The Temper Trap

Australian quartet the Temper Trap suggests the offspring of U2 and Journey, with a sweeping, theatrical sound lifted by glimmering guitars. Singer and guitarist Dougy Mandagi’s baritone is nearly as lithesome as the swiveling guitars, evolving from a willowy, Jeff Buckley-style falsetto to an arena-ready croon. The guitars unabashedly channel the Edge — sonorous single-note lines soaked in reverb and stereo chorus — producing supple grandeur without upstaging Mandagi’s rafter-raising vocals. The band’s music caught the ear of Jim Abbiss (of Editors and Arctic Monkeys), who produced last year’s debut, Conditions. Abbiss infused the album with an atmospheric sheen associated with such British acts as the Chameleons UK and Coldplay. Naturally, the Temper Trap moved to London last year to better seize some musical momentum. Opening is rising shoegaze siren Warpaint, best known for its winding ballad “Billie Holiday.”