Switchfoot..."Nothing is Sound"
Switchfoot, the band I never thought I would listen to, has captured me yet again with their latest release, Nothing is Sound. Their latest effort combines pop music with lyrics that are anything but pop, and have created an album achieving a lyrical depth worthy of listening to. Even if you are not a fan of Pop/Rock, there is no question that frontman Jonathan Foreman has an ability to write lyrics like few can. He raises questions we all want answers to, and does so in a way that leaves the listener truly believing that life does not stop with our pain and trials. No, that is where life begins.
Their previous album, The Beautiful Letdown, had huge success, reaching double platinum status and winning numerous awards. This more than anything made me want to purchase Nothing is Sound, because it is always intriguing to see how bands follow huge success.
After listening to Nothing is Sound, Switchfoot has made an album that is stronger than Letdown, although sales and radio-play might indicate otherwise. The reason for this is because Nothing is Sound lacks huge singles like "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move" from Letdown. Their first single off Sound, "Stars," has had limited success, but it is still early.
The album starts out with "Lonely Nation," a song that begins this album with many of the themes found in Letdown. Songwriter Foreman talks about how we are slaves to what we want, and because we have wanted the wrong things, we have ended up empty. An interesting theme that raises the simple question: What is it that we are supposed to want? A question he will answer later.
"Lonely Nation" is followed up with "Stars," the first single off Sound. The question that Foreman raised in "Lonely Nation" he begins to answer with this line from "Stars": "I've been thinking about the meaning of resistance..of a hope beyond my own...And suddenly the infinite and penitent begin to look like home." If we want anything less than the infinite (God), then we will be left wanting.
"Happy is a Yuppie Word" could perhaps be described as 'Ecclesiastes: The Song.' Ecclesiastes starts with the line "Meaningless, Meaningless, says the Teacher. Everything is Meaningless." Foreman echoes these lines with "Everything Fails. Everything run its course. A time and place for all this love and war." No doubt this is a reference to Ecclesiastes 3. But, in the midst of lack of meaning, Foreman finds his hope in God, yet again when he says: "I don't believe the emptiness, I'm looking for the kingdom coming down." This song is about getting past just being 'happy' and finding true fulfillment, something that comes is impossible to come by, apart from God.
It is not until the fourth song where Switchfoot matches beautiful lyrics with even better music. Although I liked the first three songs, it is Track 4, titled "The Shadow that Proves the Sunshine" that made me begin to believe Sound is not just a good, but a great album. Foreman has already been talking about the failures in our lives, but this song describes the true sense of our mistakes. Foreman describes the human race as "Crooked Soul trying to stay up straight...dry eyes in the pouring rain." But our mistakes ('shadows') are washed away in the forgiveness God is ready to give us ('sunshine'). The song ends with the line: "Let my shadows prove the sunshine." In other words, our failures only prove the goodness of God, his faithfulness to forgive our sins.
"Easier than Love" brings up the theme of lack of fulfillment Foreman discusses in "Happy is Yuppie Word." The hardest part of this is owning up to who we truly are: "It's easier to leave. It's easier to lie. It's harder to face ourselves at night, feeling alone, what have done, what is the monster we've become."
How do we find freedom from such mistakes? "The Blues" deals with this idea, but more specifically it deals with when we have found forgiveness. When we have found forgiveness, can we trust it? After all, the mistakes seem to never leave, our failures repeat themselves. Foreman echoes Romans 3:23 when he writes: "is there nothing here worth saving? is there no one here at all?...are there any left who haven't kissed the enemy?". The answer is obviously no. But we can trust the forgiveness of God because 'when the world caves in' everything will be okay.
"The Setting Sun" is a perfect follow up to "The Blues," because the pain and hurt in "The Blues" disappears. "My hope runs underneath it all the day that I'll be home...Finally free, finally strong, somewhere back where I belong."
One of the weaker tracks on the album is "Politicians." Foreman starts out with a good idea, that we should stop blaming politicians for problems and look at ourselves. However, in the end this song doesn't call us to change, just that we should be a part of a land without politicians.
"Golden" is such a perfect song for this album because after Foreman talks repeatedly about how we have failed as humans, it would be natural for one to think that humanity is not valuable. However, that is completely false. We are not "just another so and so" as Foreman writes, but rather "you are golden, you are golden child." And because we are so golden, "everything will be made new again like freedom in the spring." Our failures are not the final word, only a stepping stone to the new creation God wants to make in us.
After a song like "Golden," it is hard to imagine why Switchfoot would follow it up with a song like "The Fatal Wound." There is no doubt Foreman has a gift for talking about humanity's mistakes, but this song seemed like overkill.
If you can get past "The Fatal Wound," "We are One Tonight" is the perfect sequel to the song "Golden." "We are One Tonight" reminds us that "though the world is flawed these scars will heal/We are one tonight." There is a healing between humanity as well as between humanity and God in redemption.
The official last track, titled "Daisy," echoes the lyric "let it go." This is a fitting ending to the CD. After all, the themes of failures, our longing for something more, the disappointment of our lives have been prominent throughout Nothing is Sound. We can let it go because "For all redemptive motion and every rainy day/He gives Himself away." Let go of our sin, let go of our failures, because there is a God ready to embrace us.
It will be interesting to see where Switchfoot goes after Nothing is Sound. They have taken a step forward with their music, creating a sound that although is much like Letdown, is much more complex. Foreman's lyrical ability has only improved since Letdown, and any person that listens to music for lyrics that connect, Nothing is Sound is an album you will find listening to many times.
