TEGAN QUIN

ELLO, AGAIN! HOW HAVE YOU been? A little greyer around the temples, perhaps, but you look good. Great to see you, thanks for coming out. That gets the niceties out of the way for the two or three of you who may remember this column in its original incarnation, about two thousand years ago. Actually it’s a little more than a decade since Spite! © ™ graced these hallowed pages, but in pop culture terms it might as well have pre ceded the birth of Christ.

To put in perspective just how long ago it was, consider the following: 1) When Spite! began, “the kids” were still getting their music at cryptic ancient monoliths known as “record stores.” 2) Radiohead was only known as that band who made the song “Creep.” 3) Spin magazine was still rating their albums on a 3 color system. (This, coin cidentally, was the last time the magazine was relevant.) 4) Rolling Stone was championing a hot new sound fusing “rock” & “rap.” 5) People still used the term, “rap” (that’s what they called “hip hop” in the olden days, kids!) 6) “The Real World” was in the single digits (ah, those halcyon days of yore!) & people still complained about MTV not playing as much music anymore. BY AT RISK TEEN (AKA LA SEXORCISTO, AKA BLUE SULLIVAN) H

Anyway, after a long, hazy sabbatical in Los Angeles, Spite! returns a little older, a parsec wiser, and still soaked to the bone in bile, disbelief & righteous anger. Thus begins the new purification of demons, as we hold a finger in the wind & take stock of what you whippersnappers are “into” these days, starting with a half-hazard cross section of the “singles” of the year 2007, as disseminated by the few members of the critical zeitgeist (NME, Pitchfork) I can be bothered to read in my old age. Trax, yo: THE TEENAGERS  “ HOMECOMING” The third best single of the year! This, according to the once reliable NME’s list for 2007, is the sound of Now. If true, then this is the Rapture (see: the biblical holocaust signaling the end times, not the band of indie-disco fossils that everyone “loved” for 20 minutes in 2002). Yes, the hipsters have inherited the earth, and this is their anthem. Bearing the noxious aftertaste of cocaine & that special brand of French self-satisfaction, “Homecoming” details a he-said/ she-said post-mortem of a summer fling between a feckless American sorority queen & the most punchable Frenchman in recorded history. She details the sweeping majesty of a London romance with a “sexy rocker in stove pipe jeans.” While he sniggers about how “I fucked an American cunt.” Lovely stuff, played out over “push this key on Ableton Live” indie beats and feeling every bit like the death of the soul in 3 minutes. Conceptually, this was a cute idea 5 years ago when the Onion did an identical point-counterpoint Op-ed in its magazine. But that was five years ago & had the benefit of novelty, piquant insight & the caustic brilliance of great satire. This is a depressing compendium of the worst instincts of hipster scum everywhere (see: toxic misogyny, America-bashing & the full-bore fellatio of the worst cliches about women, Americans & anything else related to love & sex in our new century.) It may sound like an overstatement, but I cannot fathom a more contemptible “novelty” track coming out in the next millenium, much less century. Still haven’t gotten the picture? Then imagine Eli Roth’s soundtrack for a ketamine-fueled rape of a Vegas call girl, while a million dead-eyed scenesters snigger their approval. In stove-pipe jeans. BATTLES  “ATLAS” This was Pitchfork’s second best single of the year, and as much as I want to revolt against that ‘zine’s parade of indie onanism, this song has the “fuck me, what was that?!!?” quality that all great futurist pop songs have (see Missy Elliott, “Work It” or Squarepusher’s “My Red Hot Car”). Electro but not dance, indie but not precious, this imagines what “Mexican Radio” might sound like as remade by M. I.A. (see single review below) or Aphex Twin. In other words, absolutely f*cking ace. BE YOUR OWN PET  “FIRE DEPARTMENT” (or any other BYOP, frankly…)

It’s noisy, it’s shouty, it’s got plenty of energy & f*ck ifI know why I should care. There are lovely indie girls out there right now, all sexy & reasonable people I am sure, that would no doubt tear my eyes out and set them on fire for saying this, but: (sing a long if you know the words) Over. Rated. These kids look great & talk a swell game. And the songs are nice enough, I guess--just not nice enough to ever get me to hit “repeat.” Considering that I didn’t even pay for the sh*t (soulseek makes me a more conscientious shopper!), that isn’t much of an endorsement. But it’s as much as I imagine BYOP will ever earn. Then again, the staff at American Apparel have to listen to something, right? MIA  “BOYZ” / SAUL WILLIAMS  “LIST OF DEMAN DS” Two more for the FMWWT (see above review for Battles) school of pop genius. The first is the standout track on the most recent untouchable collection of standout tracks by MIA (or as I have endearingly dubbed her, Missy Rascal). The second is that song in the “my better is better than your better” Nike ad that has been inescapable during

March Madness. Both prove that pop is better with really f*cked up samples, murderous bass & evil heat. Put these on your car stereo no matter where you live, and instantly your hometown is 12% less sh*t than you thought it was. Now smile, as you’ve done a good thing today. Next, give this article to four people you love, or eight people you de spise. Finally, see Spite! again in 30 days for further instruction.* THE TEENAGERS

MUSIC INTERVIEW Weighing the Pros and ‘The Con’: An Interview with Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara

