The Beautiful Letdown
Posted July 29, 2008
By thirdsaint,
Ugh, I did it again. When will it end? When will I stop underrating bands or making assumptions based on a couple songs? Up until a couple weeks ago I thought I didn't like Switchfoot. I thought they made mediocre music that was very formulaic. Why? I don't know. I loved the first single off this album, 'Meant to Live' well before I became a Christian. I had heard 'Dare You To Move' back then but I'm guessing that because I didn't understand the lyrics it didn't really catch. Upon borrowing this CD (and then buying it a week later), not only do I love that song, since it means something, but I love the whole album.
Mediocre music? I didn't hear any. Formulaic? Pfft, what was I thinking? Every track has it's own sound, pace, and vibe to it that keeps you wondering what the next song will sound like. About the only similarity to the songs is they are all strongly produced, hook-laden pop/rock tracks that have powerful lyrics. The vocal hooks are different in every song and the chorus's truly shine in a very sing-a-long kinda way. Many people have probably caught me singing along like a fool in my car since I can't resist.
'Gone' is a great punkish rock anthem that changes the pace about 3 times in the song and has memorable lyrics singing about how material things will be gone eventually. The slower ballads like 'Dare You To Move' and 'On Fire' are just powerful songs that tug at the heart and do a great job of changing the tempo. I get chills down my back everytime I hear 'On Fire'.
I honestly can't think of anything wrong with the album either. There's no filler, no weak tracks, and the tracklist overall seems perfect. This album may move into the elite category as a classic album in time. I've only had it for a couple weeks now though and need to see if it stands the test of time. It needs to be said that this is an album that will likely grow on you. If you didn't give it enough time when you first got it in 2003 or whenever then you may want to go back and give The Beautiful Letdown it's due.
Gems of this album are: 'Meant To Live', 'Dare You To Move', 'Gone', 'This Is Your Life'
Overall - 9.6/10 View All Music And Book Reviews By thirdsaint | View thirdsaint's Profile
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