Album Review: Thick As Thieves by The Temper Trap

When a hit single surfaces early in a band's wave of prominence, it can be a challenge to create distance between the past and the present.

“Sweet Disposition”, the lead single from 2009's Conditions, found widespread acclaim with its echoing guitar swathed in delay and impeccable falsetto work from lead singer Dougy Mandagi.

The Temper Trap's latest offering, Thick As Thieves, attempts a revival of the soaring and dynamic sound we were acquainted with in Conditions, but instead seems to cram itself into a compacted box labelled 'indie rock' with barely a hint of emergence.

Following the general abundance of praise that met Conditions, The Temper Trap made a bold leap with its self-titled successor, receiving mixed reviews from critics. Thus, Thick As Thieves' overarching sense of seemingly-safe choices is logical. We're all well aware of the inevitable backlash bands get from fans who declare “you've changed!” upon a new album's release (reminiscent of a lover on the brink of a relationship's breakdown). However, the opposite end of the spectrum certainly exists and this record unfortunately embodies that.

It only took two tracks into the album for me to safely say I had a reasonably accurate idea of what I'd hear from the rest. The stadium-ready chanting of “oh-way-oh” amongst a lacklustre backing track and dull proclamations such as “we run free, we run strong”, form the spine of “So Much Sky” and, unfortunately, the remainder of the tracks, which are comprised of similar structures.

By track five, “Fall Together”, my mood stayed static amongst hints of electronica, while generic lines like “you and me were meant to be” did little to rouse my excitement. Track eight, “Summer's Almost Gone”, offered a slight reprieve to my discontent with its soothing organ intro and low-key vibe throughout, but by the album closer, “Ordinary World”, I was more than ready to leave its start-stop riffs and return to the “Ordinary World” I'm used to. (Simon Le Bon's, that is.)

This isn't to say Thick As Thieves doesn't have its merits. Mandagi's ever-astonishing vocals stand out beautifully and blow the rest of the record's facets out of the water. It's just a shame that their distinctiveness couldn't have been put to a more innovative use.

I must also praise this record's breadth of reach; it has that kind of universal sound which can be nodded along to by 17-year-old P-platers and 45-year-old fathers alike; no doubt an intentional creative move made to appeal to those from all walks of life.

Perhaps in my constant, eager search for that which is novel in music, I have found myself overly critical of blatant attempts at the anthemic. Perhaps this makes me pretentious and snobbish.

Regardless of that reality, I have proof of The Temper Trap's outstanding ability to create something simultaneously unique and revered by all: “Sweet Disposition”. I just wish they knew that it isn't necessary to abandon one of these things in favour of obtaining the other.

2/5

Thick As Thieves is now available.