Switchfoot
"The Beautiful Letdown"
Columbia/Red Ink
Grade: A
Bottom Line:
Contrary to the title, you'll find no letdowns anywhere on this album. After randomly coming across Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move" on Boogle last year and listening to it obsessively, I was eager to see whether I could get hooked on the band's Columbia/Red Ink debut album "The Beautiful Letdown." What I heard was an honest, emotionally charged contribution to modern rock, although it possessed a bit more of a pop quality than expected.

This may be the band's debut for Columbia/Red Ink, but they certainly aren't strangers to the music industry. They won respect for their first album, "The Legend of Chin," for which they were awarded with Best New Artist at the San Diego Music Awards. They received a Grammy in 2001 for their album "Learning to Breathe." Furthermore, the slightly scratchy-voiced front man and guitarist Jon Foreman won the "Les Paul Horizon Award" at the annual Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards in 2001. The band will also stop in Boston at Axis on October 15 during its extensive tour September through early November.

Switchfoot was labeled a Christian rock band in its earlier days, but currently presents a more secularized set of songs with the same positive, spirited lyrics which the band is known for. Some might claim that the band still rocks with a Christian flair, but I feel that it would be limiting to categorize them in this way. Optimism should not be labeled as a characteristic of only Christian music.

The lyrics speak of finding hope within a bleak reality, which is a message that many of us can value. While many modern rock bands today sing lyrics stuffed with angst, Switchfoot provides an increasingly rare arrangement of softer vocal melodies while still remaining in the modern rock category with its heavy guitar sound. Foreman's melodic, slightly raspy voice is awash with intense sadness and emotional poignancy. His voice has been compared to those of Johnny Reznik, Josey Scott and Brandon Boyd, and rightfully so.

The song's most popular song at the moment is "Meant to Live," characterized by a yearning to live life to the fullest extent and discover more than just what we've been told. The song begins with a hard guitar sound and picks up even more with the strength of the zealous message being put forth. The lines "We were meant to live for so much/Have we lost ourselves?" is particularly effective in digging up feelings of regret and helplessness. The third song on the album, "More than Fine," promotes a similar message with a dynamic melody.

The album's second song, "This Your Life," is quite catchy. It feels somewhat futuristic, and the chorus is pleading and inspiring at the same time. The song truly makes you want to evaluate where you are in your life and whether you would wish for something different.

Other notable songs on the album are "Gone," which has the most pop feel, and "On Fire," which sounds the most poignant of all, with soft guitars and a sad exclamation of love. "Redemption" is a great contribution to the album, with haunting vocal dynamics and an entrancing tune.

The album's title song carries a message of finding the meaning and truth within the wreckage and failures in our lives rather than simply crying over them. Switchfoot is devoted to a basic philosophy: Find hope from within the harsh realities we all face and enjoy life. I certainly appreciated the message, but was relieved to hear songs such as "Adding to the Noise," which had a lighter and more playful tone.

I have confidence that Switchfoot's "A Beautiful Letdown" will be quite successful in reaching a wide audience of listeners, from pop fanatics to rock fans. Almost every song is fashioned with intelligent, stimulating lyrics that are sure to enthuse.