Foster the People
came under the national spotlight once there incredibly catchy yet arguably
dark school shooting based jingle “Pumped Up Kicks” reached the top of pop
charts around the world. However, if that was the band you originally fell in
love with then prepare for a small shock, not so much in the lyrical material, but
in their overall sound. Band front man and lead vocalist Mark Foster described
the group’s sophomore effort appropriately by saying it was an “angry, guitar-based
record about capitalist greed.” It’s also no wonder Supermodel is much more diverse then their debut album as the
groups recordings spanned from Morocco to Malibu while being influenced by such
sources as David Bowie and Clash.
To start off, the band decidedly chose “Are You What You Want to Be,” a song heavily rooted
in their enticing dance-infused pop-rock beats with slightly darker undertones
aptly due to the African tribal beats. Compared to their previous album, Torches, this song holds the most amount
of melodic similarity along with the edgy drug tale titled “Best Friend,” which
sincerely tries to convey a story of two buddies hooked on drugs. The
resurrection of a second “Pumped Up Kicks” type jam is out of the question on Supermodel, however, “Best Friend” is a strong contender for those
who miss the thought provoking, abnormal creativity in lyrics and style as its
all packed into this songs core.
It makes perfect
sense for Foster the People to release their last recorded song “Coming of Age”
as the first single for the album as it focuses on the hectic lifestyle changes
of the band members throughout the last couple of years. The song itself is a
more upbeat and energetic pop track with hypnotizing rhythms and an even more
haunting chorus of “Feels like,
feels like it's coming. It feels like, feels like I'm of coming of age. Feels
like, feels like it's coming.” This track flows into “Nevermind,” a less than
strong song choice that offers compelling lyrics of “Yeah its hard to know the
truth in this post-modernist view where absolutes are seen as relics” over
quite bland mid-tempo guitar plucks.
The band must’ve dwelled in some medical
terminology books while transcribing Supermodel
or at least that’s the way it seems from the name of their song “Pseudologia
Fantastica” aka compulsive lying. Released just a few weeks ago as
the group's official second single, “Pseudologia Fantastica” delivers on the
newfound sound Foster the People sought after during their frequent international
trips. They did so by using restless synths and a thumping percussion beat to
compliment the polished chorus and just when you think it can’t get any better
there as a deep bass line backdrop.
If the names of the songs are any indication
of the mindset for the album, it had to have been all fun in games when creating
Supermodel. “A Beginner's Guide to Destroying the
Moon” and “Goats In Trees” goes to show the group’s descent into complete
self-introspection to discover the world around them the only way they know
how, through witty and amusing yet completely serious critiques. The former goes out repeating how “You’ll never be whole until you lose control”,
which was there way of saying to think for yourself and escape the clouded
judgment others pass on to you. The latter does try to critique being an
outsider, but a song that features faux bird whistles and other animal sounds
can’t be taken too seriously and ultimately disappoints.
There isn’t any track on Supermodel that can match or surpass the brilliance that was
“Pumped Up Kicks,” however, that doesn’t mean its not worthy of a listen.
Foster the People tried their hand at a couple different flavors of various
pop-rock jams and while many are sonically pleasing, its simply missing the
durability to stand on its own for a long period of time in the international
limelight. Even though “Pumped Up Kicks” got them center stage it
seems like the band is more suited for a mid-sized audience as this album would
disappoint those who’ve held great value on the sophomore releases hype.
Grade: B-
