Saturday, January 13, 2007

Switchfoot's "Oh, Gravity!"

Below is a song by song digestable thought for each of the songs on the Switchfoot's newest project "Oh Gravity."

The album overall is very enjoyable, and probably most resembles the style of the third and forth projects "Learning to Breath" and "The Beautiful Letdown." (This is their 6th Album).

1. oh gravity - the official theme song to the 2006 intergalactic olympics. Kind of fun, but in reality, not the strongest or most musical song on the album.

2. american dreams - enjoyable song, definitly a common switchfoot song theme dealing with the emptiness of monetary goals, etc. The sound is like New way to be Human (1999) and with the message of "happy is a yuppie word" from nothing is sound (2005)

3. dirty second hands - one of the best songs, driving, fun, and just a little bit of twang a la the good the bad and the ugly...unique singing of common theme of the finite nature of time, yet usually that theme comes across as cheesy campy songs...not here

4. awakening - this song sounds like it rolled right off the learning to breathe cd, maybe similar to a song like living is simple or learning to breathe (2000)

5. circles - Similar sound to Only Hope (1999), they totally would have included this song in the film A Long Walk to Remember if it had been written when the movie came out...as far as I can tell similar theme to Dirty Second Hands, just totally different tone.

6. amature lovers - Has a Christian rock band every used the term "lovers" in a song. This song is certainly loads of fun with a high sing-a-long quotient. Much happier tone then the song Lonely Nation from Nothing is Sound. This would make a great 90s Theme Song (back when TV shows still had theme songs). This could be used for a show like Friends for sure.

7. faust, midas, and myself - much more grown up sounding then there song about Augustine's Confession (Something More, 1999). This is probably one of the primo best songs on the cd. I do like to count how many times in the song he says "you have one life, one life, one life, left to live." Wait, does this song have a similar theme to track 3 and 5...why, it seems like it...just a new angle, new tone, and lyrics. In fact the money theme sort of ties into american dreams (track 2) as well. This might be the thesis statement to the cd if the entire cd was an essay.

8. head over heels (in this life) - If someone else wrote this song people would probably say it was a cheap Switchfoot rip off...but wait, it is switchfoot. The song fits in on the cd, it's just kind of generic and cliche-filled.

9. yesterdays - Sounds like it came off the 2nd half of the nothing is sound CD, a very nice ballad. The best lines come in the bridge, "Every lament is a love song, yesterday, I still can't belive your gone"

10. burn out bright - this is one of those songs that's God but you won't really notice it on the album, if it were a single it would probably be pretty popular, but it's generally kind of generic.

11. 4:12 - this is my favorite track on the cd, but it's a strange favorite...it to sounds like a TV them song, but the energy in it is a lot of fun, I like the line in the song "you believe that all you are is material, it's nonsensical." This song always makes me want to clap in fun rhythms. Did I mention that I love this song. The title is in reference to the time on the clock when he's awake, a la 3am by matchbox 20.

12. let your love be strong - also could have been in walk to remember (like #5) but it's a little more "mature sounding" so maybe they would have thrown in the credits, or perhaps it could have made the cut on a Dawson's Creek episode...it has that sound of an "optimistic break-up song." It talks about your love being strong through many situations, even the hard ones...ah, how sweet.

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are in good company... Entertainment Weekly also picked 4:12 as the best song on the CD.

jasdye said...

i have yet to pick up this record. but i've been a big switchfoot fan since their first done-in-my-bedroom recording, Legend of Chin, i think it was called.

and of course, loved the charlie peacock-produced "New Way to Be Human", which produced a lot of the themes that you noticed on the new album.

good review.

Anonymous said...

New Way To Be Human is their best release in my book.

But everything they do sounds pleasant, even if you don't totally dig it.

crackers and cheese said...

Yeah, when did tv shows start getting rid of theme songs? I remember the first time I watched LOST, I was disappointed at how short and songless the opening bit was. Luckily, the rest of the show left a better impression on me :)

Based on comments, maybe I'll buy New Way to Be Human instead of this new album.