Record Reviews

Halsey

Album: “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom”

Grade: B

How the darkly intrepid electronic music chanteuse Ashley Nicolette Frangipane — the tangy toast of Washington, N.J. — got to be the nu-synth-soul diva Halsey is a matter of patience on her part, and the broadening of expectations from her longtime fan base and radio programmers. Like her brooding New Zealand counterpart Lorde, Halsey’s sophomore effort lightens in sound, tone, and lyrical intent without allowing too much sunshine into her erstwhile ethos. In other words, if you liked her catty baritone on EDM superstars the Chainsmokers’ smash hit “Closer,” you’ll freak for “fountain.”

Yes, there’s more glistening R&B-hop than on her “Badlands” debut of 2015 — the luxurious “Alone” or the raggedy “Lie,” featuring Quavo of Migos — and a nod to softly strung, overly sensitive singer-songwriter stuff (“Sorry”).

—A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer

Foster the People

Album: “Sacred Hearts Club”

Grade: A-

It hasn’t always been easy to be Foster the People. Making sophisticated pop with thoughtful lyrics in danceable, candy-coated hooks is like being a character actor trapped in a leading man’s body. If that’s the case, then Foster the People resemble Brad Pitt on their third studio album.

“Sacred Hearts Club” gets the delicate mix right, getting progressively more complex as you go through the album, delivering pure shimmering pop like “Pay the Man” and “Sit Next to Me” at the beginning, and ending with a glimpse of the LA -based band’s ambition in such complex, thrilling songs as “Loyal Like Sid & Nancy” and “Harden the Paint.”

Led by lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist Mark Foster, the band has undergone changes since it created hits such as “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Houdini.” The trio is now a quartet, with multi-instrumentalist Isom Innis also helping produce.

On the 12-track “Sacred Hearts Club” — two cuts are interludes — Foster the People get help from “The Hunger Games” actress Jena Malone on the airy “Static Space Lover” and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder on the catchy first single, “Doing It for the Money.”

Making ambitious pop isn’t easy but “Sacred Hearts Club” is way more musically consistent than Foster the People’s last offering, the complex ultimately unsatisfying “Supermodel” in 2014. This time, the band pairs joyous melodies with thought-provoking content in ever-increasing complexity and lets you find your sweet spot. And you will find it.

—Mark Kennedy, Associated Press