The Temper Trap - Fader
It's New Year's Eve, and all over the world people are preparing to gather with their loved ones and see in 2010 with that song about an old Lang and a sign and that funny crossed handshake dance. A lot of people will be making playlists for house parties, and what they will want is a collection of good songs which are neither so distracting that they drive all possible conversation from the room, or so bland that your guests will take over the stereo, or get Rock Band out.
If any of this applies to you, could I humbly suggest that you give this song a chance? It absolutely, definitely will NOT make your party worse, no matter what you're up to, and that's a cast-iron promise.*
(. In the neon jungle no-one can hear you scream. But they can sure as heck SEE it.)
As you will see, it's less of a song and more of a four-chord churn, a kind of groove-piece which arrives and leaves agreeably, if a little anonymously, without ever raising hackles or goosebumps.
Sometimes there's a pretty whooped refrain over the top, a bit like that Klaxons song with the pretty whooped refrain in it, only shorter. Sometimes there's a clashing wall of guitars, sometimes they drop out. The fuzz bass and church organ pretty much continue throughout, and the band do their best to add stuff and take stuff away so there's always a sense of progress, even if it doesn't really go anywhere.
A good visual analogy would be driving on a motorway. At any given moment, the landscape can change from hilly and oppressive to wide and flat, or the road can be long and straight - with no exits in sight - or curvy and bumpy, with one of those bizarre surfaces that makes the car suddenly make a lot more noise for no apparent reason, and constantly flipping from three lanes to two lanes to four lanes and back, as cars arrive and leave.
However, nothing ever quite erases the essential monotony of the motorway itself. That never changes.
That's what makes this so perfect for parties. It won't clear a dancefloor or annoy the neighbours. It won't make anyone flop onto the stairs crying because of the sad memories attached to it, and best of all, it won't cause a massive row about what or what does not constitute real music.
That's what Jools Holland's Hootenanny is for, after all...
Download: Out now
CD Released: January 4th
³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music page
(Fraser McAlpine)
* That is not a cast-iron promise.
Comment number 1.
At 31st Dec 2009, Prince_of_Neon wrote:I hope Love Lost or Rest is released as their next single, personally Love Lost is one of my favourites! Don't see Fader doing that well tbh...
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Comment number 2.
At 31st Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I seem to be one of the few people on chart blog who didn't actually like Sweet Dispositions that much, sure it was a nice enough tune but it didn't go anywhere, like Take That's Greatest Day, it just came and left. Fader has the same problem but I prefer it just because it's more urgent throughout, even if it is as Fraser described it 'background party music'. That's the problem I have with The Temper Trap though, they make montage music which will soon (if it hasn't already) appear on a clip of some X-Factor contestant crying or celebrate in the annoying way they do.
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Comment number 3.
At 31st Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:Anyway Happy New Year Everyone!
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Comment number 4.
At 31st Dec 2009, spirit wrote:Nice sentiment Harry .Don't know where you are , but in Bristol , it's still 2009 !
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Comment number 5.
At 31st Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:Don't worry I'm in England, I just thought I'd say it in advance seeing as it would be a bit sad to go on at midnight to celebrate.
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Comment number 6.
At 31st Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:Chartblog a bit sad???? What fresh blasphemy is this!
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Comment number 7.
At 31st Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:Not normally it's just New Year is the time when even the Dungeons and Dragons nerds come out to see the real world! I'd like to think we have more of a life than them.
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Comment number 8.
At 31st Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I shouldn't have that! Now I'm gonna get hate messages from Dungeons and Dragons 'fans'.
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Comment number 9.
At 31st Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:Only if they roll a 3D6 and cast "BlogFlame!" successfully!
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Comment number 10.
At 31st Dec 2009, spirit wrote:Well , Happy New Year everyone !
Right , back to Dungeons and Dragons.......
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Comment number 11.
At 4th Jan 2010, CurtainJerker wrote:I rather agree with the review. The thing is, it's really catchy and I can't get it out of my head.
All I'm hearing is "WOOO ooh ooh-ooh, WOOO ooh ooh-ooh, WOOO ooh ooh-ooh, talk don't change a thing..."
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Comment number 12.
At 4th Jan 2010, spirit wrote:This really reminds me of INXS and Michael Hutchence in the verses , and Curtains is right , that chorus is very catchy and memorable.
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