Although it wasn't until the release of The Beautiful Letdown over two years ago that the band exploded into the mainstream, Switchfoot has been making quality alternative rock for over eight years. Now with a few successful radio singles and a multi-platinum record under their belt, the San Diego trio-turned-quintet returns with Nothing Is Sound. The spotlight heat is on the guys hotter than ever as their Christian fans wonder if the band has sold out, while mainstream fans just want another batch of hit singles. Stacks of questions have been proposed and Nothing Is Sound is the answer.
Nothing Is Sound is a sonically rich album that fits nicely among the band's impressive discography, offering fans something new, but keeping it very much Switchfoot from start to finish. Whether or not the mainstream continues to embrace the band's music, Switchfoot remains to be one of the best bands in today's current music scene.
Switchfoot| Posted December 04, 2007
"The Beautiful Letdown" was one of my top 5 favorite albums of all time, so of course I was excited when I bought "Nothing Is Sound". While the record is fairly good, it lacks the catchy songs that "The Beautiful Letdown" had. My personal favorites on the album are "Stars", "The Setting Sun", "We Are One Tonight", and "Daisy". I wouldn't say this was a disastrous album, it is well-written and well put together. But it just doesn't have the hooks that their previous album had. I would still recommend it because of Jon Foreman's great songwriting.
Amazing!| Posted August 21, 2007
I really enjoyed the majority of the album, except for some of the slow songs. 'Politicians' 'Setting Sun' 'Stars' and 'We Are One Tonight' are the best of this album.
An Excellent (though Depressing) Album| Posted July 31, 2007
I'll admit that nostalgia is biasing my judgment here. I remember very fondly the first time I heard 'Stars', and thinking to myself 'my goodness, this band is amazing!' That was what started me on liking Switchfoot. Since then, 'Stars' has remained my favorite song since.
While I gave 'The Beautiful Letdown' five stars because of its continued excellence throughout, I give 'Nothing Is Sound' for its short bursts of even greater excellence. For sure, 'NIS' has some weak spots, but its strong spot are more entertaining, more catchy, and more deep than any of Switchfoot's previous work, and certainly the candy coated Christian contenders around them.
'Nothing Is Sound' opens with a dark, digital guitar effects filled 'Lonely Nation' which is dark, depressing, and maddeningly catchy, setting the tone for the rest of the album. It also contains some of the albums darkest, yet 'oh so true' lyrics, best of which is the line 'we're slaves of what we want.' Switchfoot's laments on our depravity comes full swing on this album.
Following 'Lonely Nation' is, my personal favorite, 'Stars', which comes roaring in with its bombastic riff which runs through out the song. The upbeat verses and catchy choruses make this the surefire single. It also adds to 'Lonely Nations' message. The line 'stars looking at our planet/ watching entropy and pain/ and maybe startin' to wonder how/ the chaos in our lives could pass as sane' echoes the same message of depravity, but the chorus shows forth Switchfoot's hope in Christ, with the intriguing final line 'When I look at the Stars...I see someone' cutting off the 'else' from previous choruses.
'Happy Is a Yuppie Word', 'The Blues', and 'Politicians' are all more masterful songs, with hope injected into their depressiveness. Politicians, though, remains simply depressing, with such lines as 'everything is broken/ every thing is bleeding/ everything is breaking down'. But that will matter little to the people listening for the hyper aggressive guitar the song boasts. 'Easier Than Love' does a great job of decrying our nations lust for sex, and it does so with unshrinking honesty: 'Sex is currency/ she sells cars/ she sells magazines.'
The few songs that don't work our 'The Setting Sun' which is mediocre, 'Golden' which is uplifting, but not very satsifying, and 'Daisy', a song that could have been much more. But fear not, 'The Shadow Proves the Sunshine', decidedly the brightest spot on the album, is strong enough to take away most of the depression, and the song 'We Are One Tonight' (Switchfoot's catchiest song in my humble opinion) adds to the joy, even though the lyrics do seem somewhat depressing. The anthem chorus though, keeps it highly uplifting.
I have only two major complaints with this album. First off, the song 'The Fatal Wound'. Hopelessly dark, dreary, and cryptic, I am disappointed Switchfoot would place this song on here. I'm almost afraid to figure out what it means. The only other quibble is that 'The Shadow Proves the Sunshine' would have made the perfect last song. What better way to end a depressing album on our total depravity without Christ, than by joyfully exclaiming 'all this dark proves one thing; there is light.' Frankly, the song would have been far more powerful in closing than in its original fourth spot, but with iPods, and MP3s, whole album listens are rare these days anyway.
All in all, Switchfoot has moved on with their craft, and I'm happy to say, they've only gotten better.
Wow!!!!!| Posted July 28, 2007
I LOVE this Cd. If you are a switchfoot fan you
have to get this Cd! Stars is The best song,
I Love Lonely nations ,Easier than Love, The Blues
the Fatal Wound, and Politicians.
Hope you like it! ( I know you will!)
good| Posted July 26, 2007
Not as great as Beautiful letdown but still good. Not sure what they can do from here, they could be losing some ideas but they still have potential. Stars and Politicians made this album for me. the other songs were well composed but not really executed well.
to add lyrics if not listed.
