Additional personnel: Ted Gowans, Kaki King (guitars); Christopher Walla, Hunter Burgan, Matt Sharp (bass guitar); Jason McGerr (drums).

After several years spent perpetually bubbling under as the next big thing, Canadian identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara make their first foray onto the mainstream stage with the self-assured THE CON. Filing away some of the duo's more overtly indie-rock edges while keeping well away from glossy slickness, THE CON is a big, bright-sounding album with a ton of catchy pop hooks, presented in arrangements that favor both loud guitars and dancefloor-friendly synthesizers. The duo's folkish roots peek through occasionally, as on the opening "I Was Married," but overall, THE CON is an unapologetic alternative-pop record--along the lines of Garbage or the Strokes--that maintains enough of the sisters' edgy personalities to keep longtime fans from considering it a sellout move.