The Con (album)
Encyclopedia
The Con is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock duo Tegan and Sara
, released on July 24, 2007 (February 18, 2008 in the United Kingdom
). Guest performers on the album include Jason McGerr
of Death Cab for Cutie
, Matt Sharp
of The Rentals
and formerly of Weezer
(on Sara's songs), Hunter Burgan
of AFI
(on Tegan's songs) and Kaki King
.
The album is dedicated to Rita Clement and Burt Harris.
The song "The Con" is featured in the video game Rock Band 3
.
As announced on their MySpace
blog, a special edition CD/DVD was released at the same time as the CD-only version. The CD/DVD release has a parental advisory
warning for profanity on the DVD, although the CD contains no explicit content.
"Back in Your Head
", the first single, and the second single, "The Con," were used heavily for promotional purposes. The vinyl release of this album includes a promotional copy of "The Con" on CD. "Call it Off" is the third single from the album. The music video for "Call It Off" was released September 15, 2008.
According to the DVD edition of the album, Sugar, Spell It Out was a tentative album title. The DVD also reveals the title track "The Con" was tentatively titled "Encircle Me" and "Like O, Like H" was previously titled "SOS."
EE Storey
, the band's artistic director, designed the album artwork.
For the United States portion of their world tour of this album, they have posted a series of videos called "Trailer Talk" on their MySpace profile.
1,500 copies of The Con demos were sold for charity at concerts.
. The album debuted at number 34 on the U.S. Billboard 200
, selling about 19,000 copies in its first week. On week 2, the album fell out of the top 50, at #69, selling about 10,000 that week, totaling at 29,000.
Filter magazine calls The Con "a startlingly dark, yet characteristically vibrant offering, featuring a band that's learned to harness the energy-highs, while tempering pretty (even pastoral) pop-folk with a new, deeply-affecting brand of melancholy." PopMatters gave The Con a score of 8 out of 10, calling it "very, very good. To be more precise, it is one of the best albums so far of 2007 and one of the best recent pop releases." The A.V. Club says that "ultimately even The Cons failings work in its favor, providing a macro version of what the best Tegan And Sara songs do, by stumbling along recklessly, then falling together."
BestEverAlbums.com
lists The Con as Tegan and Sara's best album, ranking at number 786 in their list of the best albums ever and number 190 in their list of the best albums of the 2000s.
Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
, released on July 24, 2007 (February 18, 2008 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
). Guest performers on the album include Jason McGerr
Jason McGerr
Jason McGerr is the current drummer for the band Death Cab for Cutie. McGerr was previously in Krusters Kronomid and Eureka Farm as well as the Seattle jazz trio Rockin' Teenage Combo. McGerr is an instructor at the Seattle Drum School when not playing drums for Death Cab for Cutie...
of Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, Matt Sharp
Matt Sharp
Matthew Kelly Sharp is a founding member and former bassist for the band Weezer. In 1994, he started a band called The Rentals and released their debut album shortly after Weezer's first release, their second album in 1999, and an EP in 2007...
of The Rentals
The Rentals
The Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp, best known as the former bass player for rock group Weezer. The band is best known for their mid-1990s hit single, "Friends of P.". The group has released two albums, Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes on Maverick...
and formerly of Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
(on Sara's songs), Hunter Burgan
Hunter Burgan
Hunter Lawrence Burgan is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is the third and current bass guitarist of AFI.-Biography:Burgan grew up in Grass Valley, California. He is vegan.-Career:...
of AFI
AFI (band)
AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
(on Tegan's songs) and Kaki King
Kaki King
Kaki King is an American guitarist and composer. King is known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and her diverse range in different genres.In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of "The New Guitar...
.
The album is dedicated to Rita Clement and Burt Harris.
The song "The Con" is featured in the video game Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
.
Background
The album was written during a period of intense emotional turmoil for both Tegan and Sara. Sara was struggling with Canadian immigration to get her American-born girlfriend a working visa so they could live together, while Tegan was dealing with the breakup of a five year relationship.As announced on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog, a special edition CD/DVD was released at the same time as the CD-only version. The CD/DVD release has a parental advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
warning for profanity on the DVD, although the CD contains no explicit content.
