed them the use of a recording facility to create their first demo tapes, which were swiftly followed up by a debut album.

Tracks like 'Proud' crossed over to American audiences, and Tegan and Sara were invited to perform with the immensely popular Lilith Fair tour. They have created two follow up albums since their debut which included the popular tracks 'So Jealous' 'My Number' and 'Not Tonight.' The twins also enjoyed a boost when Grey's Anatomy, the prime time doctor-drama on A.B.C., featured their songs in several Season 1 episodes.

Tegan and Sara's songs often make clever use of phrase repetition to build a rhythmic foundation for their emotionally pointed lyrics. The strength of their lyrical harmonies along with this use of rhythmic phrase precludes the need for a regular base guitar or drum on several tracks. The guitar is the drum in many of their songs.

Though they are identical twins with very similar looks and facial features, their voices are distinctive, and easy to pick out in a performance. Each twin does their song-writing separately, and for the most part the writer of each song takes the lead vocals on that track. A greater number of Sara's songs have made it into performance venues, so she is often seen as the lead, though Tegan has written some of the more critically appreciated numbers. Sara has a lower, stronger voice. Tegan's range is higher with a more wispy quality. In performance, they provide harmony for each other, but on their albums it is often one twin who does all the singing, providing harmony with the use of multi-layered tracks.

My all time favorite Tegan and Sara song would not be counted among their most brilliant, musically. "Not Tonight" is an anthem for the heart-weary that avoids sentiment and travels across the discontent of a nowhere love affair with unapologetic 'tell it like it is' lyrics. "In the back of your car I feel like/ I have traveled no where." The chord progressions in this song are blues inspired, and the rhythm is as integral to the effect as the lyrics. Though I have listened to 'Not Tonight' at least a hundred times, it remains ever present on my iTunes most played list.

Learn more about this author, Alissa King.
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