Greg Dona
02/19/06, 01:00 PM
Music fans love innovation. We love to find that band that takes what we see so commonplace in other bands and just elevate it to an entirely new level. This is what separates what we see as the great bands and the plain good ones.
That is not to say that innovation is always hunky dory. Oftentimes groups try to stretch music beyond their limitations. When this happens bands fall flat on their faces; the scene scoffs at their ultimate insufficiency. They shot for the stars and didn’t exactly land on the moon.
Milwaukee’s Temper Temper lands somewhere in no man’s land between those two extremes with their self-titled release. The group garners admiration for having tried to resuscitate rather than beat the proverbial dead or perhaps dying horse. Rather than simply abusing the safety blanket provided these days by simple dance punk and riding it to almost assured immediate moderate success and later absolute mediocrity, Temper Temper attempts to push the envelope. Although not entirely successful, it would be impossible to call Temper Temper a failure.
The first track, “Trust Me” begins with distorted guitars reminiscent of something off of a Daft Punk CD. The listener becomes immediately paralyzed with fright; could this really be just another stereotypical dance punk band? If so, kill me now! But alas, Temper Temper brings their own twist to the genre that alone merits a disc-long listen or two. The group adds equal parts Daft Punk and Franz Ferdinand to Alkaline Trio gloom and reverence to the dark side, resulting in something we haven’t heard all too often yet.
Little changes until “Cheap Little Target,” a track which at once slows things down with both downtrodden pace and Audioslave-esque vocal parts. This piece along with the hyper active “Sexy Little Cuts” represent the most impressive songs on the disc.
Temper Temper’s Temper Temper leaves much room for improvement and much to desire. Although darkening the optimistic dance punk scene is a genuinely good idea, Temper Temper’s self-titled full-length seems to fabricate a good bit of their persona. From the ever artsy and horrific images present in their CD booklet to the persistently shady lyrics, the group seems to lack a distinct bit of creative sincerity. Once they fully embrace a more honest creativity, Temper Temper will be a musical force to be reckoned with. Look out.
That is not to say that innovation is always hunky dory. Oftentimes groups try to stretch music beyond their limitations. When this happens bands fall flat on their faces; the scene scoffs at their ultimate insufficiency. They shot for the stars and didn’t exactly land on the moon.
Milwaukee’s Temper Temper lands somewhere in no man’s land between those two extremes with their self-titled release. The group garners admiration for having tried to resuscitate rather than beat the proverbial dead or perhaps dying horse. Rather than simply abusing the safety blanket provided these days by simple dance punk and riding it to almost assured immediate moderate success and later absolute mediocrity, Temper Temper attempts to push the envelope. Although not entirely successful, it would be impossible to call Temper Temper a failure.
The first track, “Trust Me” begins with distorted guitars reminiscent of something off of a Daft Punk CD. The listener becomes immediately paralyzed with fright; could this really be just another stereotypical dance punk band? If so, kill me now! But alas, Temper Temper brings their own twist to the genre that alone merits a disc-long listen or two. The group adds equal parts Daft Punk and Franz Ferdinand to Alkaline Trio gloom and reverence to the dark side, resulting in something we haven’t heard all too often yet.
Little changes until “Cheap Little Target,” a track which at once slows things down with both downtrodden pace and Audioslave-esque vocal parts. This piece along with the hyper active “Sexy Little Cuts” represent the most impressive songs on the disc.
Temper Temper’s Temper Temper leaves much room for improvement and much to desire. Although darkening the optimistic dance punk scene is a genuinely good idea, Temper Temper’s self-titled full-length seems to fabricate a good bit of their persona. From the ever artsy and horrific images present in their CD booklet to the persistently shady lyrics, the group seems to lack a distinct bit of creative sincerity. Once they fully embrace a more honest creativity, Temper Temper will be a musical force to be reckoned with. Look out.