For their third song Foster The People lit the musical fires of the audience with  “Life On The Nickel,” a quirky experimental synth-pop tune with a tongue-in-cheek take on making money and living the dream–or not.

Foster sings lyrics he undoubtedly has first-hand experience with as an artist, “I’ve been right, I’ve been wrong/my smokes have come and gone/I’ve been crazy, been fed/enough to not wind up dead.” His take on the rat-race of life is a lot more pragmatic than the cheerful tinkle of the xylophone would indicate.

Totally having a dance party via Skype date to @fosterthepeople #liveonletterman Thanks tech-no-lawl-o-gee!—
Hanna Soltys (@HannaSoltys) October 27, 2011

Starting slowly and melodically, with a slight groove-funk bass in the background, Foster The People’s fourth song took a deep, shoegaze-y breath and refocused their energy on the introspective mid-tempo “I Would Do Anything for You.”

The song boast [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Beach Boys[/lastfm]-esque melodies and love-fueled “ooo la las” that supplies an endearing emotionalism to an otherwise cool electro-pop ballad.

oh mark foster<3 you're so adorable. Foster the People Live on Letterman on CBS.com: soc.li/mVZ9RTk—
Mikayla Jade (@MjadeeP) October 27, 2011

One of their most popular “in-concert” tunes, “Call It What You Want” was Foster The People’s fifth tune of the night. With its expansive chorus, cymbal-clang steely dance beats, and surging piano riffs, “Call It What You Want” is an infectious ’80s-tinged tune that still maintains modernity.

Watching @fosterthepeople streaming #liveonletterman proves I really need to go to one of their concerts #sogood—
Amanda Marsh (@AmandaRae223) October 27, 2011

For their sixth song, Foster The People played their obviously Britpop inspired hit, “Don’t Stop.” The song has elements of late ’90s[lastfm link_type="artist_info"] Blur[/lastfm] and [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Supergrass[/lastfm], cheeky whistles, Foster’s diffused tenor, and a sound effect we have lovingly deemed the Wizard of Oz witches laugh.

For their last two songs, Foster The People played their dance-driven, yet provocative synth-rock track “Helena Beat” and an extended version of the song that, arguably, made them as famous as they are: “Pumped Up Kicks.”

Trailing off, Foster let the audience at the New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater sing along before going into an exuberant dubstep remix of the song and shuffling wildly on stage while playing the upright kick drum and cowbell.

OMG this remix of Pumped Up Kicks!! #inheaven #LiveOnLetterman—
Toby Benson (@TotallyTobyy) October 27, 2011

Moments like this really show Foster The People for what they are: the sound of the future–a sound that perfectly fuses the immediate gratification of pop, the emotive strength of rock, and the infectious dance-floor swoon of electronica.

Read more about Foster the People Live on Letterman

Foster The People Live On…

See photos of Foster The People performing at the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC for Live On Letterman, October 26, 2011. Photos: Jenny Lubkin for CBS Radio.