Lively, entertaining, jubilant and thought-provoking — those are just a few words that can describe Foster the People’s second album “Supermodel.” But even with its positive attributes in mind, no song rises to the catchiness-level of its precursor’s hit song “Pumped Up Kicks.”
That being said, Foster the People’s previous success does not diminish its latest work. The 11-song album released Tuesday is a fully-formed, high-quality album that shows off the band’s versatility.
Songs like the fast-paced pop-anthem “Are You What You Want To Be?” and the funk-enthused “Best Friend,” to the psychedelic “Pseudologia Fantastica” and the acoustic “Fire Escape” all show the band’s vast musical ability.
Many of the songs sound light-hearted and joyous. But, at times, they fail to capture the moment and serve best as background music. While the sound of these songs is often cheerful, that does not match the tone of the introspective lyrics.
Themes of hardship, contentment and truth-seeking run through the album. Songs like “Nevermind,” in which the band questions the legitimacy of post-modernism, and “A Beginner’s Guide to Destroying the Moon,” which reveals that the band’s search for answers has only revealed questions, echo these themes. These lyrics speak toward the band’s wish to create an album that is not only audibly enjoyable but is also artistically and philosophically compelling.
While this album is neither a masterpiece nor an album-of-the-year candidate, it is a solid piece of artistic work well worth a listen. With all of its different styles and themes, this album wears many hats. For some people, though, it might wear too many.
Grade: B-