ITH THE RELEASE OF LAST year’s dark-themed album, The Con,

Canadian-born duo Tegan and Sara have evolved into a true force to be reckoned with on the indie scene. Having friends like Neil Young and the New Pornographers in their corner doesn’t hurt, either. This summer, Tegan and Sara have been invited to join Cyndi Lauper’s ever-growing True Colors tour, adding a touch of youth to a mature line-up of mainstream talent. AsTegan Quin discusses, be it in her music or the tour, there is always somewhere that you can find individuality and hope. BY JON LATHAM W

Listening to The Con, it sounds like there was a conscious breakaway from the polished sound of So Jealous. Was there an effort on your part to do so or was that the way the sound of the album naturally progressed? Sara and I did all of our [demos] prior to the record and mapped out what we wanted in terms of parts and what we wanted to sound like. Chris Walla [the producer] was really influenced by our demos, as well. After spending a couple of weeks [listening to] them, he said he wanted to stay as close as possible to [the sound of the demos]. We kind of liked the more “indie” feel to it all. In the past our demos were so rough, we were going into [the studio] with our own clean slate, and the record just transformed as we recorded it.

Seeing how well the end product turned out, and, of course with his Death Cab for Cutie duties still going strong, is collaborating with Chris Walla something you would both look at doing again? Absolutely! We’ve already questioned Chris about his availability for the next record. I love working with [the same] producers a couple times in a row. Working with Chris again would be amazing, because even with the stuff that Sara and I are recording now is sounding like [material] that he would want to work with. He is a great producer because he is not just slapping his gloss all over everything.

Lyrically, The Con is overall melancholy in its assessment of love. Is it safe to say that this is one of the most brutally honest albums you have made? In this case, I was in a very happy relationship for a long time [that had just ended]. I was writing about my anxiety and the anxiety of other people around me, so it was the first time that I really tried to write in the present tense. I was alone for the first time in five years, living in this big house [with] a year off, and I didn’t really know what to do with myself. I just felt like I wasn’t making really good choices at the time, so I had a lot of material to write from. Sara was writing about the relation ship that she is in now. We also suf fered from the loss of our grandmother while we were out touring for ‘So Jealous’. She was like a second mom to us, so it was a huge loss that we felt we didn’t have time to properly grieve over. There are a lot of melancholy themes on the record, but I think the record also has a lot of hope. Songs like “Call ItOff” speak of change, and change is always a positive thing, I think.

Does the sound of Tegan and Sara find influences from other artists in the indie scene? I think the most exciting thing, at this moment, is that over the past few years, I have been more inspired by us. It’s getting to the point where I don’t necessarily go to other artists or music to get inspired like I used to. I used to need that inspiration; I used to need that record to love and turn into my own inspiration, whereas now I’m inspired when Sara sends me a new song that she has written. I think it is giving us our own sound; we are beginning to sound like us, instead of sounding like a bunch of records [we’ve heard].

This year, you’ve joined the lineup for the second annual True Colors tour, along with Cyndi Lauper, the B-52’s and the Indigo Girls. There are so many aspects of this tour in regards not only to the lineup’s diversity, but to the cause as well. What are you look ing forward to going into this tour and the continuing accomplishments in the fight for human rights? I think there is so much attention brought upon gay rights when we talk about moving forward and change. Marriage is important but it’s not just about [gay marriage]. It’s about [the process] of adoption and partners’ rights. Personally, I’m not looking to get married, but I do want the same rights as my heterosexual friends who are living comfortably with their partner. [This tour] sheds light on a demographic; our audience, for the most part, is a little younger and is a little more progressive. With the True Colors tour, there is a chance to [be exposed] to an older audience, past generations that may have not had the same perspective or insight as to how things should be.

Is there inspiration drawn from the fact that the fight for human rights is taking center stage in what will certainly be an important election year in the U.S.? Absolutely. Even as Canadians, the election is extremely important. It is time for change in the U.S., [as it has been] for a long time. [The election] is upon us now, and it is [important] that people know what needs to change. What is great about this True Colors tour is that it sheds light on so many important things. There are so many important issues, [beyond gay rights]. This tour [heralds] a season of change and artists talking about what they believe, which is exciting.

����� ������� By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John B. Moore, Matt Goldberg & Jon Latham MUSIC

THE ROOTS – RISING DOWN (Def Jam) & ATMOSPHERE – WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, YOU PAINT THAT SHIT GOLD (Rhymesayers) Will progressive rap for food

WILLIE NELSON – ONE HELL OF A RIDE (Columbia/ Legacy) Willie finally gets the boxed set treatment

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CENTRO-MATIC/SOUTH SAN GABRIEL – DUAL HAWKS (Misra) The split-single format gets super-sized

REM – ACCELERATE (Warner Bros.) The original college rockers return for further ‘Reckoning’

THE T4 PROJECT – STORY-BASED CONCEPT ALBUM (Mental) Punk rock supergroup

THE REPLACEMENTS – SORRY MA, FORGOT TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH/STINK/HOOTENANNY/LET IT BE (Rhino) The best in power trash

BILLY BRAGG – MR. LOVE & JUSTICE (Anti-) Working class punk anthems

ESTELLE – SHINE (Homeschool/Atlantic) & ALGEBRA – PURPOSE (Kedar Entertainment Group) An ocean apart, two sistahs still sing from the heart