I’m going to begin this review from the confession booth. From the moment I Shazam’d my first Foster The People track in a bookstore three years ago or so, I was all-in. Their sound and style stopped me dead in my tracks and demanded my ears and mind pay attention to the group that would become one of my absolute favorites. Their debut album, Torches, was a flawless fusion of Indietronica, Neo-Psychadelia, Soul, and Alt-Pop. Fan or not, I probably need not describe to you the success the group garnered from that release. I know I wasn’t alone in cranking the volume up with my windows down and having the album on such heavy rotation the disc nearly melted! Upon reading into and learning more about the trio (Mark Foster, Jacob “Cubbie” Fink, and Mark Pontius) as well as their passions and impact beyond the recording studio and stage, I came to respect the group even more. Dedicating your life to expressing yourself through art to better the world around you is a noble act that a select few are fortunate to make a living doing, so I’m glad there are people out there like these guys who are able to do so. That all said, I can honestly say I have been on the edge of my seat awaiting new music and a tour from these guys for a long time. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I had high expectations. The end result, Supermodel, was anything but what I’d expected – yet a welcome surprise and infinitely powerful album.
Instantly infectious opening track, “Are You What You Want To Be” sets the self-reflective mood of the album with a West African-inspired beat that’s sure to get you moving. (As would be expected based on the group’s previous effort.) The more I listened to and paid attention to Foster’s lyrics on this new album, the more I saw it as a sort of spiritual companion to Torches. In an interview Foster mentioned that a lot of what inspired the theme of their debut album was escapism, whereas Supermodel became about turning around and facing the questions, hurdles, inadequate feelings, and social dilemmas of life head-on. It becomes much more than just a record to pop in and mindlessly bob your head to (probably to the chagrin of some,) and becomes a colorful collaboration of life experiences much like the amazing Supermodel mural painted in promotion of the album in Los Angeles. (The album artwork was, again, designed by insanely talented artist Young & Sick.) The album cover depicts a model surrounded by a crowd of people and paparazzi holding up cameras and taking photos as she poses on a stand. Described by Foster as “a woman vomiting in a back alleyway surrounded by photographers capturing her moment of weakness, where she doesn’t want to be near anybody; vomiting a poem about consumption that she had consumed,” the artwork reflects Foster’s idea of the record and the title of the album. See bottom of review for words to the poem.
“Ask Yourself” continues developing the vulnerable, candid tone of the album with pensive lyrics like, “Well, you say that dreamers always get what they desire. Well, I’ve found the more I want, the less I’ve got. Is this the life you’ve been waiting for? Ask yourself…” The track features the return of Foster The People’s trademark hand claps, as well as some nice acoustic chord progressions and theSupermodel‘s first taste of psychedelic vibes. Afterwards you come to the album’s lead-off single, “Coming of Age,” which is a grand celebration of self-realization and rising courage. With the underlying crunch of Fink’s bass line and an anthem soaring with electro-pop dazzle, Foster shows his humanity with lyrics most of us can relate to, “You know I try to live without regrets, I’m always moving forward and not looking back; but I tend to leave a trail of debt while I’m moving ahead.” The following track, “Nevermind,” begins with synth vibes from out of this world and an intriguingly chilled-out guitar riff and beat. The track features another Foster The People trademark of melodious harmonies and falsetto vocals arising in the chorus. It’s a nice lead-in to the album’s second single, “Pseudologia Fantastica.” I have to admit, upon first hearing this track I realized that this definitely wasn’t in the same vein as Torches, but the trio had matured and evolved over the last three years and so expanded their sonic horizons. The track, much like the entire album, is a textbook grower, and will have you singing along after a couple listens. As the title might suggest it’s one of the more prominent psych-rock moments on the album, as well as a refreshing change of pace from a group who arguably perfected pop on their first try. (The false end also provides a nice touch.) The more you hear it the more you’ll respect it for the power ballad it is (a la “Broken Jaw,” my previous favorite track of theirs.)
