Photo from www.popdust.com
Probably the first time that any of us heard of the act, Foster The People, was because of their 2010 breakthrough hit “Pumped Up Kicks”. That was one catchy Dance-Pop song that had some rather poignant lyrics which told the story of a group of disenfranchised youth taking matters into their own hands with deadly results.
Who knew that a Pop-based song with a tinge of darkness in it could land for the then indie band a major record deal? Well, in hindsight, it would seem the band had sensed that their chances for such were high and the timing was right so they just winged it.
And from that moment on, their single “Pumped Up Kicks” got mainstream attention and had critics praising the sophistication behind the lyricism of the song. it was only natural then that Foster The People were thrown into the limelight.
The question now is, how will their highly anticipated sophomore release ‘Supermodel’ fare with their fans, three years after their major label debut ‘Torches’?
*****
Here is my review of the best tracks of ‘Supermodel.’
Track 1. “Are You What You Want to Be?” – This track came off to me as the-most-experimental than any other in this whole album in terms of borrowing influences from genres like World music and so on. Here, you got heavy elements inspired by African music, plus the backdrop of tribal sounding beats that go rather well with lead vocalist Mark Foster’s voice.
Track 2. “Ask Yourself” – Mark Foster offers his own opinions on what it takes to fulfill your dreams but that your goals have to be realistic and attainable, too. The following particular lines from the track are what got my attention the most to Foster’s inner thoughts, “And you say that dreamers always get what they desire. Well I’ve found, the more I want the less I’ve got.”
Track 3. “Coming of Age” – The lead single of their sophomore album ‘Supermodel’ delivers–big time–the goods and provides their fans with a healthy dose of 80’s nostalgia. Even elements of New Wave can be heard here.
The whole aesthetic of “Coming of Age” is as authentic as they come when pertaining to a bygone and yet sorely missed era in popular music.
Track 10. “The Truth” – The throbbing keyboard pulse, the drum samples, and the fuzzy bass drops are what come to fore in this track. “The Truth” is one of those tracks wherein you need more than a few listens to truly appreciate its complexities. I particularly enjoyed listening to this one as it challenged me.
*****
In my opinion, you got four solid-tracks in this album–those are four songs out of the eleven listed. And I would take that any day rather than just having one stand-out track worth your buck. Others who are loyal fans of Foster The People and who got to listen also to this entire album may chose more than just four tracks from ‘Supermodel’ as their favorites, and that’s perfectly fine. However, my articles strictly reflect my personal opinions and musical preferences, of course.
Mark Foster shows here, in this their second album, that his leap forward artistically wasn’t without his dipping as well into his musical inspirations based on 80’s music. Plus, he gets to reveal more of himself here as there are a few of lines from select songs that offer some insights into his current state of mind with regard to the fame of his band, Foster The People.
One other outstanding feature of this finely produced sophomore album I couldn’t but help notice is that there was a lot of technicality and precision shown in how the track listing of ‘Supermodel’ was mixed in the studio–it turned out to be one balanced recording that featured predominantly the instrumentation without “burying” the vocal work of Mark Foster.
Overall, with everything said, I have to say that ‘Supermodel’ was an excellent follow up by Foster The People. It surpassed my expectations; it is definitely more sophisticated, borderline psychedelic at some moments, and littered with personal insights from Mark Foster on his thoughts with the level of success and popularity that his band Foster The People is now experiencing.
Buy this album !
My Final Verdict: 8/10