Foster The People Sits Well With Anybody Who's Nostalgic For Hall & Oates

If I didn't know any better I'd suspect Foster The People had a thing for golden era Hall & Oates. That exact same studio polish shows up in spades throughout the band's new single "Sit Next To Me" which comes off of said band's new "Sacred Hearts Club" album. This song doesn't try to hammer home its point with a jackhammer. Rather, you're invited to coast along the band's gold dust highway, twinkling magic and all. Lead singer Mark Foster unspools the tale of Foster trying to do right by an ex-lover who he'd like to once again hook up with. Verse 1 definitely casts itself a shade on the bleak side. Listen to this... "Yeah it's over, it's over. I'm circling these vultures. Got me praying man these vultures. Got me praying man this hunger. Feeling something rotten. Last time I saw you said "What's up?" and pushed right through. Then I tried to catch you but we're always on the move. And now it's over, we're sober, symptoms of the culture, and the night ain't getting younger. Last call's around the corner. Wow. Anybody else want to jump off a bridge? Kind of runs counter to the light fluffy arrangements I alluded to earlier. He does make a convincing case for why he should be given a second chance to turn this woman on some more. He delivers in heartfelt fashion that no girl could resist. The chorus simply states "Come over here and sit next to me. We can see where things go naturally. Just say the word and I'll part the sea. Just come over here and sit next to me and I'll take you high." Mark Pontius does a fine job on drums, coaxing out each drop of romantic tension available. Sean Cimino's keyboards are a welcome addition to the mix, and more of an apt layer to the song. Isom Innis is no small contributor on percussion either. "Sit Next To Me" lays its foundation on the not so lost of compiling something better from the wreckage of previous relationships. Foster The People is at least smart enough to put the bricks on gently.