Familiar ground

 With the new releases of these two musical acts, we find the artists exploring previously uncharted territory, while straying not too far from the music they first gained popularity for. In the case of Foster the People, we remember the band for 2011’s Pumped Up Kicks, while Daughtry had his American Idol stint.

Foster the People: Supermodel (Startime/Columbia). Melodic dance-infused-pop rock, Foster the People’s (FTP) music crested with Pumped Up Kicks and the CD Torches back in 2011, and it now expands its musical vision via Supermodel. Coming of Age and Are You What You Wanna Be are the carrier tracks that should propel the album to easy popularity, but I’ll give the band credit for trying to stretch creatively with the CD. At times sounding like Tears for Fears (ala Sowing the Seeds of Love), and at other times reminding me of New Order, Vampire Weekend and The Cure, there are a lot of ’80s influences swirling through the music. If pushed to criticize, I have to admit that not all the experimenting clicks, but it’s much better than staying stagnant your whole career. The indie spirit lives on.

Daughtry: Baptized (19/RCA Records). American Idol (AI) Season 5 fourth placer may not have seemed the greatest of starts to hinge a career on, but with a strong solid rock format affinity, Chris Daughtry formed a namesake band and has turned out to be one of the more enduring of AI alumni. With its fourth studio album, Daughtry goes “lighter” with the rock, and comes up with very radio friendly, countrified rock. Waiting for Superman, Battleships, Wild Heart and Long Live Rock & Roll should be strong candidates for karaoke posterity. The bonus track Cinderella dangerously veers to pure pop, and Broken Arrow is the album’s entry to rock power ballad Sweepstakes. To some die-hard fans, this may reek of “selling out,” but I can predict the CD will gain new mainstream fans.