Twins hit it off with their band and banter

By Geoffrey Rowlands You won’t just hear their music if you attend a Tegan and Sara concert. The 32-year-old Quin twins have become renowned for their between songs banter, stories and comments almost as much as the quality of their performances.“It was something that just happened,” Tegan reflected. “I don’t really know if it was nervousness at first but we talked to the audience between songs. It was just Sara and I when we started, there were no backing musicians. Talking to the audience filled what would otherwise have been dead time while we changed instruments.”“People seemed to enjoy this communication,” Sara added. “It had come naturally at first and still does but we came to realise what happened between songs was an important part of what the audiences wanted from our concerts.”The girls began touring shortly after graduating from high school in 1998. They had begun writing songs three years earlier and used the studio at their school to record two demo albums, Who’s in Your Band? and Play Day.“We were so lucky to attend a school with a recording studio,” Tegan remarked. “Our parents weren’t rich so they couldn’t have paid for studio time. As it was, we gained so much experience in the school studio.”After leaving school, Tegan and Sara won the Garage Warz battle of the bands contest in their home city of Calgary, Alberta. The prize money paid for professional studio time which saw the girls record their debut album, Under Feet Like Ours. “We recorded three demos, Yellow Tape, Orange Tape and Red Tape,” Sara recalled. “We still had enough money to record and press our first CD which we sold at our gigs.”The combination of their concerts and album attracted the attention of Neil Young’s manager, Elliot Roberts, who signed the girls to Neil’s Vapor record label. Their first album for Vapor, 2000’s The Business of Art, contained six songs originally heard on their self-released album.“This was about a year after we started selling Under Feet Like Ours,” Sara explained. “We didn’t have many new songs so the idea was to showcase what was thought to be the best of our music.”Their career since then has been marked by steady progression. They have released five more albums all but one of which proved more popular than its predecessor. The exception was 2009’s Sainthood. Although it registered similar chart positions when compared with 2007’s The Con, total sales were little more than half the number.“It was surprising,” Sara admitted. “I think you always believe your latest album is the best you’ve ever made and that’s how we felt about Sainthood. We thought our fans would agree but they didn’t.”This shock to the system possibly explains the four year delay in creating their new album, Heartthrob. It may also account for Tegan and Sara’s change in musical direction.“We’re no longer self-loathing, mid-20s indie rockers,” Tegan remarked. “We’ve provided vocals for dance tracks by artists such as Tiesto and David Guetta in the recent past. This made us realise the potential of creating songs which might actually be played on commercial pop radio.”“We’d have made some different choices if we’d wanted to be famous,” Sara stated. “But we feel we’ve earned the right to change musically. We haven’t ditched the typical Tegan and Sara sound but we have added a more dynamic pop effect.”Their fans certainly seem to enjoy this new style. Heartthrob has become their biggest hit to date peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and topping both the Alternative and Top Rock Albums charts.“I think we always were a pop band though Sara isn’t so sure,” Tegan smiled. “The new album hasn’t alienated our old fans and the tasteful amending of our sound has definitely added some new names to our fan base. I don’t see how this can’t be a good thing.”inbriefParamore’s single on YouTube Paramore fans might like to view the new lyric video for the band’s latest single, Still Into You. It can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjZsuCKI-Uw. Links posted on this webpage include live performances of the song.Still Into You is the second single taken from Paramore’s self-titled fourth studio album which is set for release early next month. The video for lead single, Now, is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=G133kjKy91U. Also here are links to a host of other Paramore official song videos, a 25-minute live performance for BBC Radio 1 and an interview with the band. That really is Beyonce There has been a mixed reaction to Bow Down/I Been On, the first song released by Beyonce from the recording sessions for her forthcoming fifth studio album.The track is essentially two songs in one. The Hit Boy-produced first part just seems to get going when the Timbaland-produced second part kicks in. This appears to be performed by a slowed down male rapper but assurances have been given that the vocalist really is Beyonce with studio wizardry accounting for the somewhat bizarre sound.Anyone wishing to check out the track should visit (no www.) soundcloud.com/beyoncemusic/bow-down-i-been-on. Sixth album from Filter Ohio rockers Filter issue their sixth studio album, The Sun Comes Out Tonight, on June 4. First single, What Do You Say, is set for release on April 2. Available now though is a free download of lead track, We Hate It When You Get What You Want. The song can be heard and downloaded in exchange for your email address at www.officialfilter.com/. Hurry though, although no specific date was indicated, the free download will only be offered for a limited time.The band’s first three albums, plus their 2009 compilation LP The Very Best Things (1995-2008), can all be heard in full at www.myspace.com/filter/music/albums. Chvrches release work online Scottish electropop trio Chvrches, pronounced Churches, have been making quite a name for themselves since forming in October, 2011. So much so that they placed fifth in the highly prestigious BBC Sound of 2013 pollVideos for all of the songs they have so far released are available to view on YouTube. So too are live performances and interviews. Everything can be accessed by typing Chvrches in the YouTube search box.For anyone wondering about the strange spelling of their name, they decided to replace the u with a v in order to avoid confusion with actual churches on Internet searches.  Black Manila song debut on April 1 South London garage rockers Black Manila release their debut seven-inch single, Shake That Thing, on April 1. In the meantime, the trio are offering fans a free download of Pere Lachaise. The song can be heard and downloaded at (no www.) soundcloud.com/authoritycommunications/black-manila-pe-re-lachaise.Two older songs, Fiasco and England, are also available for free download. These can be found at (no www.) blackmanila.bandcamp.com/album/fiasco-england. A link from this webpage gives access to another two songs.The video for Shake That Thing can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkPl4gM6dM0.