All good stories need an emphatic storyteller to bring the characters to life. Beyond one dimensional storyboards where all film ideas begin and draft-upon-draft of song lyrics harbouring a vision, the most important part of any creative endeavour is when these ideas are brought out of their enshrouded beginnings, and the storyteller tells us why these characters should matter to us.
The Trouble With Templeton, fronted by actor and amateur film maker Thomas Calder, have been making waves since Calder released Bleeders in 2011, a mini-album that he recorded in just over two weeks in his Brisbane home. Bleeders is a heartfelt and telling album bursting with raw emotion and an atmospheric but largely unchanging acoustic backing. All centred around personal experiences, Bleeders didn't offer the opportunity for this film-influenced lyricist and singer to take on the role of storyteller.
Rookie is the first album released by the band as a five piece. Turning away from the subdued style of Bleeders, this album instead is a more vibrant offering showing a more ambitious sound and giving glimpses into the lives of a collection of characters.
Taken from the perspective of a bitter old man, "Whimpering Child" is a strong opening for the narrative the album takes. Calder advises "Quit your whimpering child/Do the best you can/Well no one expects more than that" with a building backing that teeters delicately on a wave of dreamy indie melodies. Turning to a different perspective Calder's voice is surrounded by haunting backing vocals as he begins directing attention to himself, declaring with immediacy and an ascending vocal that "everywhere I go people keep me from being myself".
On the ethereal "You Are New" Calder calls out "Did something happen to you/My dear/My love?" with a fuzzy bassline that delivers a powerful punch that could never have been achieved on his debut. Calder creates a curiousity that easily draws the listener in but gives little information, like going to see a film but only getting the plot outline.
Key track "Six Months In A Cast" is imbued with pessimism and details the breakdown of a relationship before it even begins, using metaphor and and fast paced, slightly frenzied guitar chugs that make this sound like the soundtrack to a stressful walk after a sleepless night. As Calder sings "Didn't want my leg to snap so/Spent six months in a cast oh/Just to be safe" there's an uncertainty and nervousness in his voice that boosts the energy of the song and leaves no doubt about his ability to draw characters through song.
There's a gentle ebb that leads each song to the next. Recalling Thom Yorke at his most emotional, "Flowers in Bloom" sees Calder take on the role of a hospital patient. Free from overdramatic theatrics and crushing sickness, it instead serves as morphine-induced woozy take on everything moving around the hospital. Keyboardist Betty Yeowart's backing vocals add a surreal element to the song, soaring over determined drum rolls but blending with Calder's cries.
Every verse on "Flowers in Bloom" begins with the declaration "the operation went well", like a shield to the outside world, before being followed by honest and hopeless admissions. Fuzzy, slightly distorted guitars swirl around the syrupy vocals of "And I'm tired/Of dressing the wounds/But the liars keep pressing the bruise." It's a multilayered insight into an uneventful hospital stay, but most strikingly this is what makes it so unique - there is no intent eagerness to impress or conform, instead Calder tells the character's story, unveiled but not needlessly dramatic. There's no need for death or tension, the songs speak for themselves.
The album comes full circle as closer "Lint" hints at Calder's earlier material, returning to a gentle acoustic melody but with twinkling guitars that create a cinematic distance, like at any moment the vocal could just disappear and fall. Where it falls down in experimentation it excels in sheer intent, there's no doubt that every vocal delivered and every chord strummed has a purpose.
One of the key attributes of a storyteller is perspective. Skirting around a number of different personalities and images, Rookie sees an ambitious but ultimately unevolving cast of characters who have little room to grow in the confines of three minutes or so.
The album displays a fearless shift from emotion-laden acoustic pieces like "Soldiers" to the Fall Out Boy-evoking onslaught of pop rock stomper "Like A Kid". You can't tell what direction the album will take, it's filled with twists and genre shifts that mark The Trouble With Templeton out from other buzzbands. There are no restrictions in the songs they play, and mainly this album sounds like a combination of tenacious ambition, incredible musical instinct and the early framework of an intriguing collection of stories.
