Bryan Copland - 8/25/2011
As Dougy Mandagi's sultry falsetto confidently offers, "Our love was lost, but now we've found it," on the opening bars of The Temper Trap's debut album 'Conditions' against a gorgeous backdrop of chirpy keyboard, you know you have found music to love again.
My love for music was a little lost before hearing this album; two years down the line and it's only just made it onto my MP3 player. But when it's a piece of work as dramatic, yet instantly catchy and romantic as this, who cares about time? And with the Australians working towards their follow-up, due for release later this year, now is as good a time as any to bask in its glory.
Too often, a band's downfall is their lack of versatility - a seeming inability to really mix it up and broaden the spectrum. The Temper Trap nearly get there on this 2009 album, with some simply stunning melody intertwined with real passion, thoughtful guitars and soaring synths. It's an album you listen to, and change which track is your favourite each time.
It's difficult to look past 'Sweet Disposition' for a highlight here. While undoubtedly the album's most popular track - it reached sixth in the UK chart and formed the lead track of film '500 Days of Summer' - it is also a timeless indie hit, filled with enough emotion to make Coldplay think again. It doesn't drag either, as one of the LP's fastest songs, and would walk onto any compilation of this Millenium's finest work so far.
Elsewhere, though, it's a case of take your pick; opener 'Love Lost' doesn't stamp its feet and demand immediate attention, but rather earns your trust - slowly building with a steady heartbeat pound and Indonesian-born Mandagi's falsetto once again prominent.
'Rest's repeated refrain of "Ooooh, baby' is more appealing in sound than it is on paper, and sees The Temper Trap get some of that emotional anguish out of their system.
There are thinkers' tracks here, too; the acoustic intro on 'Down River' reminds of Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side', though the following picked guitar gives the drums something to bounce along to, while 'Soldier On' is a fine moment - coupling mellow guitar tones with strong lead vocals before full-band mode pushes this to a grungy climax.
For pop songs, look no further than 'Fader', with an extra snarl in Mandagi's voice and pounding rock beat, with "Ooooohs" to rival the best of any indie stalwart. He loves his "Ooooohs", does the former Melbourne busker.
And while 'Resurrection' might be the album's Achilles' heel , sounding like a poor impersonation of the Scissor Sisters at their synth-pop worst, closing instrumental 'Drum Song' could have appeared on any number of LPs before or after this album was released - most notably The XX's Mercury Prize-winning effort from 2010.
For much of the noughties, bands will be remembered for their copy-cat style and the 'indie kid' trend which seemed to sweep through so many of those years.
If you're looking for something new and to get away from those stereotypes, pick up a copy of 'Conditions' and see for yourself: the grass is sometimes greener on the other side... of the world, in this case.