Their previous album, The Beautiful Letdown, had huge success, reaching double platinum status and winning numerous awards. This more than anything made me want to purchase Nothing is Sound, because it is always intriguing to see how bands follow huge success.
After listening to Nothing is Sound, Switchfoot has made an album that is stronger than Letdown, although sales and radio-play might indicate otherwise. The reason for this is because Nothing is Sound lacks huge singles like "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move" from Letdown. Their first single off Sound, "Stars," has had limited success, but it is still early.
The album starts out with "Lonely Nation," a song that begins this album with many of the themes found in Letdown. Songwriter Foreman talks about how we are slaves to what we want, and because we have wanted the wrong things, we have ended up empty. An interesting theme that raises the simple question: What is it that we are supposed to want? A question he will answer later.
"Lonely Nation" is followed up with "Stars," the first single off Sound. The question that Foreman raised in "Lonely Nation" he begins to answer with this line from "Stars": "I've been thinking about the meaning of resistance..of a hope beyond my own...And suddenly the infinite and penitent begin to look like home." If we want anything less than the infinite (God), then we will be left wanting.
"Happy is a Yuppie Word" could perhaps be described as 'Ecclesiastes: The Song.' Ecclesiastes starts with the line "Meaningless, Meaningless, says the Teacher. Everything is Meaningless." Foreman echoes these lines with "Everything Fails. Everything run its course. A time and place for all this love and war." No doubt this is a reference to Ecclesiastes 3. But, in the midst of lack of meaning, Foreman finds his hope in God, yet again when he says: "I don't believe the emptiness, I'm looking for the kingdom coming down." This song is about getting past just being 'happy' and finding true fulfillment, something that comes is impossible to come by, apart from God.
It is not until the fourth song where Switchfoot matches beautiful lyrics with even better music. Although I liked the first three songs, it is Track 4, titled "The Shadow that Proves the Sunshine" that made me begin to believe Sound is not just a good, but a great album. Foreman has already been talking about the failures in our lives, but this song describes the true sense of our mistakes. Foreman describes the human race as "Crooked Soul trying to stay up straight...dry eyes in the pouring rain." But our mistakes ('shadows') are washed away in the forgiveness God is ready to give us ('sunshine'). The song ends with the line: "Let my shadows prove the sunshine." In other words, our failures only prove the goodness of God, his faithfulness to forgive our sins.
"Easier than Love" brings up the theme of lack of fulfillment Foreman discusses in "Happy is Yuppie Word." The hardest part of this is owning up to who we truly are: "It's easier to leave. It's easier to lie. It's harder to face ourselves at night, feeling alone, what have done, what is the monster we've become."
How do we find freedom from such mistakes? "The Blues" deals with this idea, but more specifically it deals with when we have found forgiveness. When we have found forgiveness, can we trust it? After all, the mistakes seem to never leave, our failures repeat themselves. Foreman echoes Romans 3:23 when he writes: "is there nothing here worth saving? is there no one here at all?...are there any left who haven't kissed the enemy?". The answer is obviously no. But we can trust the forgiveness of God because 'when the world caves in' everything will be okay.
"The Setting Sun" is a perfect follow up to "The Blues," because the pain and hurt in "The Blues" disappears. "My hope runs underneath it all the day that I'll be home...Finally free, finally strong, somewhere back where I belong."
One of the weaker tracks on the album is "Politicians." Foreman starts out with a good idea, that we should stop blaming politicians for problems and look at ourselves. However, in the end this song doesn't call us to change, just that we should be a part of a land without politicians.
"Golden" is such a perfect song for this album because after Foreman talks repeatedly about how we have failed as humans, it would be natural for one to think that humanity is not valuable. However, that is completely false. We are not "just another so and so" as Foreman writes, but rather "you are golden, you are golden child." And because we are so golden, "everything will be made new again like freedom in the spring." Our failures are not the final word, only a stepping stone to the new creation God wants to make in us.
After a song like "Golden," it is hard to imagine why Switchfoot would follow it up with a song like "The Fatal Wound." There is no doubt Foreman has a gift for talking about humanity's mistakes, but this song seemed like overkill.
If you can get past "The Fatal Wound," "We are One Tonight" is the perfect sequel to the song "Golden." "We are One Tonight" reminds us that "though the world is flawed these scars will heal/We are one tonight." There is a healing between humanity as well as between humanity and God in redemption.
The official last track, titled "Daisy," echoes the lyric "let it go." This is a fitting ending to the CD. After all, the themes of failures, our longing for something more, the disappointment of our lives have been prominent throughout Nothing is Sound. We can let it go because "For all redemptive motion and every rainy day/He gives Himself away." Let go of our sin, let go of our failures, because there is a God ready to embrace us.
It will be interesting to see where Switchfoot goes after Nothing is Sound. They have taken a step forward with their music, creating a sound that although is much like Letdown, is much more complex. Foreman's lyrical ability has only improved since Letdown, and any person that listens to music for lyrics that connect, Nothing is Sound is an album you will find listening to many times.
3 Comments:
I find my self listening to it at least once a day. I have always liked switchfoot, but this album was amazing!!
yea...this album definitely sold me as more of a switchfoot fan than i ever thought i would be...they can just make you think like nothing else...
hey.. i like switchfoot too, their lyrics is so cool and so deep. cool band.
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