"Back in Your Head
Back in Your Head
"Back in Your Head" is a song by the Canadian indie band Tegan and Sara from their 2007 album The Con. It was released as a single in the same year. It was written by Sara Quin....
", the first single, and the second single, "The Con," were used heavily for promotional purposes. The vinyl release of this album includes a promotional copy of "The Con" on CD. "Call it Off" is the third single from the album. The music video for "Call It Off" was released September 15, 2008.
According to the DVD edition of the album, Sugar, Spell It Out was a tentative album title. The DVD also reveals the title track "The Con" was tentatively titled "Encircle Me" and "Like O, Like H" was previously titled "SOS."
EE Storey
EE Storey
Emily "Emy" Storey is a Montreal-based art director, graphic designer and illustrator. Born in Kinderhook, New York, Storey moved to Montreal to study Design Art at Concordia University, where she received her Fine Arts degree in 2003....
, the band's artistic director, designed the album artwork.
For the United States portion of their world tour of this album, they have posted a series of videos called "Trailer Talk" on their MySpace profile.
1,500 copies of The Con demos were sold for charity at concerts.
Critical reception
The Con received positive reviews from the media, scoring 80 on review aggregator MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. The album debuted at number 34 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling about 19,000 copies in its first week. On week 2, the album fell out of the top 50, at #69, selling about 10,000 that week, totaling at 29,000.
Filter magazine calls The Con "a startlingly dark, yet characteristically vibrant offering, featuring a band that's learned to harness the energy-highs, while tempering pretty (even pastoral) pop-folk with a new, deeply-affecting brand of melancholy." PopMatters gave The Con a score of 8 out of 10, calling it "very, very good. To be more precise, it is one of the best albums so far of 2007 and one of the best recent pop releases." The A.V. Club says that "ultimately even The Cons failings work in its favor, providing a macro version of what the best Tegan And Sara songs do, by stumbling along recklessly, then falling together."
BestEverAlbums.com
BestEverAlbums.com
Best Ever Albums is a website and database whose prime purpose is to establish and rank the greatest music albums of all time and surface these to site visitors. The rankings are aggregated together from around two thousand individual chart submissions to form the overall chart...
lists The Con as Tegan and Sara's best album, ranking at number 786 in their list of the best albums ever and number 190 in their list of the best albums of the 2000s.
Track listing
DVD features
- The Con: The Movie (Making of the album)
- Extras
- PtosisPtosis (eyelid)Ptosis is a drooping of the upper or lower eyelid. The drooping may be worse after being awake longer, when the individual's muscles are tired. This condition is sometimes called "lazy eye", but that term normally refers to amblyopia...
: Explained - Ptosis Outtakes
- Duct Tape Dreads
- Feelings Report
- Video Chapters
- Ptosis
Personnel
- Tegan Quin – guitars, keyboards, piano, vocals
- Sara Quin – guitars, keyboards, piano, vocals
- Christopher Walla – guitars (6, 10), keyboards (12), organ (6), shakers (6), cymbals (5), tiny guitars (5, 14), bass (4, 9)
- Ted Gowans – guitars (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14), keyboards (2, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13), organ (13)
- Matt SharpMatt SharpMatthew Kelly Sharp is a founding member and former bassist for the band Weezer. In 1994, he started a band called The Rentals and released their debut album shortly after Weezer's first release, their second album in 1999, and an EP in 2007...
– bass (1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 12) on all of Sara's songs - Hunter BurganHunter BurganHunter Lawrence Burgan is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is the third and current bass guitarist of AFI.-Biography:Burgan grew up in Grass Valley, California. He is vegan.-Career:...
– bass (3, 7, 8, 10, 13, 14) on all of Tegan's songs - Kaki KingKaki KingKaki King is an American guitarist and composer. King is known for her percussive and jazz-tinged melodies, energetic live shows, use of multiple tunings on acoustic and lap steel guitar, and her diverse range in different genres.In February 2006, Rolling Stone released a list of "The New Guitar...
– lap steel (4), guitar (11) - Jason McGerrJason McGerrJason McGerr is the current drummer for the band Death Cab for Cutie. McGerr was previously in Krusters Kronomid and Eureka Farm as well as the Seattle jazz trio Rockin' Teenage Combo. McGerr is an instructor at the Seattle Drum School when not playing drums for Death Cab for Cutie...
– drums, percussion