The Temper Trap
Conditions

Conditions, the album released in 2009 by The Temper Trap, is a work rich in contaminations ranging from pop to rock to psychedelic, and it certainly also approaches the style of English bands like Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. Despite the band being Australian, it managed to climb the UK market charts and then make a name for itself in the European market, particularly thanks to the single "Sweet Disposition," the third track on the album.

However, this album is far from being a dull container in which to embed a gem like the aforementioned song. If that were the case, I surely wouldn't have bothered to review it despite there already being a piece on the website. It's an uninterrupted 42-minute journey during which one can indulge in the delay-laden sounds of the guitars, played by Lorenzo Stilitto and Dougy Mandagi, the layers and magnificent arrangements of the synths, and the ethereal voice of Mandagi himself, with an unmistakable tone in my opinion. If listened to in the dead of night, it is incredibly sweet and dreamy.

The album is the band's debut and is structured in 10 tracks, different yet similar at the same time, connected by an invisible common thread. I've owned this CD for years now, and when I truly don’t know what to listen to, I find myself unconsciously playing it over and over. Certainly, it's one of the must-haves of the '00s.

The trip begins with the pop-infused "Love Lost," initiated and dominated by the keyboards at the start, eventually exploding into a burst with the entry of drums and guitars. It concludes to make way for the second track that follows the first one's style and serves as a bridge leading to the masterpiece that is "Sweet Disposition," where the saturated guitar in delay marks an iconic riff on which Mandagi's melodious voice sets in. I wouldn't know how to describe this masterpiece track, leaving the arduous verdict to the comments.

At the end, we are launched into "Down River," light and flowing, centered on acoustic guitar and drums. Following are the melancholic "Soldiers On" at the antipodes with the sparkling "Fader." The other tracks are all noteworthy, maybe slightly losing it with "Fools" and "Science of Fear," while "Resurrection" belongs in the anthology of pop/experimental music. The album concludes with the instrumental "Drum Song."

Having reached the end of this track by track, I am about to say that "Conditions" is indeed a light album but extremely sophisticated, although it sits on the border between pop and rock, perhaps leaning more towards the former in the first section and the latter in the second. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece or a generational album, but it is undoubtedly of excellent quality. My heartfelt compliments to the band. Rating 9/10