The Best Yet!
Posted September 29, 2011
By dreamingoutloud,
in 2009, Switchfoot released Hello Hurricane, which became their most successful record to date, picking up a Grammy earlier this year. While it feels the long time it took Hello Hurricane to be finished, it's only been two years since the release of that amazing album. Now, Switchfoot have overtopped that album with the release of Vice Verses.
The album kicks off with the grunge track "Afterlife," a rockin track that encourages the listener to live their life to fullest while they are instead of waiting for "the other side." "The Original" is punk/rock track reminiscent of the band's 2000 release Learning To Breathe. The song is an encouragement to anyone doubting their worth, telling them they are very special. "The War Inside" is my favorite track off the album and is heavy track about how every war that rages in the world begins with our own struggles and pride.
Christian radio single "Restless" is a more mellow track about looking for God. "I am restless/ I am restless/ I am restless/ Looking for you/ I am restless/ I run like the ocean/ To find Your shore/ I'm looking for you." Stand-out "Blinding Light" is about always looking for hope in midst of all the darkness around us.
"Selling The News" is a "poetry-slam" about the media, and how we twist the "news." A stand-out line that describes this song is "When nothing is sacred/ There's nothing to lose/ When nothing is sacred/ All is consumed/ We're still on the air/ It must be the truth/ We're selling the news." "Thrive" is a mellow track about thriving in this life and not just trying to make it through another day. No. 1 hit on Rock radio "Dark Horses" is an anthem written about "those who didn't choose their fate, but are rising above it" as frontman Jon Foreman puts it.
"Souviners" is another slow track about the good times we have as young people, and a longing to go back to those times and feel carefree about the troubles of life. "Rise Above It" is a great track about rising above the typical and making a difference in the world we live in. "It feels so typical/ I guess I'm looking for a miracle/ Rise above it, yeah/ Rise above it."
Title track "Vice Verses" talks about living in tension. As guitarist Drew Shirley puts "our lives are held between the two hooks for guitar strings, birth is one side, and death is another, and this song is about living well in tension" (at least that's how I remember the quote). Album closer "Where I Belong is a six-minute epic track about looking for our home, and that home, for christians, is heaven. The song ends like "Red Eyes" on Hello Hurricane by linking track 12 to track 1.
Overall, Vice Verses is the best album of 2011!!! The enjoyable rock tracks and the stellar, more mellow (ryhme) tracks make this album amazing!!! If you are a Switchfoot fan pick this up and buy an extra for someone who needs to hear these boys!!! :)
Album Rating: **********10/10
Top 3 Songs:
1. The War Inside
2. Selling The News
3. Blinding Light
Feel free to comment this review so I can make these the best they can be!!
God Bless!
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