5/5
Posted September 27, 2011
By username2,
Switchfoot's previous album, Hello Hurricane, was what I thought was their best album and I felt that it would be really hard to top. But I believe they have with their latest album, Vice Verses.
The theme of the album is a journey through life. A journey through it's up and downs, high's and low's, victories and defeats. In the first song, the high energy rock anthem "Afterlife," a question is raised that takes us through the rest of the album. That question is the lyric "why would I wait until I die to come alive?" The temporary answer to that question also lies in "Afterlife" in which it states, "I'm ready now/ I'm not waiting for the afterlife." The album gives us the true answer to the question in the powerful closer "Where I Belong." I won't reveal that answer but I will say that the song brings focus to the whole album and gives us a sense that we have just gone through a life journey to find the answer.
Musically, Vice Verses continues the sonic and raw sound that Switchfoot introduced us to in Hello Hurricane. There are high energy anthmatic rockers like the aformentioned "Afterlife," "Rise Above It," and the lead single "Dark Horses." But it's the slower songs that make Vice Verses, and subsequently Hello Hurricane, unique and worth the price. Songs like "Thrive," "Restless," and "Where I Belong" show off the emotionality in Jon Foreman's voice and the lyrics are so well written that it feels like he is speaking directly to you.
I had quite a lot of expectations for Vice Verses and Switchfoot delievered on them. Every song is unique, every chord sounds great, and every lyric delievers on emotionality and realism. I still feel that Hello Hurricane is the better album but, over time and repeat listenings, I feel as if my opinion could change. For now though, Switchfoot strikes gold again and has created another solid album of the year candidate.
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