Released Dec. 26, 2006 by Sony.
Ah yes...the same sounds of another predictably pop-packed, major label release-this time from the guys of San Diego-based Switchfoot. The group, who got its start back in the day (circa 1997), in all fairness deserves a noble nod on their gradual evolution from a small, under the table Christian band into the pretentious, Columbia records signed "megaBand" that they are today (regardless of their relentless takeover of music radio and TV airspace).
All that having been said, a new year is upon us and Switchfoot had one more opportunity for redemption with their newest Columbia release, Oh! Gravity. What perhaps is most surprising upon the first listening of the album is the pure quality of the lyrics. Lead spotlight man/vocalist Jon Foreman insists on attacking the machine and the American dream:
"Like a puppet on a monetary string
Maybe we've been caught singing
Red, white, blue, and green
But that ain't my America,
That ain't my American dream"
My personal favorite lyrics are from the track "Faust, Midas, And Myself:"
"As my reflection passed
I hated what I saw
My golden eyes were dead
And a thought passed through my head
A heart that is made of gold can't really beat at all"
But when push comes to shove, Oh! Gravity. is an album chalked full of mediocre songs, with only a couple standout tracks worth mentioning-"Circles," "Faust, Midas and Myself," and the track "Yesterdays"-which plays like a weak Americanized version of James Blunt. On a practical level, several other factors hurt the album-the reverb on the vocals is almost unbearable, there are virtually no harmonies at all, and the repetitious chord changes offer nothing interesting to the ear. Fifteen years down the road, fans will look back at the discography of Switchfoot and consider Oh! Gravity. an album worth overlooking.
3 Stars
This article was written by Matthew Reynolds, a writer for the Belmont Vision and CD reviewer. See his personal blog here for more music reviews.
