True Affections on Paper Television

The Blow, are a band from Portland Oregon consisting of Mikhaela Yvonne Maricich, former member of Yacht.

The Blow remind me of a combination of electronic dance beats and sparse vocals singing about torn love infidelity and fighting back (with words) that is.
I discovered their MYSPACE about a year ago.

I found the simple beats and vocals really disconcerting compared to the complex music I was listening to at the time. It grew on me, and I'm glad it did.
Sometimes I feel particularly melancholy when I put this music on
It's not complicated; they don't sing around metaphors.
Mikhaela is blunt and truthful in her lyrics. and because of this, I lean towards her music when I feel complicated and undecided.
The Blow decides for you.
Her album Paper Television came out in 2006 on K records.
My favourite tracks are "Fists Up" and "True Affections"
In "True Affections" she sings

I was out of your league
And you were 20,000 underneath the sea
Waving affections
You were out of my league
At a distance that I didn't wanna see
Wanted you nearer

Heartbreaking. I love this.
The Blow: True Affections

How to be Saints

Photo by Pamela Littky
Tegan and Sara's 6th studio album came out on October 27th, entitled "Sainthood"
To be honest, I didn't quite know what the title meant, and I thought it referred to something religious. I didn't quite like it.

I discovered later, this religious idea was to be based on how to become a person who replicates saintly ideals only to win over someone else's affection.
This, I understood.

Having been a Tegan and Sara listener for the past few years I knew this album would be equally for even more impressive than their previous albums.

My favourite was their 2007 release, "The Con".

There was something so deep and resonating about the themes that underlined the songs off of The Con. Not only were they verging on rock indie tunes but lyrically, they were just so blatantly honest. Its unlike other musicians to write their loves on their sleeves. When I heard the album for the first time, it quickly and permanently became the record I unhealthily obsessed over. Admittedly, I did listen to other music.




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My first impressions of Sainthood amounted to my appreciation for their growth in sound and band mentality. There was a different mood in the songs off "Sainthood" compared to "The Con". The themes related to the acts of pursuing someone, finding out ways to become a better partner, and over-analysing interrelationships with past partners and parents. It was clear that the new Tegan and Sara sound came with their age and maturity.
It sounds developed instrumentally and raw vocally. I particularly love their use of synths on this record. They're heavy and prominent in Sara's songs, especially: Night watch, Paperback Head, and the 80's driven sounds from Alligator.
My current favourites are:
Arrow
On Directing
Sentimental Tune.
These songs are gold.

This is not to say the other songs are not equally brilliant, it goes without saying they do bring a different ingredient to the album's developed sound.

A more detailed analysis of the record in the next few weeks.

In the mean time listen here: