It's been three years since Mark Foster last released an album by Foster The People. Now he has presented Paradise State Of Mind - and so thoroughly that it has even been billboarded over several square metres in major cities such as Munich. Is it worth giving it a listen?

As is so often the case, it depends. Foster The People is pop, but - and this makes all the difference - not a fashion-modified zeitgeist skirmish. Foster draws on the extensive history of this everybodys-darling genre, from the 19070s right through to the early 2000s, including disco and the trio of gospel, jazz and funk. It's like a good melange, with a strong base and lots of delicate foam on top. Acoustic, of course. What does that sound like?

The title track Paradise State Of Mind is a good example of the groovy basic mood, which indicates slightly laid-back danceability. Disco reverb and jingle bells, laid-back vocals, unagitated and sexy to boot, and the first impression is already there. The single release Lost in Space contrasts with an upbeat feel, quacky bass synthesiser and lots of handclaps to a harmonious background choir as a summer hit, which the PR would have you believe. But the track sounds too much like a mirror ball disco cellar for fun at the swimming lake.

It is exciting to follow how the almost historical sound patterns unfold a familiar and yet new atmosphere with the possibilities of modern technology and contemporary instruments. Everything is much more precise, chiselled and differentiated - not to mention the spaciousness of the reverb.

In this respect, Paradise State Of Mind is acoustically less a defiant gesture of resistance, as Mark Foster wants the album to be understood, than the revitalisation of familiar patterns in a fresh guise. As far as the lyrics are concerned, however, there is a pinch more revolution on board. Although that may not be quite so high-res relevant. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Foster The People