Foster the People sounds even better in Supermodel

It is always a feel-good discovery. That of learning that a sensational album debut has resulted in an even better second release. The artist this time around is Foster the People. The Grammy-nominated band is made up of Mark Foster, Cubbie Fink and Mark Ponitus. They were responsible for that whistling hit tune about a school shooting, Pumped Up Kicks, from the album Torches that became one of the biggest-selling and most-acclaimed recordings from 2011.

Foster the People looks so young and guileless, and this makes what the band has accomplished in such a short time all the more remarkable. Foster’s Pumped Up Kicks is one of those hits that made it via the viral route. It was first released as a free download on the web by a new, unsigned band. Then it was picked up as background music for various campaigns. Fans caught on after this and also started downloading. Of course, all this activity did not escape the attention of the labels. Foster the People was soon signed to a contract and rushing its first album.

It was only while preparing for the debut release that radio came into the picture and played Pumped Up Kicks as the first single out of Torches. This was soon followed by exposure in hip TV shows like Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries and live stints by the group. Does this success mean that music artists do not need radio airplay anymore to make it big? Not really, because Pumped Up Kicks might have just remained a viral hit without airplay and the traditional style major label backing. Still, this is one more proof that the times, specifically the way records are promoted, are indeed a-changing.

The other thing that makes Foster the People different is that it is an alternative band which makes music you can dance to. Alternative rockers usually stay away from dance beats. They prefer to be edgy, somewhat unpredictable. Not this one though. Truth to tell, it is not only dance that these guys do. Foster’s output encompasses various music types. Again, such variety can be a problem but the band managed to make it work in Torches and now sounds even better in the second album, Supermodel.

I do not know where the title comes from, although the cover art does have what looks like a supermodel before cameras. I was told that this is a mural on the wall of a street in Los Angeles. Anyway, that is just the title and I do hope this is not about Foster the People already complaining of success. What matters here are the contents and the group has come up with a clear winner. 

This sophomore effort takes on a lot. It is ballads and dance-rock mixed with ’80s punk and even psychedelia. This is no mishmash. Everything gels together because there is now a polished confident approach to the recording from Foster the People. The California band has grown up and so has its music. Well-written and well-produced Supermodel, whatever it means, is a great listen from the infectious beginning, Are You What You Want To Be?  to the emo closer, a plaint about the tragic lures of LA, Fire Escape. 

In between, you get a lot of very good uniquely put together tunes. The brooding single, Coming Of Age, is a slow burner that stays in your head for a long time. It is very different from Pumped Up Kicks and opens an interesting new direction for the band.   Also noteworthy are the hard-hitting A Beginner’s Guide To Destroying The Moon, the ornately-textured Pseudologia Fantastica, with some exceptional guitar-playing by Foster himself and Best Friend, which is great fun to move to. There are also Ask Yourself, Never Mind, The Angelic Welcome Of Mr. Jones, Goats In Trees and The Truth.

The only thing that worries me about Supermodel is that the single Coming of Age lacks the novelty factor that made Pumped Up Kicks an instant grabber. Still, if you listen closely, you will surely agree that it is the better and more sophisticated song. So listen and enjoy.

For more of today’s rock sounds, here are the titles you should not be without. Night Visions by Imagine Dragons, surely one of the best bands in America today. The album is a huge success with the big hits Demons, Radioactive and On Top Of The World. Pure Heroine by Lorde, the chick rocker of the moment, also with three hit singles, Royals, Team and Glory and Gore.

Bad Blood by the very imaginative Bastille. This one includes the US No. 1 sellers Pompeii and Bad Blood. There are also Ghost Stories by Cold Play, Paramore by Paramore, Sleeping With A Friend by Neon Trees, AM by Arctic Monkeys, Going To Hell by The Pretty Reckless, Fever by The Black Keys and All The Little Lights by the exciting new band Passengers.