Foster The People: “Supermodels” (March 18th, 2014)
Columbia Records
Let’s go back in time to that innocent era circa-summer 2011, when a catchy song about school shootings COULD be played damn near everywhere and be the highest-charting song in America; penned by a band that seemingly came out of nowhere, because they actually DID come out of nowhere (as opposed to .fun, who’d been toiling in obscurity for years, and the Black Keys, who’d been toiling even longer before kicking of the top 40 charts obsession with “alternative” music).
Foster The People proved that you could start out as the guy whose job was to pen melodies for shoe company jingles and work you way up to music elite, successfully putting out a catchy, electric twee, indie pop album along the way.
“Torches” crushed on the charts, but left everyone asking, “what’s next?” After riding into the mainstream almost overnight on the strength of a handful of pop hooks, what does a band with no discernible identity do?
The answer is the same one cooked up by many a burned-out postgraduate: Travel abroad in an attempt to find yourself.
Okay, okay, I’m being unnecessarily harsh. I can’t bust Foster The People’s traveling expenses too much, as “Supermodel” turned out to be everything no one could have expected it to be: sonically challenging, unconventional, and sounding like a genuine step forward.
Not bad for a band that got noticed because of a few Abercrombie & Fitch ads.
However, that’s not to say Foster The People left behind all of that pop writing magic that fueled “Torches.” But they certainly take more chances this time around, creating a much more deeper, varied-sounding album.
The album opener “Are You Want You Want to Be?” kicks things off with a bizarre blend of jangly pop guitars, and a frantic 6/8 afro-drum beat on the pre-chorus that somehow just works.
But the trio doesn’t settle for merely being a slightly-more interesting Vampire Weekend on their sophomore outing (BURN!). Foster The People keep those trademark pop hooks coming, but weave them through a variety of soundscapes: from the hazy, psychedelic, “Pseudologia Fantastica,” to electro-disco romp “Best Friend,” to Ok Computer-Radiohead homage “Nevermind.”
And you can’t discuss the vast improvements on “Supermodel” without talking about Mark Foster’s vocals, which really come into his own, embracing a surprisingly effective falsetto on soaring single “Coming Of Age.”
There isn’t another ready-made “Pumped Up Kicks” to be found on this album. But what it does offer is an album more mature then I think anyone thought Foster The People were capable of.
The Verdict: There’s plenty of accessible material here, and Foster The People remain the safe choice for “indie-starer band.” But beneath their unassuming appearance and polished pop-tunes, “Supermodel” proves they’ve got plenty of potential in their Doc Martens.
Grade: A-
