The Hype Machine breeds a new indie-pop band each week. Every blog weighs in, shoots their wad and then crouches, poised to annihilate the eventual album for being too this or too that. If you want to approximate anything close to originality in the 2011 music business, you have to ignore that din. Rather than run from Pop, Foster The People - of rare provenance on this blog: they're Americans! - acquired the increasingly legendary Paul Epworth (Florence, Adele, etc) as well as LA pop GenXer Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Sophie Ellis-Bextor) to produce tracks for their 11 song debut, Torches. The result is reverential LA pop at its most effervescent... it swings.
I Would Do Anything For You is the best here - an ice cream of an anthem that manages to channel sunny Fleetwood Mac, MGMT and Josh Rouse (in his happy phase) in one harmonic ooh lala convergence. The 5+minute Warrant is a massive house-rattler built on a piano and chanted chorus .On the flipside, Waste offers a sweet line hidden inside a verse: "I'll just wait and here and listen to you when you speak... or scream." To the potential dismay of the Hype Machine crowd, there's not a downer in earshot. Torches is my California summer dream.
Download: I Would Do Anything For You, Houdini. Warrant, Waste, Call It What You Want and the iTunes bonus wailer, Broken Jaw.
I Would Do Anything For You
Warrant
Pumped Up Kicks
Note: Earlicious has info on the various bonus tracks that come with this album. Chin Music and Broken Jaw are the best of those.
Labels: Foster The People, review
Wow, what a debut this is! Can't thank you enough for recommending this album. Had it blasting in the car at 5 am & again for the afternoon drive home.I tend to ignore hype about the Next Big Thing. Glad I didn't this time. It's weird but their sound reminded me of Fountains of Wayne "Traffic & Weather" in spots only "Torches" is amazing instead of just good. lol
I am so obsessed with this record - it's just easy and FUN!
You started becoming obsessed with this album about the time I was checking it out, and I agree with your sentiments. The latest Sarah Nixey has also become a recent favorite--only $15 for an import CD. The Miles Kane record is also quite good.
This and the Friendly Fires are two great new albums that can be bought at my local indie shop for under $10, a reasonable amount for the amount of effort that went into creating them. Same for Oh Land, Noah & the Whale, Glasvegas, White Lies, and the Vaccines (next week). Who said you can't find great CDs for cheap? Certainly a better deal than gasoline these days.
That album has a tendency to make people obsess over it. It's got me too now!
Been playing this non-stop.
this album is amazing. yo should also check out their new video for Helena Beat, its my favorite: http://vevo.ly/rnU4uS
I had not seen that yet Charlotte, so thank you! It's a bit creepy huh?