Foster The People

I never get tired of listening to Foster the People’s debut disc, Torches. The Los Angeles-based trio of Mark Foster, Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius is without question my favorite new band of 2011. Every time I pop in Torches, I glom on to a different song. This last time I listened, it was “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls).” Like everything else on the CD, the tune melds old-school pop-song craftsmanship with dance beats, rock energy, dark lyrics and deadpan vocals. Think of it as the soundtrack of an outdoor dance party at about dusk while the air is crisp and the ambience is deliciously swirling. Foster the People became all the buzz less than two years after its October 2009 formation thanks to “Pumped Up Kicks.” The totally infectious single started out as a viral hit before it found a home on Top 40 pop radio. The FTP guys have been to Dallas twice already, once during a sold-out show at the Loft, then for a private, invitation-only gig at House of Blues. The group’s upcoming second House of Blues concert, this one open to the public, is also sold out. These guys are buzzing and sizzling. -- Mario Tarradell, Guide