After a delightful (albeit seemingly random) 33-second transition featuring the trio’s spot-on vocal harmonies we have what’s arguable the shining star of Supermodel, “Best Friend.” Showcasing an undeniable, bouncing beat that has this track bound to be a smash hit, it also will serve as the third single released from the album this month. Foster The People have never sounded funkier, and it’s great. If you don’t immediately fall in love with this track there’s a relatively good chance these guys may not be your cup o’ tea. Next we have probably my favorite track title on the album, “A Beginner’s Guide To Destroying The Moon.” They waste no time going from electric pop disco into one of the heaviest, hardest crunches heard on the album. Foster’s falsetto lyrics surge forward soaring over a powerful sea of drudging, crunching, unrelenting bass. It becomes pretty apparent at this point in the album that these guys do, in fact, know how to rock.
“Goats In Trees” draws inspiration from Paul McCartney and features a toned down, strumming acoustic lead with ambient sounds and voices providing an air of mystery. My second favorite track on the entire album, “The Truth” has an amazing chorus featuring the full range of Foster The People’s vocals. The end of the bridge brings to mind the new-age, electro-rock feel of the band Discovery. Probably the most emotionally intense song on the album, it’s also laden with an optimistic hope. It’s a stand-out masterpiece in my opinion that will give the listener chills. In the opening verse Foster admits “I’ve been floating within your walls of opinion, and I’m tired – I only want the truth.” The following track, “Fire Escape” is a beautiful, bare-bones acoustic ballad unlike any Foster The People song you’ve heard. It’s refreshingly stripped-down, raw, and intimate. It’s quite possible listeners will even get a Death Cab For Cutie vibe from it. The pre-order editionalso comes with an additional a massive jam titled “Tabloid Super Junkie.” It’s best described as frenetic, and at roughly six minutes is the longest track on the album. It features multi-cultural world vibes and further addresses personal feelings about social issues at the time the album was written.
In the Supermodel documentary series, Foster admits most of the content deals with personal issues and ideas he’d had during Supermodel’s recording – most of which revolves around a negative outlook on consumerism ideology and the “ugly side of capitalism.” Foster added that “the record’s title, the record itself, and its artwork were created out of the idea of how our self-worth, in a modern perspective, is judged on how many ‘retweets’ or ‘likes’ we get, and our need to present ourselves like supermodels, showing others how we want them to perceive us as while hiding our real selves.” Their sophomore effort definitely features a more natural sound in contrast to its electronically-influenced predecessor, with a bigger focus on guitar and instruments of world culture. An unexpected departure from the sound that catapulted them to the top of everyone’s playlists for years, but…isn’t that what music and life are all about? Exploring, growing, maturing and the unexpected? In my opinion, these guys never disappoint, and I’m proud of them for putting out such a brave, unique, and different album. (Ugh. I sound like they’re my kids.) They didn’t put out a new album attempting to please everyone or meet everyone’s expectations, and I respect their character as people and artists yielding to their convictions.
As promised, I’ll end this review with the words to the poem Foster wrote coming from the perspective of model featured on the cover of Supermodel: “I ate it all; plastic, diamonds and sugar-coated arsenic as we danced in honey and sea-salt sprinkled laxative. Coral blossomed portraits in Rembrandt light; cheekbones high and fashionable. Snap! goes the moment; a photograph is time travel, like the light of dead stars painting us with their warm, titanic blood. Parasitic kaleidoscopes and psychotropic glow worms stop me dead in my tracks. Aphids sucking the red off a rose, but for beauty I will gladly feed my life into the mouths of rainbows; their technicolor teeth cutting prisms and smiling benevolently on the pallid hue of the working class hero.”
Rating: 5/5
http://www.fosterthepeople.com/supermodel
Follow Jason Twitter @IntergalactaCat.