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The Con

Tegan & SaraAudio CD
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)

Price: $10.01 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
 : Includes FREE MP3 version of this album.
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MP3 Music, 14 Songs, 2011 $10.49  
Audio CD, 2007 $10.01  

Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
listen  1. I Was Married 1:32$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  2. Relief Next To Me 3:00$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  3. The Con 3:29$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  4. Knife Going In 2:09$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  5. Are You Ten Years Ago 3:17$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  6. Back In Your Head 3:00$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  7. Hop A Plane 1:49$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  8. Soil, Soil 1:23$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen  9. Burn Your Life Down 2:22$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen10. Nineteen 2:56$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen11. Floorplan 3:37$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen12. Like O, Like H 2:39$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen13. Dark Come Soon 3:07$1.29  Buy MP3 
listen14. Call It Off 2:21$1.29  Buy MP3 


Amazon's Tegan & Sara Store

Music

Image of album by Tegan & Sara

Photos

Image of Tegan & Sara

Videos

'Closer' Music Video

Biography

It’s hard to have a long career in pop music. Just ask all the one-hit wonders and sophomore slumpers, all the sure things who turned out to be yesterday’s news. It’s hard to keep a band together, hard to hold the fans’ attention. And it’s really, really hard to keep writing good songs, record after record, year after year.

Only a relative handful of artists ... Read more in Amazon's Tegan & Sara Store

Visit Amazon's Tegan & Sara Store
for 12 albums, 39 photos, 3 videos, discussions, and more.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Buy a CD or a vinyl record, get a $1 Amazon MP3 Credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)
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  • This album was named one of Amazon's Best of 2007. See what else made the list.


Frequently Bought Together

The Con + Sainthood + Heartthrob
Price for all three: $28.99

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (July 24, 2007)
  • Original Release Date: 2007
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Sire / London/Rhino
  • ASIN: B000RO9PXW
  • In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,196 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's hard to follow up the record that made you famous. For many artists, that's their first album, and the disappointing results are termed the "sophomore slump." Luckily, Tegan and Sara's star-making Juno-nominated album, So Jealous, was their fourth--and their fifth album, The Con, not only avoids any kind of slump but sets a new bar of quality quite high. While both a darker and quirkier album than the near-perfect heartbreak pop of So Jealous, The Con skillfully packs its instant hooks in so tight, virtually every line becomes the one you want to sing along to--and the twins' lyrics aren't your typical pop pabulum. Layer upon layer of tasty ear candy coat considered sentiments like "Nobody likes to but I really like to cry," "I felt you in my legs before I ever met you," and "Maybe I would have been something you'd be good at"--lyrics that feel honest and add an emotional urgency and depth rarely heard on the radio. However, the biggest leap Tegan and Sara made on this record was not the lyrical content, but how the album itself was created. The switch to coproducing with indie superstar Christopher Walla (Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie) is apparent, and part of what gives this record its distinctive and innovative touch. From the odd structure of "I Was Married" to the thumping electronica of "Are You Ten Years Ago," The Con reverberates with unabashed creativity, and it's a rare pleasure to hear it done so well. I would be surprised if another band this year made a better record--it's really that good. A special bonus for fans: don't shy away from the deluxe edition of this album--it includes a DVD with a feature-length intimate documentary on the making of the album, offering a lot of insight into their creative process. --Alan Wiley

Product Description

New album from the Canadian alt-pop twins, featuring guest collabs with Matt Sharp (The Rentals, ex-Weezer), Jason McGerr (Death Cab For Cutie) & Hunter Burgan (AFI).

Customer Reviews

I love all the songs, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite albums. CanadianKate  |  13 reviewers made a similar statement
It is altogether a much more mature. T. Renee  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Every song on the album is out of this world..and i can listen to the whole album without skipping any songs. Dominique M. Brooks  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
How do you follow an album like "So Jealous," an album that not only helped solidify Tegan and Sara's place as one of the decade's most notable indie pop/rock acts, but also helped define their career? How do you follow the sheer, raw enjoyment that was found over every second of such a fantastic record? For the Quin sisters, the answer is "The Con," their newest and, in my opinion, best album.

On "The Con," Tegan and Sara show that they've matured a lot since their last outing, not only musically, but lyrically as well. Whereas "So Jealous" was largely a fast-paced rock album, this one is much more balanced. There are clearly songs that sound like classic Tegan and Sara, but at the same time there are also some beautifully composed and executed songs. Almost every track on the album features multiple layers of guitars and synthesizers. "Relief Next To Me" showcases this addition quite nicely, as does "Knife Going In" and the absolutely awesome title track. "Are You Ten Years Ago" forgoes the typical drum set for an electronic drum track, and the end result is a more effective song than it would've been otherwise.

It's clear that the Quin sisters wanted to make an album that branches out from their previous sounds and explores new territory. For any artist, it is always a tricky path to walk. However, Tegan and Sara have achieved their goal flawlessly. They no longer sound like little girls but women. Every second of "The Con" showcases their maturity as musicians and as lyricists, and I couldn't be happier.

"So Jealous" was always sort of a guilty pleasure for me. As a grown male, you better believe I faced some opposition from friends when I tried to show them Tegan and Sara. No longer. "The Con" is an album that I'm not only proud to own, but I'm trilled to say that it's one of the best, most surprising records to release in 2007. If you've ever been a Tegan and Sara fan, you absolutely have to check this one out!

Key Tracks:
1. "The Con"
2. "Hop A Plane"
3. "Soil, Soil"
4. "Burn Your Life Down"
5. "Like O, Like H"

8 out of 10 Stars
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars All you need to save me July 23, 2007
Format:Audio CD
The world of pop could use a lot more pop like Tegan and Sara's, and less posturing on MTV with a computerized voice.

