Cuts OnlyHey, guys. Hope you had a good Turkey Day. I had one for the ages (well, a Thanksgiving Eve for the ages anyway ... smh). I had written most of this review last month, so I'm sorry for the delay. Editing is really the worst part of posting these reviews. Expect another blog post, which is in the works, sometime in the immediate future.
I'm not sure how it is wherever you are, but certain songs from electro-pop band Foster the People and their debut album Torches certainly have garnered a lot of radio time on both the pop and alternative rock stations in Philadelphia. If you've escaped from hearing the sickeningly catchy "Pumped Up Kicks," you might have saved yourself from awkwardly humming the tune or muttering some nonsensical lyrics in public places. Afterward, you might have listened to it again, realized the song was about a boy murdering a bunch of other kids with his father's gun, and understood why those people really were giving you funny looks in Starbucks.
Whether you like or dislike the band's ubiquitous single, the group itself is getting to be just as visible. In the past few months, they've been nominated for a "Best New Artist Moonman" from MTV's Video Music Awards, a musical guest spot on "Saturday Night Live" and, most importantly, a viral video starring Vinny, the least recognized "Jersey Shore" cast-mate, and a bunch of little urchins he managed to kidnap from somewhere (Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's illegitimate children, perhaps?).
But after watching the SNL performance and another appearance on Letterman, I thought these guys sounded pretty good live. Not all groups that sound like this can recreate the same dynamic onstage as they do in their recordings. All summer I wanted to hear more from Foster the People without buying its CD. Thankfully, I discovered Spotify was streaming all the songs. It was just as good of a time as any to take in a listen. I thought the group was going to floor me, when it did not live up to my expectations in reality.
The album starts out incredibly strong by opening with "Helena Beat": a song that's even more effervescent than "Pumped Up Kicks" and easily the best tune from the band so far in my opinion. The melodic synthesizer arrangement and lead singer Mark Foster's falsetto blend wonderfully together. If you're looking for an allusion, the only one that comes to mind is if the Bee Gees somehow found their way into "Tron."
As if that didn't get the party started, y'all, "Pumped Up Kicks" is the next track. Once again, I don't know how a song about a kid killing other kids could pique my interest but, like that episode of "American Horror Story" where that angry ghost shoots up his high school before he meets his own end, it's apparently no big deal these days. I guess those of us who were old enough to remember the terror brought on by the Columbine Shootings yet young enough to actually realize how this actually could happen during their own social studies classes are now finding creative outlets the express this fear in the media.
However, as thought-provoking as the album can be, it simply falters in its pace and sputters out. Foster the People comes fast out of the gate, but it can't sustain the feeling throughout all 10 tracks. The tempo from one song to another doesn't change, even in Torches's more sentimental melodies. While the trance-like ballad of "I Would Do Anything for You" and the bass-heavy lighter anthem "Warrant" do their best to hold up the rest of the album, it can't carry the weight from other rhythm-less dance numbers like "Call It What You Want" and "Miss You." There is no room to breathe. The listener won't be able process all the bells and whistles without taking some ADD medication.
To make matters worse, some of the songs are simply not good and just make you want to grind your teeth. Listen to "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" if you're brave enough. You may recognize this sad-sap shanty as background music for a recent Nissan commercial advertising more leg room. I think you're going to need all the leg room you can get so you can throw a tantrum and kick the car seat in front of you after listening to the insipid composition for more than a minute in the car.
Add to this, I also wasn't wowed by Foster's singing. It seems like once he gets to a certain register, he abandons his regular voice for the Barry Gibb -like falsetto. I think if this band is going to get to the next level, the singer needs to trust more in himself and his voice. It seems to me that he possesses the talent after listening to some of the band's live recordings. He just needs to go for it. You're in the studio, after all. The adding more synth effects is not going to mask that problem. It only leads to clutter, something that is omnipresent on the LP.
The group has had many comparisons to MGMT, and most those comparisons land soundly. Foster the People through the lens of Torches is like MGMT's little brother on a sugar high. If I were the band's producer for their next project, I would suggest putting down the coke (beverage or narcotic, either works in this case) and tell the fellas to take it easy and concentrate on the mixing and overall pace. Just because your Yamaha keyboard included the "Pac-Man sounds" package doesn't mean you have to use it every song. Maybe sing an acoustic song without the lasers and baby noises in the finished product. It's important to remember this band is very new; it did not cut its teeth very long before getting a record deal. I'm giving them a pass and not writing them up as a flash-in-the-pan band. However, if the group's time in the sun were to hypothetically end tomorrow, I've heard better.
For Your Consideration: "Helena Beat," "Pumped Up Kicks," "I Would Do Anything for You," "Warrant"
For Next Time: Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay ... and maybe a surprise after that
