Favorites of 2014: Number 9

9. Foster the People - Supermodel.

I loved Foster the People’s first album (Torches) right from the start, and have constantly returned to it over the past 3 years. Naturally, I had high expectations for the follow-up. On Supermodel, it’s clear that they’ve grown as a band. The sounds are more adventurous, the song structures are a little more complex, the production is more intricate, but is that always a good thing? On the first few listens, they sounded like a band still trying to find its footing. It’s as if they felt some kind of pressure to expand their sound, but weren’t exactly sure what the final result should be. They sound brighter and bigger (arena rock-ish at times), there’s more exotic instrumentation, the lyrics are deeper, and there’s a retro-80s current that runs through the songs. Some of the new sonic flourishes don’t work, but most do, even if they aren’t exactly on the mark.

There aren’t any immediate standouts that hook their claws into you, and it comes on like more of a slow burn. I appreciated what they were going for, but it took several spins for me to really get into it. Even now, I always seem to enjoy listening to the album more than I remember. It’s not that the songs aren’t catchy (they are), so it might be the sense of darkness and introspection in the lyrics. It’s an interesting contradiction, but the pop-ness of the music and production keeps things from getting ponderous or dour. In the hands of a less imaginative band, let’s say Coldplay, these could easily be generic, anthemic, slow-to-mid-tempo, BIG EMOTIONAL ROCK songs. Come to think of it, “Coldplay with a pulse, youthful exuberance, and a sense of humor” isn’t a terrible summary of this album. It’s a step forward and it’ll be interesting to see where these guys are headed.