The Temper Trap: "Sweet Disposition" and "Rest"

You're driving down the coast. Which coast, you ask? It doesn't matter, really, but for the sake of specificity, let's say the coast of south Australia. The open windows let in the sun and the wind, and you grip the wheel as your BMW coupe careens around the ribbon of road. Your foot never touches the brakes. Your cell phone is turned off. You haven't felt freedom like this in years.

What are you listening to?

The correct answer is The Temper Trap, an Aussie-formed band that tickles your eardrums with a classic rock band set-up and a lead vocalist who can really, really sing.

The Temper Trap -- Dougy Mandagi on vocals, Lorenzo Sillitto on lead guitar, Jonathon Aherne on bass guitar, Joseph Greer on keyboards/guitar, and Toby Dundas on drums -- was formed in Melbourne, Australia. Lead singer Dougy, who landed in Melbourne via a childhood in Indonesia and a stint in Hawaii, began his music career as a busker, singing for spare change and painting portraits for $25 a pop. We can fast-forward a bit -- the bandmates knew each other, worked together in retail, started hacking out covers and original tunes, and began touring Australia. They caught the ear of Jim Abbiss, the (later) Grammy-nominated producer of both Adele and the Arctic Monkeys, who moved them to London in 2008. The Brits loved them -- "Sweet Disposition," the first single off the band's 2009 debut album, peeked into the Top 10 singles charts in the UK -- but we didn't hear much about them across the pond. (Though if the song sounds familiar, you may have heard it on the (500) Days of Summer teaser trailer and soundtrack or in Chrysler and Diet Coke ads.)

But none of that matters. Just listen to this guy's voice. "Sweet Disposition" begins with a happy, major chord revolution of guitar picking. Then Dougy's voice floats in with a bass drum accompaniment, almost hesitant at first -- until you hear the warble at the end of the note. The sustained notes hang over the lively, unceasing guitar riff. At 1:15 the chorus hits, almost grating at first, but then Dougy splits above and harmonizes, and the sound fits together like Legos fresh out of the box. It's just so satisfying; why would you ever take them apart?

But the chorus has apparently given Dougy the liberty to launch into full-throated volume, and his vibrato takes on an artistic beauty as he sighs, croons, grows the sound with not only his lungs but his mouth. "We won't stop 'til it's over, won't stop to surrendeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer."

I'm genuinely sad when this song ends. I've listened to it half a dozen times, and I just can't get over how well-constructed and well-sung it is. These guys have a second album coming out June 5, and after just one song, I'm hooked. The last time I felt this way was with the Alabama Shakes, and we all know how that turned out.

But I wouldn't sell you a band I hadn't researched thoroughly, so here's another video from a full show (as opposed to the Seattle KEXP studio, which is cropping so much on YouTube with fantastic recordings of up-and-coming bands that I'm considering moving to Seattle and camping outside their door until they give me a job, scrubbing floors if necessary):

Oh my god, these guys are a REAL TOTALLY AWESOME ROCK BAND, light show and all! (I can see the Arctic Monkeys reflected here a bit.) After two minutes of rocking out, the band pauses, Dougy steps up the mic, turns it around, and I melt into a slushy puddle of falsetto vibrato. (That sounds like a delicious dessert, doesn't it?)

Even the band's website calls to me -- the first thing you get when you click through is a video of them live in studio. Oh, boys, how did you know? I love it. I just love it.

So, new life goal: See the Temper Trap live on Saturday of Lollapalooza. Then, probably next year, fly to Melbourne, rent a BMW, and drive along the coast, blasting a homemade list of my favorite live recordings.

Do you ever feel like the happiest place on earth is inside your own head?