Foster the People's debut album Torches is lavished in gorgeous
harmonies and organic instrumentation. It almost seems inevitable that the
Californian three-piece would be stronger and wiser with their sophomore album
titled Supermodel. When you have a sound that's not truly unique or
innovative, but has a strong following - you have to run with it in whatever
direction you please. Belle & Sebastian took their indie pop down a sadcore /
intelligent route, and MGMT stole home with their neo-psychedelia /
experimental sound which still scores strong on 00s listening. Foster the
People were born out of a range of genres, and their debut album features some
of these coming together. Primary member Mark Foster is the key to the success
of Supermodel, as it's his lyrics and his views which have to reflect
the trio, and how they operate in the music industry. Obviously signing to a
major record label is a great help, and with the success of "Pumped up Kicks",
Foster the People have been able to approach their second album knowing their
audience is growing.
It's a tough task following up "Pumped up Kicks" and its accompanying
album Torches, but on initial listens, Supermodel steals the
limelight even without a chart topping hit. On Supermodel, Foster the
People more often than not sound like a less electronic Django Django. They're
taking up worldbeat, while showcasing a range of influences constructed through
their recording process in Morocco with Paul Epworth. The accumulation of
genres ranging from twee, glitch, and pop, make for an entertaining listen at
the very least. With pre-release single "Coming of Age", you can
really hear these mixed genres coming together to create a sound truly held by
Foster the People as their own - and it's not too accessible either.
They begin with the percussion stomping "Are You What You Want To Be?”
It's dipped in bass, layers of guitar, and harmonies which sound more like a
political Vampire Weekend than previous Foster the People material. It's far
more reliant on structure, compared to the pop logic of Torches. They
really stand out when the instruments drop off, and the listeners hear
match-ups. For example, the vocals and bass going together over a sporadic
percussion beat, and the nonsensical vocals acting as the chorus - it's all
steps on a pyramid Foster the People are climbing. And they don't look like
stepping down, as "Ask Yourself" is that little bit extra with
multi-layered vocals and a questioning lyrical segment on top of one of the
best bass riffs on Supermodel.
Foster the People's use of an acoustic guitar really stands out on their
sophomore. It's never overbearing, but it does sound unusually (but intended) raw in the opening
to heavily produced tracks such as "Nevermind". Here, the acoustic guitar
acts as a platform to build upon, but once "Nevermind" is in full
flow, the acoustic guitar becomes nothing more than a repetitive nuisance,
dampening the killer chorus: "Nevermind what you're looking
for." Still, Foster the People show that they're not just a one
trick pony, as discovered with the following track "Pseudologia
Fantastica". It sounds like an undeveloped Animal Collective demo, touched
by MGMT's psychedelia as heard with Fantastica's shoegaze influenced electric
guitars. Epworth and co have done a great job getting the mix right on this
track, as heard with fade outs and fade ins to the piano, electric guitar, and
the hidden special aspect on this track - the percussion, which is
outstanding.
Foster has talked about his electronic influences in the past, but they've
not quite been put on record till now. "A Beginner's Guide to Destroying the Moon" is his outlet to the electronic rock world, with one of the more
authentic tracks on Supermodel. The piano interludes are preparation for
deeper bass and louder synthesizers, acting out as warnings for the punk-esque
structure. Foster's vocal crumbles and raises with urgency, as he sings:
"The blood of the forgotten wasn't spilt without a purpose,"
truly mesmerising and completely unexpected stuff from the trio who the UK
believed were a one hit wonder. Of course, Foster the People are certainly not,
they have as much right to their success as Coldplay, or MGMT, but without the
history and experience of fellow indie pop / electronic dwellers of Montreal.
They seem to really go for that Kevin Barnes sound, especially on the
meteorical seventh track "Best Friend". This is where Foster the
People's hard work pays off. The elements are all in place for a funky pop
song, but Foster the People totally ace the structure, using a high pitched
chorus to sound somewhat child-like, and brass to pump the listeners up leading
in to the second half of Supermodel. Foster the People have a lot to
give, and "Best Friend" pretty much tops anything they've produced
since "Pumped up Kicks".
Supermodel is a strong follow-up to Torches, something I never
expected. Foster the People always seemed like a rushed popular of Montreal to
me, but with Supermodel, they’ve taught me to take notice to their
deeper more emotional aspects rather than their monetary and chart success.
They cover all bases on Supermodel, using "Goats In Trees" as
a soft ballad, and "The Truth" as a bulky electronic track right at
the close. "Goats in Trees" is then topped by the album closer
"Fire Escape". It's another ballad, but this time with minimalism and
synthesizers rather than a defining electric guitar feature. The backing vocals
add to the emotion, which Foster takes to heart. It's not easy to pull off such
beauty at the back of an album, but Foster and his two comrades Cubbie Fink and
Mark Pontius work through it with ease. And that’s what Supermodel is
all about really - ease. It's not a challenging album technically, though you
could argue its electronic elements are out of the ordinary for this trio.
Foster the People have brilliantly created a follow-up which ensures their
continuity as an album artist, rather than a one song artist. It makes all the difference,
and this album really delivers sentimental value for the Californians. Solid
work, fluid, and above all - experimental from their norm.
~Eddie Gibson
7.9