And the identical twins show even greater variety in their fifth full-length album, three years after the Juno-nominated "So Jealous." In "The Con," they basically polish their existing guitar pop, but fill the sprightly melodies with confusing experiences and sorrowful romances.

It opens with a delicate piano ballad, framing a pretty, poignant song about the confusion and struggles of gay people. "To my heart confusion rose against/the muscles fought so long/to control against the pull of one/magnet to another magnet to another magnet," Tegan and Sara Quin sing together in shifting melodies. "I look into the mirror/for evil that just does not exist..."

Things get much more sprightly for the swirling pop of "Relief Next to Me," or the songs that it lays the groundwork for: rapid-fire dancepop, mellow piano ballads, bouncy little indie melodies, mellow acoustics, dark urgent pop stabbed with drumbeats, and energetic powerpop that doesn't let its bounciness keep it from staying intense.

Don't listen to "The Con" just once. Listen at least twice.

On the first listen you hear a rush of peppy indiepop that's fun and catchy, even when it's being serious. But the second time around you hear all the delicate interweaving of acoustics and keyboard, and the wistful, mournful look back at love and growing to maturity.

The Quin sisters play some nimble, swirling guitars, with some bass guitar beefing up songs like the rock-y "Hop A Plane." Ted Gowans also underscores some of the songs with sprightly piano pop, and he also weaves ribbons of glimmering synth through the earthy pop melodies. There are moments of messiness like "Like O, Like H," but usually they smoothly twine into a layered, solid pop melody.

They sing everything in girlish, harmonized voices, but the sisters also provide "The Con" with its bittersweet, confusing songwriting. And they've gained more maturity here as well, with lots of enigmatic lines, recollections of the past and lovelorn memories ("If I forget or God forbid die too soon/hope that you'll hear me know that I wrote to you...").

The up-and-down of lyrical romantic angst ends with the painful "Call it Off," which is all about how one of them is in love still, but knows the relationship is doomed ("You take your time coming over here/I think that's for the best/Call, break it off").

Tegan and Sara reach a new level of musical skill with "The Con" -- it's brilliant pop, but filled with heartfelt problems and uncertainty. Definitely a winner.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a great album! July 24, 2007
By Julie
Format:Audio CD
If you are hesitant about buying this album, don't be!
It is a GREAT album and definitely a must have for any indie music fan.
Tegan and Sara have grown into some really outstanding musicians/lyricist. It's inspiring to see how much they've grow since "This Business of Art" and ""If It Was You."

Songs like: Back in your head, Hop a plane, and Nineteen WILL get stuck in your head!

Songs like: The con, I was married, soil,soil, like O like H show exactly how much this band has grown musically and lyrically.

Listen to this whole album 2 times and I GUARANTEE you'll be hooked!

This album was like a breath of fresh air that I so desperately needed.
The Con is definitely worth owning.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars love it
I'm a big fans of these girls. I like the music, and I dig the lyrics. I'm especially fond of the live versions.
Published 1 month ago by cally
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums of all time (especially with the DVD)
First let me say that the DVD itself is worth the purchase. Actually, that IS why I bought it – I became a t+s fan years ago and bought all of their albums, but didn’t get the one... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Raven
5.0 out of 5 stars The Con Deluxe
I received the DID and good time in great condition. Tegan or Sara are hilarious so if you are a long time Tegan and Sara fan or new to the twins. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Murphy Ray
5.0 out of 5 stars My first Tegan and Sara and now I am a fan for life
I had heard a single song of theirs back in the day and decided it was too raggedy punk for me so I never thought about the twins again. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jeanine Valadez
5.0 out of 5 stars Go on a T&S binge!
My wife and I were listening to some Tegan and Sara and decided we wanted to go on a T&S binge! So we bought 'Sainthood', 'This Business of Art', 'If It Was You', 'The Con', and... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Gabriel Grey
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely love it.
I just recently discovered this band. Their music is very addictive. I'm watching some of their Youtube videos and I love the way they banter with each other in concerts.
Published 2 months ago by Diana Mah
5.0 out of 5 stars The Con
The Con is amazing! All tegan and Sara fans should buy! It is so good! you will want to cry and sing along to every word!
Published 3 months ago by Amanda Straws
4.0 out of 5 stars One of their best
One of their best. It is required for me to write more to fill out the review requirement. So I did that.
Published 3 months ago by Michael Taylor
4.0 out of 5 stars best record
I think this is tegan and sara best cd they have put out . Tracks like nineteen , call it off and back in your head to name a few are just great songs you can relate too.
Published 4 months ago by t
5.0 out of 5 stars As always, wonderful
As musicians progress their music tends to become more polished and poppy. It's always a little frustrating if you liked the original sound. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Leah
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Topic From this Discussion
tegan&sara
the one with "explicit lyrics" has a dvd.

the songs on both albums are exactly the same.
Jul 22, 2008 by sarah |  See all 3 posts
Tegan and Sara NEW ALBUM
Obviously you've never heard their music pre-So Jealous. If you had, you'd realize that this album fits nicely in with their older work. So Jealous, in actuality, was the album that was out of the ordinary.
Jul 7, 2007 by B. Touhey |  See all 11 posts
what's on the dvd?
there are 14 video chapters, one per song. those are an hour and a half long. then there are a few little extras like tegan explaining her eye condition and outtakes. it's definitely worth it.
Jul 25, 2007 by Alyssa |  See all 3 posts
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