Switchfoot Turns Over a 'New' Leaf
Posted July 31, 2007
By Epilogue,
After their first album appeared, Switchfoot began to ascend in the world of Christian rock. This, their follow up album, 'New Way to Be Human', demonstrated they were now a major contender, here to stay.
Unlike the dull opening song of the last album with its soft muted guitar, this one opens up in a radically different way. A very poppy, entertaining, and quirky (remember that word) intro followed by Jon's straining vocals lead into a highly catchy chorus that all provides the backdrop for an excellent message on our need for Christ to truly be human (I belive that's a run-on sentence).
As I've mentioned before, the word 'quirky' becomes a Switchfoot mainstay here. 'Incomplete', 'Company Car.' 'Something More', and even 'Amy's Song' have a little bit of unusual tinges to them. 'Incomplete' with its chorus that greatly resembles the future chorus of 'More than Fine' is a fine song about our incompleteness without Christ (the main message of the album if you haven't noticed). In the fourth song 'Company Car' Switchfoot has laid out there song subject for their next four albums: humanity's depravity without Christ, and the evils of consumerism. But they do it in a way that's delightfully fun. Somehow the opening lines to Company Car ("Mike was right, when he said I'd put up a fight...") just stick with you, no doubt for the quirky music playing, ranging from a bopping guitar to a trumpet.
Switchfoot also shows forth their softer side with gusto. The marvelous 'Let That Be Enough' contains some fantastic lyrics: 'And it all seems so helpless/and I have no plan/I'm a plane in the sunset/with nowhere to land.' The song's earnestness, backed by the quiet, comforting acoustic guitar provides for a powerful song of brokenness. 'Only Hope' counters the brokenness with a song of joy, singing out to God with unashamed joy because He is our 'Only Hope.' The funky 'Amy's Song' is quirkiness to the extreme, but still very powerful. The spooky/catchy song 'Sooner or Later' just adds to the album likableness (wow, that's a word).
Overall, this album stands well on its own. You need not be a Switchfoot fanatic to enjoy the quirky, beautiful, and meaningful songs on this album.
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