Pop-Conscious: Foster The People-Torches

I somehow missed this band as they fell into a strange gap between popular music and "indie" music. My guess now is that because of the popularity of "Pumped Up Kicks" and the usage of "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" in a Nissan Versa commercial, Foster the People are falling more toward the pop side of things. A small amount of research confirms my hunch: Torches peaked in the top 10 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. As such, I figured it was time I gave the record a listen.

Early in the record, you can see where the comparisons to MGMT come from. On the opener, "Helena Beat," the falsetto vocals and anthemic chorus are all there. However, after hearing MGMT, this sounds a little color by the numbers for me. The bad news (there's good later), is that at times, the record gets much worse. "I Would do Anything for You" repulsed me a little--it's cloyingly sweet. The record's closer, "Warrant," suffers from a similar affliction. I would also classify "Hustling (Life on the Nickel)" as pretty damn annoying.



However, Torches also has at least three tracks worth your listen. The single, "Pumped Up Kicks" is pretty interesting. At first listen, this being the single is surprising given the distortion of the vocals at the beginning and the medium tempo of the song. However, the chorus clears that up. It's kind of like Peter Bjorn and John with less energy. The vocals sound a bit like a Gorillaz song. Also, there is whistling and handclaps, so that's fun. I think that "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" is a good song, but I can't separate it from the Nissan commercial, so I'm honestly not sure. "Waste," however, I'm sure is pretty good. It's probably the best song on the record. It's also the most dissonant song on the record, something that I don't think is a coincidence.



The telling thing, in the end, is that I'm sitting here having to force myself to listen to Foster the People again so I can write this, when all I really want to do is hear that Fort Lean EP again, or listen to the new Caveman record. Foster the People's Torches isn't a bad record (like Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto), but it isn't a great one either. If MGMT's Oracular Spectacular was a bar of fine dark chocolate with sea salt, Torches is a handful of Hershey Kisses. Torches is not as well formed, not nearly as delicious, and lacks the contrast that made Oracular Spectacular so grand. MGMT's record was finely crafted, with care, while at times Torches feels a bit tossed off, mass-produced, and a little too sweet. Still, there are times when you just need something sweet, and Torches will do that trick just fine.