The disc starts out with the upbeat "Are You What You Want to Be?" a high energy, upbeat tracks featuring the extremely talented and versatile vocals of frontman Mark Foster who can adapt his vocals through any musical wavelength thrown at him and possesses a rare ability that is marveled at by fans and fellow musicians alike. "Ask Yourself" starts out with a neat acoustic guitar melody before a barrage of handclaps comes in and takes over the musical realm and space with a dazzling display of Mark's vocals and the upbeat instrumentation at bay that gives the song an indelible one-two punch that is indicative of the type of music that they're capable of playing. The album's highlight and my favorite track off the album is the disc's first single "Coming of Age" a barrage of indie-electro melodies conjured upon an indelible earworm that will wrap you up and pull you right into their world ripe with a bevy of out of this world sounds that you've never experienced before. "Psuedologia Fantastica" is an intriguing number with tripped out instrumentation and a change of pace from the group that are always an easy going, adventure loving bunch who always have a craving for experience the unknown musical wonders, and this number certainly does the trick.
The second half begins with the groove laden "Best Friend", an infectious jolt of lightning with Mark's vocals working wonders through the musical caverns and showcasing the talents of the other gentlemen in the group, Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius who do a splendid job of rounding out the sound and topping it off for the prospective listener. "Goats In Trees" is a nifty little number with Mark presenting his talents in the company of an acoustic guitar which we heard earlier on in the album, and this is a totally organic number that relies on the musical environment around him to churn out a quality track that will be appreciated by those listening. The disc begins to close out with "The Truth", a distorted number punctuated by long, jarring sound effects that eventually mold into a sonic mixture that will take some time getting used to, but will learn to understand later on after listening to the album repeatedly. "Fire Escape" ends our stay here with a low key, downtempo number that brings in elements we've heard previously on the effort, and gives us the opportunity to come back into contact with all the sonic wonders and see what has transpired thus far musically. Foster the People have been one of those bands that came out of nowhere and dominated my playlist when they first came out a couple of years ago with "Pumped Up Kicks". At first, I thought they would be a one-hit wonder, but they surely proved me wrong after that, knocking off a score of other hits from Torches including "Helena Beat" "Call It What You Want" "Houdini" and "Don't Stop (Color on The Walls)". I've learned to respect and appreciate their music even more after repeated listens, and they have a definite knack for keeping their listening audience hooked and in check as well.
In summary, a solid follow up effort from Foster the People, who show no ill effects of the sophomore slump syndrome that usually plagues artists after first arriving on the scene, but Mark and Co. will prove those naysayers wrong with this delectable effort right here.
Album Score: 3.5/5
Track Listing:
- Are You What You Want to Be?
- Ask Yourself
- Coming of Age
- Nevermind
- Psuedologia Fantastica
- The Angelic Welcome of Mr. Jones
- Best Friend
- A Beginner's Guide to Destroying The Moon
- Goats in Trees
- The Truth
- Fire Escape
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