Torches (album)

Torches
Studio album by Foster the People
Released May 23, 2011
Recorded 2010–2011
Genre Indie pop, indie rock, indie dance, indietronica, neo-psychedelia[1]
Length 38:24
Label Columbia, Startime
Producer Paul Epworth, Greg Kurstin
Rich Costey, Tony Hoffer
Mark Foster
Foster the People chronology
Foster the People
(2011)		 Torches
(2011)
Singles from Torches
  1. "Pumped Up Kicks"
    Released: September 14, 2010
  2. "Call It What You Want"
    Released: December 2, 2011[2]
  3. "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)"
    Released: January 11, 2012

Torches is the debut album by indie pop band Foster the People. It was first released on May 23, 2011 through Columbia Records and Startime International in the United States. The album was preceded by the release of the single "Pumped Up Kicks", which debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 3. The album was also preceded by the release of the promotional single "Houdini" in the United Kingdom.[3][4][5]

Upon release, the track "Helena Beat" was selected as "Single of the Week" on iTunes in the US (making it a free download) in May 2011, and a music video for the track was subsequently released in July.[6] Additionally, a music video for the track "Call It What You Want" was released on October 31, 2011.[7]. The song was also used in the soundtrack of the video game FIFA 12. The song "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" is prominently featured in two Nissan commercials titled "Headroom" and "Legroom". [8][9] Torches is available on iTunes with the bonus track "Broken Jaw". Best Buy features a CD with the bonus tracks "Love", and "Chin Music for the Unsuspecting Hero". Certain independent record stores are giving free remix EPs with the purchase of CD or vinyl.[10] The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album.

Contents

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Mark Foster, except "Life on the Nickel" composed by Foster and Paul Epworth, "Miss You" composed by Foster and Zach Heiligman. 

No. Title Producer Length
1. "Helena Beat"   Greg Kurstin, Mark Foster 4:36
2. "Pumped Up Kicks"   Foster 4:00
3. "Call It What You Want"   Paul Epworth, Foster 4:01
4. "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)"   Rich Costey, Foster 2:56
5. "Waste"   Kurstin, Foster 3:26
6. "I Would Do Anything for You"   Epworth, Foster, Tony Hoffer 3:35
7. "Houdini"   Costey, Foster 3:23
8. "Life on the Nickel"   Epworth, Foster 3:36
9. "Miss You"   Kurstin, Foster 3:36
10. "Warrant"   Kurstin, Foster 5:23
Total length:
 38:24

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (70/100)[11]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [12]
Austin Chronicle [13]
Entertainment Weekly (B)[14]
The Guardian [15]
Los Angeles Times [16]
NME (7/10)[17]
Pitchfork Media (6.2/10)[18]
Q [19]
Rolling Stone [20]
Spin (7/10)[21]

Torches has received generally favorable reviews, according to Metacritic who gave it an aggregate score of 70. It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, and sold 33,000 copies in the first week. Allmusic described the album as a "catchy, electro-lite dance-pop that fits nicely next to such contemporaries as MGMT and Phoenix." Rolling Stone said, "their debut is genre-­juggling, bedroom-dance-floor magic cut with moody-boy lyrics".

U2 guitarist The Edge singled Torches out as one of his favorite records, calling it "a very interesting new album. Very 21st century pop, but it's beautifully made and thrilling. You see, we're always interested in the new thing..."[22]

The album was nominated for the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, while "Pumped Up Kicks" received a nomination for Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.[23]

In December 2011, it was announced that Torches was voted the 2nd best album of 2011 by Triple J listeners.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2010–11) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[24] 9
Austrian Albums Chart[25] 62
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[26] 69
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[27] 99
Canadian Albums Chart[28] 7
Dutch Albums Chart[29] 53
French Albums Chart[30] 55
Irish Albums Chart[31] 13
Mexican Albums Chart[32] 56
New Zealand Albums Chart[33] 27
Swiss Albums Chart[34] 61
UK Albums Chart[35] 24
US Billboard 200[28] 8
US Billboard Rock Albums[28] 1
US Billboard Alternative Albums[28] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
Canadian Albums Chart[36] 42

Certifications

Region Certification
Australia Gold[37]
Canada Gold[38]
United States Gold[39]

