[Our fearless team, Nicci Boots and Ian McNeil spent three days listening to an obscene amount of fantastic music above the stunning Columbia River Gorge in George, Washington. Check out all our coverage here, over 30 sets from a who's who list of indie music.]
Tegan and Sara have always intrigued me, but I’ve never been able to get into their music. There’s something too sugary sweet about some of their stuff, and it’s almost too dancey for me. Their show on Sunday night was much of the same, but I was impressed by the fantastic vocal range between the twin sisters. As they sang, it was pretty riveting, because you fight to hear what each one of them is doing with their voice; it was like hearing a story told by two people at the same time. And I’m happy to report that their beats have more substance that I originally pegged them for – their gorgeous melodies made me forget that I didn’t like the way they put songs together.
At the end of the show, Tegan (or was it Sara?) asked all of the crowd to reach back with their hands and simultaneously give the band a high five. It was a pretty awesome moment, and it’s kept me from harboring any resentment toward the girls ever since.