Supermodel

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  This was Foster the People's second studio album release. Though I am a biased fan of the musicians that make this group, because I've grown up listening to each release over the years.Tip: be sure to have record cleaning supplies and white sleeves for future safekeeping of records.

My first impression is like many other reviewers: I was expecting something similar to "Torches". When this popped up on Amazon, I bought the CD without hearing any tracks and when first played, I was initially disappointed.Not now. After listening to the album in it's entirety I have garnered a new appreciation for the depth of sound layers, careful engineering and great lyrics that can actually be understood and can be, at times, very tongue-in-cheek, awesome stuff.And to add, it's recorded well and that's seriously important in this day and age of crapular sounding CDs, more the norm now than the exception, sigh. Someone spent some serious, meticulous time in the recording studio, for sure.I won't give it 5 stars, more a 4.5. Recommended but give it time.

Here's my 5-star vote for a great second album by Foster The People. Anybody who's heard Foster interviewed knows he's smart. When Jian Ghomeshi, the Canadian radio host of "Q," asked him if he felt pressure to write another "Pumped Up Kicks," Foster said no. He said he had new stuff to say, and he wasn't going to stand still to meet the public's expectations. I've read numerous reviews and fan complaints about this very fact. FTP's first album, "Torches," was a beautifully produced commercial blockbuster with a sound that made people happy and they wanted more of same. The irony is that the very thing that made "Torches" great, namely Foster's talent, compels him to keep growing creatively. FTP will never produce cookie-cutter reproductions of itself. This is something to celebrate, not complain about."Supermodel" arose out of two years of touring, visiting foreign countries, including Morocco and India, seeing how other folks live and absorbing new musical influences. The first song, "Are You What You Wanna Be," has a great Afro-pop vibe to it, as well as a personal/political message. "Nevermind" reminds me of Brazilian samba, with its big unison chorus. There's a snippet of a Beach Boys tribute in the a cappella "Angelic Welcome of Mr. Jones." It's a little pitchy, but trying to reproduce the famous Beach Boys blend ain't easy. As a big Beach Boys fan, I give FTP an A for effort on this one. (Having listened to the whole record in order many times, I think the purpose of "Mr. Jones" is to be an intermission, dividing the record in half. Its sound is completely different from anything else, it's light, it's short, and it transforms the mood entirely.) The end of "Act 1," as it were, is the standout track "Pseudologia Fantastica" -- ambitious, dramatic, almost orchestral, full of beautiful melodies, heavy textures and hard emotions. But great dance hooks are not dead and gone. "Coming of Age" and "Best Friend" are excellent examples, two deep songs with a groove to match.Foster shows himself to be a vocal shapeshifter who can change the sound of his voice to fit the style of the song. On "A Beginner's Guide..." he dips down into his baritone register, which sounds amazing. The guy can really sing. Overall, the mixture of pop, rock `n roll, and world beats is really interesting. There are electronic effects and samples but it feels organic. Lots of unexpected melodies and harmonies. The guitar is featured in different styles, and acts like another voice that changes from song to song. "Ask Yourself" and "Beginner's Guide" have beautiful guitar bridges. I like the acoustic moments, especially in the haunting last song ("Fire Escape"), which expresses the pathos that underlies a lot of Foster's writing.As with "Pumped Up Kicks," the lyrics are heavy, but the music is mostly upbeat. If you like to delve into lyrics, you'll hear more of Foster's pet topics: merciless self-scrutiny, how to deal with fear, the importance of living an authentic life despite the risks, the dangers of addiction and depression, and how easy it is to lose one's way in a superficial world that values money and looks over inner substance. And now there's a political call to action as well. "Are You What You Want to Be" refers to Nigerian activist-musician Fela Kuti, "dissidents" and "the war machine." Not just ear candy, this."Supermodel" is inspired. It's a sophisticated, inventive, complex and beautiful set of songs that's also very emotional. But it's not "Torches." "Supermodel" is something different, from a talented group with an expanded vision of the music they want to make. For fans with open ears and hearts who are paying attention, "Supermodel" is not only different, but really good.

This is one of a very few albums that I can honestly say I liked every song from beginning to end on the first play-through. Although I can now say the same for Torches, the anthems on this album touched something at a deeper level. It is about time that a modern band returned to the concept album. Back in the day, the album was put together like a novel with each song serving as the chapters. Mark Foster and FTP has 're-captured that spirit with their first two endeavors.As far as a breakdown, the first three tracks absolutely transformed me to another dimension. I would categorize the tracks into basically three tiers: Off the Charts: "Are You What You Want To Be," "Ask Yourself," "Coming of Age," "Pseudologia Fantastica," and "Best Friend." Outstanding: "A Beginners Guide to the Moon," "Goats in Trees," and "The Truth. Awesome Acoustic: "Nevermind," and "Fire Escape." "The Angelic Welcome of Mr. Jones" is more or less a 33 second a capella bridge between the 5th & 7th tracks. (I wonder if Mr. Jones is the infamous Davy Jones who died February 2012). If you listen closely, you will easily detect many of Foster' s musical influences in Supermodel, most notably The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and David Bowie. (Does anybody else hear echoes of "I am the Walrus" when you listen to "Pseudologia Fantastica"?)

A superb sophomore effort from Foster the PeopleThis is an excellent, excellent album and represents a broadening of the Foster the People's earlier, rawer work.One can hear the difference in better, well implemented production than their first album although much of the raw, visceral feeling is still there.If one is not familiar with Foster the People's work, other than their great and massively popular "Pumped up Kicks," then they would be unaware of their electronica influences - which remain very evident in this second album. I would describe the music in this album as rock that is very influenced by electronica and eighties and early nineties music. This is most evident in the outstanding "Coming of Age."The other singles from this album are excellent, in particular "Best Friend" and "Pseudologica Fantastica."An excellent follow up to their first album which was incredibly difficult but is present here.

I have been living with this album a few weeks now, and have played it endlessly. I absolutely loved "Torches", and was very much looking forward to "Supermodel". Although it is lyrically darker, there are still the same great pop tunes and vocal harmonies running through this album. "Coming of Age" grabs you straight away, as does "Best Friend" and a couple of other tracks. Some songs take a little bit longer to worm themselves into your brain, but, after a few plays, you find yourself singing along to all them. I for one am not disappointed with this album, and would certainly buy their next one .

Great 2nd album, been looking forward to it for so long. They've experimented a little bit, but still keeping some elements of Torches, which I love. Not 1 bad song on the album, and it really is a great mix, not disappointed at all. Saw them live yesterday at Troxy in London, and they were amazing. Love this band, and love this album! Highly recommend.

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Steve Wright played a track on the radio and I thought Id get it- I asolutely love it- bit of Indie - something that makes you pull the car over just to listem to i. Yep, I love it.

This was a Christmas gift, and the receiver was really pleased with it.