The Bottom Line
Switchfoot broke into the mainstream with the singles "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move" in 2003. Those songs, showcasing powerfully distorted guitars underneath crystal clear pop melodies, were not fluke hits, but culminating tracks for a band that had put out three previous albums that had helped develop their mature pop punk-influenced alternative sound. Known for their spiritual focus as well as their catchy melodies, they're back with album number six, Oh! Gravity., an equally earnest, equally catchy, more mature release. The album is solid Switchfoot, and though they don't take chances, fans will be pleased.
- "Awakening"
- "American Dream"
- "Circles"
- "Head Over Heels In Trouble"
- "Let Your Love"
- "Dirty Second Hands"
- "412"
Description
- Switchfoot broke into the mainstream with the singles "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move" in 2003.
- Previous to those hits, the band had released three albums: The Legend of Chin, New Way to Be Human and Learning to Breathe.
- Their wildly successful 2003 album, The Beautiful Letdown went double platinum.
- The band's 2005 follow-up, Nothing Is Sound, went gold, while the band continued to tour extensively.
Guide Review - Switchfoot "Oh Gravity"--Album Review
Switchfoot has a special gift: when they soar, they really soar. Their biggest hit of '03 "Dare You To Move" made even the most cynical radio listener feel, well, dared. On their newest release, this gift is still with them -- and when they take their songs to those impressive heights, they do it like to no other band on the radio today. However, when they withhold that manic intensity from their choruses, or try to keep a more constant, mellow tone, their songs often fall flat.
The strongest of the album's tracks, "Awakening," comes to a head, like "Dare You To Move," in a chorus that begins unassuming, but, with each repetition, crawls, claws and climbs to a cathartic emotive peak. (It's a rare thing for a pop song to do, and Switchfoot does it admirably.) It's truly an impressive track, and along with "Faust," "Circles" and a few others, really makes the album worthwhile. Fans of the Switchfoot intensity will not be left wanting here.
Other tracks, however, like "Amateur Lovers," stay melodically enjoyable, but never climax with the same intensity. Lyrically, the song is creative, offering interesting commentary on feelings of inexperience with companionship -- "we don't know what we're doing/ let's do it again...we're just amateur lovers, amateur friends" -- but the melodies never seem to take-off, and knowing where this band is capable of taking their songs, it's hard to bear it when they don't take songs very far.
Regardless, for a band with six pop albums to their name, this album is refreshingly fresh, impressively honest and capable in its power. For fans of these serious crooners, it's a must-have; for those just getting curious, it's worth checking out -- more than half the tracks will give you an idea why these guys have stuck around for so long.