References

  1. ^ Collar, Matt. "Foster the People". Allrovi. http://www.allrovi.com/name/foster-the-people-mn0002527840. Retrieved June 14, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Call It What You Want (Remixes)". itunes.apple.com, Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/call-it-what-you-want-remixes/id481634814. Retrieved 2011-12-09. 
  3. ^ Mace, Amanda (21 July 2011). "Foster The People – Torches (Columbia)". Addict Music. http://www.addictmusic.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/foster-the-people-%E2%80%93-torches-columbia/. Retrieved 30 August 2011. 
  4. ^ "Houdini - Single". itunes.apple.com, Apple Inc.. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/houdini-single/id428914215. Retrieved 2011-08-31. 
  5. ^ "Houdini: Foster the People: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004U6MUVC/. Retrieved 2011-08-31. 
  6. ^ "Foster the People - Helena Beat - YouTube". youtube.com, YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzh6hTYpb8. Retrieved 2011-12-09. 
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy28I03ml4o
  9. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9bfWo1UsqQ
  10. ^ Latest News | The Official Foster the People Site
  11. ^ "Critic Reviews for Torches". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/music/torches/critic-reviews. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
  12. ^ Collar, Matt. "Torches - Foster the People". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/torches-r2179300. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
  13. ^ Haupt, Melanie (2011-09-16). "ACL Music Fest Friday Reviews: Foster the People". Austin Chronicle. http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2011-09-09/foster-the-people-torches/. Retrieved 2011-09-26. 
  14. ^ Anderson, Kyle (2011-05-27). "Music Review: Torches". Entertainment Weekly (1156). http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20495610,00.html. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  15. ^ Hann, Michael (2011-06-24). "Foster the People: Torches – review". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/24/foster-the-people-torches-review. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  16. ^ Brown, August (2011-05-23). "Album review: Foster the People's 'Torches". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/05/album-review-foster-the-peoples-torches.html. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  17. ^ Webb, Rob (2011-06-21). "Album Review: Foster the People - 'Torches'". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/foster-the-people/12163. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
  18. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (2011-07-12). "Foster the People: Torches". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15611-torches/. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
  19. ^ "Review: Torches". Q: 119. 2011-08. 
  20. ^ Dolan, Jon (2011-06-10). "Torches by Foster the People". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/torches-20110610. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
  21. ^ Walters, Barry. "Foster the People, 'Torches'". Spin. http://www.spin.com/reviews/foster-people-torches-startime-internationalcolumbia/. Retrieved 2011-09-02. 
  22. ^ Howell, Peter (2011-11-25). "U2's Bono and The Edge play favorites with music and movie". Toronto.com. Torstar Media Group. http://www.toronto.com/blog/post/705424--u2-s-bono-and-the-edge-play-favorites-with-music-and-movies. Retrieved 2011-11-28. 
  23. ^ "Foster The People Receives Grammy® Nominations for 'Best Alternative Album' and 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance'" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2011-12-01. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/foster-the-people-receives-grammy-nominations-for-best-alternative-album-and-best-pop-duogroup-performance-134805238.html. Retrieved 2011-12-02. 
  24. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – Australia". australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  25. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – Austria". austriancharts.at. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved December 23, 2011. 
  26. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – Belgium, Flanders". ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  27. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – Belgium, Wallonia". ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  28. ^ a b c d "Foster the People – Torches – US charts". billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/foster-the-people/torches/1490933. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  29. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – Netherlands". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  30. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – France". lescharts.com. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 21, 2011. 
  31. ^ "Top 100 Artist Album, Week Ending 22 September 2011". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. 
  32. ^ "Mexico Top 100". AMPROFON. http://www.centrodedesarrollodigital.com/amprofon3/Top100.pdf. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
  33. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – New Zealand". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  34. ^ "Foster the People – Torches – Switzerland". hitparade.ch. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Foster+The+People&titel=Torches&cat=a. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
  35. ^ "The Official UK Top 40 Albums Chart, Week Ending 9 July 2011". The Official Charts Company.. 
  36. ^ http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/yearendcharts/2011/canadian-albums
  37. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.auALBUMaccreds2011.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-26. 
  38. ^ http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=foster%20the%20people&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist
  39. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS