Tegan and Sara
This Business of Art
Vapor/Warner Bros.
What can I say about Tegan and Sara? Plenty! While scores of talented artists toil in anonymity, these teen girls have been scooped up by a major label and are on the promotional fast track. This wouldn’t be a big problem if they were truly talented. Instead these sisters do a pale imitation of the harsh, acoustical guitar sound popularized by Ani DiFranco. They grunt and sing with great angst like Ms. DiFranco, but it rings totally false. Their antics may play well at the high school talent show, but shouldn’t merit a record deal. Music seems to be the latest venture for parents to cash in on any shred of talent in their kids. Pubescent rock stars are joining gymnasts, tennis players, and child actors. I mean how much difference is there between Richard Williams (Serena and Venus Williams’ father) and Britney Spears’ mother? One of the most disturbing things about the whole thing is that the Warner imprint that signed Tegan and Sara belongs to Neil Young. Although I’m not a huge Neil Young fan, I certainly believed he had more musical taste than this. This must have been part of a paternity suit settlement. My hope is that this and other similar projects fail miserably, but unfortunately, Tegan and Sara will probably be huge, and set off a string of imitators. If labels are really looking for new, exciting, female artists, may I suggest the Camaros, Mary Prankster, Abigail Grush, Elizabeth Elmore, Kathleen LaGue, Shannon Wright, Sarah Dougher, Meg Hentges…
Warner Brothers Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019-6908; http://www.teganandsara.com
