Torches, Foster the People’s first album was one of those albums that seemed to be where every song became a hit. Having an album like that is incredibly hard to do, especially in an age where the album is forgotten just as fast as it is released. When Supermodel was announced, I almost immediately pre-ordered it waiting to hear another gem like “Pumped Up Kicks” but as a true music fan, you cannot expect a band to rest on what made them successful and you want them to evolve and grow as a band.
The first time I heard Supermodel I was not impressed with it, the songs were too slow for what I wanted and the band did not seem to be having as much fun on the album as they did on their first one. Then I saw them live, and I decided to give their album another listen. Finding myself in possession of their record on vinyl I put the needle to record and sat down to get into this record. When the first song filled my room, I realized that this album is truly personal for Mark Foster and the band. Every song you feel had a deeper meaning to it; “Best Friend” is a great example, much like “Pumped Up Kicks” it is a fun sounding song but when you hear the lyrics it is kind of sad “When your Best Friends all strung out” is about a kid who has friends who are druggies and don’t ever want to do anything.
Why did I chose this record for the Sunday Spin? Seeing Foster the People live this past weekend spurred me to go back and listen to an album that I had since dismissed as a good album. Besides its quality as an album, the packaging of the vinyl is very nice. It is very bright and vibrant, and it features many cool drawings to accompany some songs. So as always keep on spinning.