Fading West
Posted January 16, 2014
By AmandaDeWilde_NRT, Staff Reviewer
“We play these songs because we believe in them. Whether or not they’re hits, or whatever that means. … this is our story.” ~ Jon Foreman, Fading West documentary
One characteristic you’ve got to love about Switchfoot is their honesty. In Fading West, designed as somewhat of a soundtrack to their documentary of the same name, Switchfoot delivers a new level of transparency, giving us a glimpse into their world while encouraging us in our own journeys.
The album begins with Love Alone is Worth the Fight, the popular single that has made a splash on Christian radio charts in recent months. This catchy pop song is a reminder that nothing else in life is worth our time or obsession. Fear often holds us back from the one thing that is truly important, and that is love.
Who We Are starts off with a repeated count to five and a tangy guitar solo leading in to Jon Foreman and the well-placed vocal layering of a group of children singing “we were just kids …” The five-member band brilliantly brought their own kids into this track, effectively infusing it with a youthful flair as they sing about their early years as a band, discovering their own identity and style in the world of Christian music. This song is a great anthem for Switchfoot’s personal journey, as well as for any wide-eyed dreamers with the faith of a child, living more for a grand purpose than a paycheck.
When We Come Alive seems to, appropriately, flow with life and energy. It’s about a burning passion within us that, if set free, can set the world on fire. Frontman Jon Foreman says of this track, “For me, the verses enunciate the darkness where the fire shines the brightest. And the chorus reminds me that we have this spark, this ability, this beauty – when and only when we come alive. Truly alive. Not just breathing, but burning brightly, setting the world on fire with a light that is not our own.”
Upbeat, aggressive, and pulsing with soft rock, Say It Like You Mean It explores the challenges of living in the spotlight and finding the correlation between what you say and how you live.
Introduced with the chatter and laughter of African children, The World You Want abruptly transitions to a soft, almost mournful melody. The song makes the point that whatever we believe and however we choose to act – that is our “religion.” No matter what we do, we’re going to change or affect the world. Will we change it for better or worse? The South African children’s choir, Kuyasa Kids, lend their angelic voices to the chorus of this track, giving it an even deeper emotional pull.
Slipping Away is about the strange numb feeling that accompanies the loss of a loved one and the hope of life beyond this life.
Ba55 … musically, this may be the most unique song on the album. Grittier. It has a bit more of a late nineties rock sound than the rest of the album, in a way reminiscent to DC Talk’s Supernatural. This makes a great, high-energy introductory track to the Fading West documentary.
Let It Out is a fun, bouncy tune that challenges us to push past our fears and do what we were born to do. As some of the lyrics say, “From the day we're born, we are scarred and torn. We've been scared to sing out loud. But we don't care no more because we know life is short. We don't care who hears us now. Breathe it in and let it out.”
All Or Nothing At All explores the danger and ultimate joy of unconditional love. Loving through the pain, loving despite another person’s flaws. Loving although your heart may break. In a way, this song revisits the message of the album’s opening track and peers at it from a slightly different angle. But once again we hear the much-needed point that love is worth all the risk and effort that we put into it.
With a beautiful chorus that could double as a worship song, Saltwater Heart is about longing for God’s Spirit and love to wash through us like an ocean. As if it’s saltwater flowing through our veins. We often begin to feel stuck, in the middle of a dry spot, creatively or spiritually land-locked. This is a song about finding freedom and inspiration after the low times. Inspired by Switchfoot’s love of surfing, Saltwater Heart flows with two-fold purpose and meaning. It drips with a passion for real saltwater and with the metaphor of God’s love being as vast and cleansing as the ocean.
The final track, ironically titled Back to the Beginning Again, speaks of the fears and doubts that lurk beneath our dreams – and finding God in the midst of the insanity. Starting anew with the Creator as our focus. It’s a great wrap up to the album. A clincher statement, if you will, to reestablish the reason behind why these guys do what they do.
Ultimately, Fading West is a challenge. A challenge to love deeply, to pursue our driving passions and talents, to overcome the crippling effect of doubt and fear. To make a difference with the lives we live. It’s a challenge from others traveling the same road. It’s not about thinking that you have arrived, it’s about the journey of discovery that we all take through life.
“I’m singing these songs as a person in transit. As a soul that has not arrived yet.” ~ Fading West documentary
In the end, it’s about finding who our Creator made us to be … and living that with everything we are.
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