The recent death of Robin Gibb has left many of us running towards our dusty LPs, namely Children of the World and Saturday Night Fever, to spin them again and again with a box of tissues in hand. But whilst listening–and staring at enough group photos of the Gibb brothers–we started wondering how many acts had the uncanny characteristic of sporting twin siblings.
After some research and thinking, we were surprised to discover that, yes, there are others – many others! Now, in honor of Mr. Robin Gibb, Consequence of Sound presents the Top Twin Siblings in Popular Music History.
Eat your heart out, Schwartzenegger and DeVito.
The Bee Gees
Twin Siblings: Robin and Maurice Gibb
With harmonies that could rival The Beach Boys, the Gibb trio stalked dance halls in the late ’70s as one of the hottest acts during the time’s vibrant disco era. One might argue that the Gibb produce fell off the most talented family tree in music history; not only could Barry, Robin, and Maurice hold a tune, but so could their younger brother, Andy. Granted, these familial ties also tore the band apart at times, specifically between Barry and Robin, though one can’t dismiss the vocal ties each member had with one another.
In unison, they were unstoppable, and legendary tracks like “You Should Be Dancing”, “More Than a Woman”, “Night Fever”, and “Stayin’ Alive” couldn’t have worked without those brotherly harmonies. The mere fact that Robin and Maurice came into the world at the same time only supports a whackjob thesis that this band was destined to exist together. Perhaps this explains why Robin shut the band down after Maurice’s death. Three’s company, sure, but it’s also family. -Michael Roffman
For example…
Blonde Redhead
Twin Siblings: Simone and Amedeo Pace
There seems to be an unspoken rule that when there are male twins in a band, one of them has to have a beard. Blonde Redhead is no exception, with drummer Simone Pace rocking the facial hair and his brother Amedeo clean-shaven, but even so, many reporters have a hard time telling them apart when they’re not playing the guitar or behind the drum kit, respectively. Famously good-looking, the Milanese twins hooked up with vocalist Kazu Makino at a (surprise) Italian restaurant in New York, where the Paces moved after studying jazz in Boston. Blonde Redhead earned comparisons to noise-rock stalwarts Sonic Youth with their self-titled debut–which was, in fact, produced by Steve Shelley and released on his label–and fourth member, bassist Maki Takahashi, who left the group shortly thereafter.
While her departure didn’t affect the group’s dense sound, which only took a turn for its current synth-based reverie with 2007′s 23, it definitely changed Blonde Redhead’s visual aesthetic: “Two chiseled Italian twins and a stunning Japanese girl? Blonde Redhead might be the best-looking band in the world,” said Baltimore City Paper. Fortunately, the menage a trio hasn’t let being really, really, ridiculously good-looking stand in the way of producing wave after wave of stellar dreampop on par with fellow countryman Ennio Morricone. -Harley Brown
For example…
The Breeders
Twin Siblings: Kim and Kelley Deal
Part of a twin act’s appeal is that their inherent physical and emotional connection will make for musical displays of harmony. In the case of sisters Kim and Kelley Deal of The Breeders, things haven’t always been so joyous and connected. The siblings started playing together in their late teens, jamming on Hank Williams covers at biker bars. When they both had a chance to achieve success as early members of the Pixies, Kelley split for California for a job in computer programming. When the sisters finally got on the same page, they crafted The Breeders’ seminal 1993 sophomore album, Last Splash. An album that captivated the indie world, its very nature was one of duality, sounding bright and shiny in parts and fuzzy and disorientated in others, seemingly mirroring the personalities of its creators.
