Peculiarly, delving into Tegan and Sara’s sixth studio album, Sainthood, I was regrettably finding myself on the brim of complete disillusion. I was anticipating hearing a solid rendition of the sisters’ evolving maturity but what I heard was a step in a deviating direction.

The album begins with “Arrow”, a tune that clearly states their new found sound but quickly diverges into nothing more than simple beats and repetition up the ying-yang. Furthermore, there are more synthesizers than T&S;followers are familiar with. However, these Canadian natives had the opportunity to redeem themselves, style wise, with the follow-up track “Don’t Rush”. First play my mind immediately affiliated these twins with another eminent duo, MGMT, with an upbeat and catchy intro. Their instrumentals were undoubtedly a step forward but their vocals lacked creativity and at one point, let’s just say, my attention was soon focused elsewhere; such as a fly resting upon my monitor.

“On Directing” was a pleasure to hear because it allowed me to reminisce about Tegan and Sara circa 2007. Nearly halfway through the song I noticed unintentional foot-tapping and head-swaying. It consisted of fresh hooks and lyrics that are sure to be engrained into memory and a constant slip of the tongue; “Go steady with me/I know it turns you off when/I get talkin’ like a teen/I get talkin’ like a teen”.

In the midst of the album I had already uncovered a slew of hits and misses. I found “Northshore” to be the oddball of the record. It sounded to replicate a Joan Jett hit of the 80s. Moving up a decade, “Someday”, the final track off Sainthood, imitates the era of Pogs and Furbies.

It has been two years since T&S;have put out an album but was that respectfully enough time to produce a solid, flawless compilation? The sisters hardly spent any time off the road. Maybe with a little more downtime the duo could have the ability to tinker with their vocals; a disappointment on itself. Tegan and Sara have displayed such strength and charisma with their voices since 1999 when their first studio album was released. I was anticipating seeing what they had in store, only to learn they held back. They needed to add a little spice to this bland mixture.

While it took me some time to warm up to this record, I will, nevertheless, surely attempt to be apart of the immense crowd that will fill the venues on Tegan and Sara’s spring tour. But at the end of the day, I might pop in The Con into my stereo to listen to the established sisters that they once were.