Tegan and Sara

“Sainthood”

Porcelain glazed rock for the art room crowd.

Listening to “Sainthood,” I came to wonder how Paramore can be so insanely popular, while Tegan and Sara only have a fraction of that many fans.

It’s sort of surprising how similar their songs seem to work, even beyond the obvious girl vocalist comparison.

For example, in “Sainthood,” the hooks are catchy, the method is polished and the emotions run heavy.

But that may be the difference, when Hayley Williams lets her emotions flow completely inhibited, there is a restraint and subtlety to twins Tegan and Sara Quin’s delivery, and let’s face it, it’s more fun to watch the girls on “Flavor of Love” go crazy than witnessing a serious, heartfelt conversation.

And yet there is so much more substance and attractiveness to that conversation, and “Sainthood” works in much the same way.

It’s a smart, clever take on pop rock that is precisely executed and carried by the charm of the girls.

Noticeably more poppy than its earthy predecessor, “The Con,” “Sainthood” sounds radio-ready with the opening power trio of “Arrow,” “Don’t Rush” and “Hell,” but all too well done and tasteful to see any serious airtime, of course.

“Arrow” bounces over spacey synth echoes and scratchy guitars, while “Don’t Rush” glides over a pulsing beat as the Quin twins smoothly slur their words into a sturdy in contrast.

The guitar riffs on “Hell” hinge on mall-punk before proving to be in capable hands in a largely dynamic, fist-pumping anthem.

The rest of the album holds pace. “On Directing” has Tegan and Sara shining at their brightest vocally, “Alligator” is a sultry disco ballad, and the swelling blue of “The Ocean” is rather lovely.

They close with “Someday,” a rather jaunty way to end in fact, with the girls chanting, “might do something I’d be proud of someday/mark my words, I might be something someday.”

It’s hard to think that they haven’t yet done something their proud of. With “Sainthood” being such a divine, nearly flawless album, I can only imagine how great it will be when they finally do.

Wolfmother

“Cosmic Egg”

Hey, who got Metallica in my Led Zeppelin?

When Wolfmother’s self-titled debut came out three years ago, it might have been the most integral piece to a true rock ’n’ roll revival in music.

Every piece of music coming out would go through endless labeling and subgenres: lo-fi, indie, nu-metal, grunge and so on.

But with Wolfmother this wasn’t so. It was a brash, forthright homage to days of Led Zeppelin. It was simply rock ’n’ roll.

“Wolfmother” quickly became noted as one of the best releases of 2006, and while bands like Jet and The Darkness were doing much of the same thing, there was an unmatched authenticity to Wolfmother.

It almost came to an end as quickly as it started. Founding members Chris Ross and Myles Heskett deserted front man Andrew Stockdale due to the standard “irreconcilable personal and musical differences.”

After a brief hiatus, Stockdale announced he would continue the band under the same moniker with three added musicians.

The recorded result is “Cosmic Egg,” and it seems like Stockdale has more rock ’n’ roll revitalizin’ in mind.

While “Wolfmother” mostly seemed to explore the harder side of the ‘70s, “Cosmic Egg” becomes a time warp of all things rock, whooshing through 80s metal and 90s grunge in a most epic journey indeed.

The album races to a start with a near RHCP bass groove in “California Queen” to get the trek started.

The one-two punch of “10,000 Feet” and “Cosmic Egg” is fueled by thick, concussive riffs sounding like they could have been lifted right off of “Master of Puppets.”

The short, scratchy strut of “White Feather” would sound just as natural with Mick Jagger behind the microphone and Keith Richards smoothly ripping into those wavy solos.

They even explore the static-filled noise rock of Sonic Youth with “Phoenix,” a track that bares an uncanny resemblance to “Kool Thing” at times.

The summation of exploration comes with “New Moon Rising,” a track that, just as “Woman” did before, allows Wolfmother to progress just as much, ultimately giving the band its own identity beyond their role of reverence.

And who knows, if it keeps this up, Wolfmother might have a band doing for them what they are doing for the 70s right now.