Despite some personal issues in the mid-90s, the spark of the band’s dichotomy brought the Deal sisters back together, where they’ve been blazing a musical trail of new releases and festival appearances across the globe. It sounds like your standard rock reunion, but if the sisters repeat this path (which they might), it’ll be just another demonstration of their loving-yet-tumultuous relationship, one that made The Breeders the spitfire it is and was. -Chris Coplan
For example…
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Twin Siblings: Lee and Tyler Sargent
Identical twins Lee and Tyler Sargent contribute guitar/keyboards and bass, respectively, and a collective sense of humor to Brooklyn’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. In any other band, CYHSY’s meteoric rise to fame through the nascent blogosphere nearly a decade ago might have continued its upward trajectory straight to their heads, but the Sargents–who say they don’t dress alike but often, in fact, appear similarly clothed–seem to consistently keep frontman Alec Ounsworth grounded: In an interview with The New York Times some years ago, Ounsworth said he refused an offer from the television show The O.C. because “Vincent Van Gogh never sold a painting, and he was perfectly content,” to which one of the twins said, “Of course, he killed himself.”
This lightheartedness also provides a foil to Ounsworth’s wails, which can at times scrape at the eardrums’ higher registers like, as one of the band’s friends said, “a combination of David Byrne and Adam Sandler.” Tyler’s bass pulses out rhythms that anchor the group’s experimental leanings, reining in tracks like 2007′s “Satan Said Dance”, so it’s more appropriate for the dance floor than the art haus. On that same song, Lee pounds out atonal dead ends on the keyboards in time with his twin, like any good brother simultaneously challenging and reinforcing Tyler’s consistency. In the exchange, you can hear both the twins’ shared background in jazz and perhaps proof that Lee had to “unlearn” the guitar in order to play indie rock. Your ears might not be the wiser for knowing those two disparate arrangements belong to twins, but at least you know it runs in the family. -Harley Brown
For example…
The National
Twin Siblings: Aaron and Bryce Dessner
The first thing you hear and think about whenever The National pops up is Matt Berninger’s gravely vocals. He’s the frontman and the voice, so that’s a natural inclination. However, what comes next is the band’s trademark guitar work, that patrolling and rugged digging that echoes throughout “Abel”, levitates “Start a War”, and haunts “Anyone’s Ghost”. The Dessner brothers are responsible for all of that and more.
Anyone with a brother can attest to the difficulty of working with one another at times, especially on something creative. Yet for Aaron and Bryce, they’re batting five for five over 13 years. That’s an impressive feat and a true show of strength and commitment. While Aaron also dabbles with the keyboards, he’s mostly behind the guitar, needling out lines alongside Bryce’s axe work. History shows that guitarists can be rather aggressive, especially when it comes to sorting out riffs, but these two siblings have yet to find a problem with one another. Kudos to their parents and teachers for teaching them to share. -Michael Roffman
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The Proclaimers
Twin Siblings: Charlie and Craig Reed
Slap some spectacles on Anthony Michael Hall and utilize whatever effects let Nic Cage play his own twin in Adaptation, and you’ve got some pitch-perfect casting for The Proclaimers’ biopic. American audiences might not flood the box office for a one-hit wonder band, but Charlie and Craig Reid are still some of Scotland’s favorite sons. The title track from Sunshine on Leith – the album that has seen the most success – is even an anthem for their hometown football club, Hibernian. Since 1987, Craig has handled guitar with Charlie taking lead vocals, a formula that has kept them on the Top 100 UK charts through nine LPs. In fact, they only achieved their first number one single in 2007, though, to be fair, it was a charity rerecording of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” with BBC comedy duo Lou and Andy.
“500 Miles” is undoubtedly the track they’re going to be remembered for (fun factoid: It hit UK charts in 1988, but didn’t reach America until being featured in the film Benny & Joon five years later), but don’t think the equally adored and loathed ditty is all these twins are good for. Political numbers like “Letter from America” and “Cap in Hand”, covers of “King of the Road” and “Whole Wide World”, and originals like “I’m on My Way” and “Over and Done With” all showcase infectious melodies and a pair of romantic and patriotic Scotsmen. Plus, how can you deny those unabashedly thick accents? -Ben Kaye
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School of Seven Bells
Twin Siblings: Alejandra and Claudia Deheza
NYC dreampop outfit School of Seven Bells were originally a trio comprised of Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. As a three-piece, they released two albums (2008′s Alpinisms and 2010′s Disconnect from Desire) of intricately layered, emotionally and sonically sweeping songs that towed the line between ethereal pop and hazy shoegaze. Just after their sophomore LP’s release in July 2010, however, Claudia Deheza announced she’d be leaving the group for personal reasons. As is the case for many a brave band, the duo of Curtis and Alejandra Deheza continued onward, releasing their third album, Ghostory, this past February.
While the band’s core aesthetic remained the same, its adventurous wanderings changed, with the band focusing and tightening everything into neat musical packages. As enjoyable as the collection of songs is, the absence of Claudia Deheza removed some of the band’s wilder, more reckless tendencies, giving them a chance to grow while losing out on some unpredictability. Like the family concept they coveted so much, the unit will never be the same without all of its members. A crucial reminder of just how volatile and empowering the whole twin thing can be. -Chris Coplan
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Styx
Twin Siblings: Chuck and John Panozzo
There’s a great episode of That 70′s Show where Eric Forman tries to convince his friends – which includes a hilarious performance of “The Grand Illusion” – to attend a Styx concert. Everyone makes fun of him instead, and so Forman camps out alone to get tickets to a show that is largely unattended by Point Place, WI. It’s a funny joke written in hindsight, but at the time, Styx were a hot export out of the Midwest, namely for their theatrical prog rock and hits like “Come Sail Away”, “Lady”, and the highway funk of “Renegade”.
Brothers Chuck and John Panozzo founded the band and also provided the group’s rhythm section, as bassist and drummer respectively. Could there be a more fitting role for twin brothers in a prog rock band? Although Tommy Shaw often takes front seat, it’s the Panozzo brothers that brought Styx to the hearts and minds of many angst-y prospective actors – and, well, Eric Forman. -Michael Roffman
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Tegan and Sara
Twin Siblings: Tegan Rain and Sara Kiersten Quin
There’s probably even money that if you asked any casual music listener to name a band featuring twins, Tegan and Sara would be the first thing out of their mouth. You’d be hard pressed to blame them, considering few bands have worked the twin singer-songwriter dynamic better than the Quin sisters. While Tegan is the more prolific of the pair (she out-writes Sara on every album save The Con, on which they each have seven songs), Sara has produced more of their bigger hits (“Back in Your Head” and “Walking with a Ghost”; most of the tracks on the live CD/DVD Get Along are Sara’s). But when one takes the lead with guitar, the other’s backing vocals and keyboard act as vital buoys; “Call It Off” wouldn’t pull the same heartstrings without Sara echoing her sister, who in turn gives “Like O, Like H” those haunting keys and sweet-yet-wounded backgrounds.
On their most recent album, Sainthood, they share writing duties for the first time, and the album suffers not one bit. Live, their sisterhood grants them an unmatched level of comfort in their banter. Impish ribbing, bald candidness, and childhood tales litter their sets, integral aspects to their onstage success. Go ahead and search YouTube; nearly every clip opens with a lengthy exchange. That particular repartee and their ability to write together or separately while still producing solid, cohesive albums, are things that are seeded in a literal lifetime together. -Ben Kaye
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The Watson Twins
Twin Siblings: Chandra and Leigh Watson
Country music has had a lot of gimmicks over the years, whether it’s trucker caps and cowboy hats or the mystique of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. Still, none have been quite as novel as The Watson Twins, identical twin country/folk singers Chandra and Leigh Watson. They regularly play up the twin aspect in photo shoots and in music videos, doing their best to keep it in the open without having it reach cheese-tastic levels. That kind of dedication to theatricality and using their natural gift of twin-dom goes beyond mere parlor tricks to gain attention and stand out.
Choose any song from their discography and listen as the sisters harmonize, moving back and forth from saccharine displays of poppy romanticism to emotionally devastating cries of visceral heartache. They’re not just blending their voices; they’re combining them so perfectly and succinctly into one voice of unimaginable emotional impact. Beyond that, there’s a slew of instances where it’s hard to tell if they’re just singing or focusing the pain on one another, creating some sort of beautiful sonic feedback that allows them to shape and explore emotional sentiments in ways other acts could never imagine doing. Don’t let the cuteness fool you; they’re a two-headed Cerberus ready to annihilate your heartstrings. -Chris Coplan
