Switchfoot
Where the Light Shines Through
When an album titles tells a story, often times the thematic material of the album (i.e. lyrics) has something to say along the same lines. It appears that suffering, hardship and trials is what we’re going to discuss here on this album.
The production was handled by John Fields, who did the multi-platinum hit The Beautiful Letdown. You remember that album, right? It’s the one I gave a 2.5 out of 5 rating to, our Managing Editor David Allen gave a 2 out of 5 and our indie rock reviewer said was “perfectly titled – and I’m not talking about the words ‘The’ or ‘Beautiful.’ Yeah, we got that one wrong. Even current HM Editor David Stagg was dogging that album. I recall a staff meeting where he mocked the album, reducing the sound as if its best songs as being annoying like the repeating melody of “Gone! Gone!”
Switchfoot has gone on to develop as a career artist. This writer couldn’t be more proud of them. Success spoils some people. Some musicians ride the party of success as if it’s all about them. Others see themselves as artists and take their craft seriously. Switchfoot has obviously been the latter. They haven’t rested on their laurels; they’ve peaked more than once (Hello Hurricane was another major milestone).
Switchfoot is just a good example of being a great artist. It feels good to watch them succeed. Here’s to many more years that we’ll be blessed with their art.
Frontman Jon Foreman has spread his wings, releasing a series of solo albums, joining other bands/projects (like Fiction Family) and basically cranking out songs like sweat on a runner’s brow. The dude’s pretty amazing. Like a true artist, his best work shines forth in both audible sounds and words.
As the frontman and chief songwriter, Where the Light Shines Through chronicles pain, but it’s not a sonic pity party. Apparently, there’s an anchor in this writer’s soul. This anchor is hope, which bookends the album with the opening parenthetical statement that “hope deserves an anthem” and the closing song, “Hope is the Anthem.”
One thing I’ve always appreciated about this artist is he appears as if he measures his words carefully. While all surfers love to have fun, this one can get somber and serious on a dime, or so it seems.
Tunes like “Float,” which could’ve been a MUTEMATH song with its bouncing rhythms and danceability, reflect fun. The title track heralds the wounds and scars of suffering as having great worth: “…your scars shine like dark stars / Yeah, your wounds are where the light shines through.” The artist that quoted Dylan in the song, “Happy is a Yuppie Word,” waxes melancholy in an election year while singing, “Looking for America,” where he declares “I’m looking for your honesty in skeletons / Do away with your ignorance and arrogance / America the land of immigrants / Check the green card and pedigree / Bless the Choctaw and the Cherokee that we’ll never see.” Hip-hop gem Lecrae adds some passionate rhymes to the big dynamic song with energy bursts and almost chant repeats and swells. It’s quite an epic song.
“The Day That I Found God” might be the album’s gem, though. It shows the wisdom in letting go. “The day I lost myself was the day that I found God.”
I don’t know what’s been bothering Foreman, but I hope this Southern California kid hasn’t had to endure the pain of broken relationships. He seems to declare his loyalty to someone in “I Won’t Let You Go” and praises their value in “If the House Burns Down Tonight,” stating: “If the house burns down tonight, I got everything I need when I got you by my side / And let the rest burn…” Sounds like his priorities are in the right place.
There’s a few songs that sonically sound like the musical landscape since 2010. The floating melodies of “Shake This Feeling” would fit right on modern rock radio anywhere. “Bull in a China Shop” is another fun departure, using vocal syncopation to good effect. “Live it Well” sounds middle of the road sonically, offering up a kind of prayer to live this one life well. In “Healer of Souls,” the punchline of the Christian Mingle parody sketch on YouTube (watch it) as the one so-called “secular” band Christians identify with, the band punches out an energetic invitation to reach out to the One that heals. It’s one of the few songs where the tempo seems juxtaposed with the story, but the quiet and gentle feel of “Hope is the Anthem” brings it all down at the end.
There’s a lot of good ear and heart food on this album. It satisfies the Switchfoot fan. Is it another breakthrough? An instant classic? I wouldn’t say so. It feels good like a comfortable jacket. You slip it on and things feel better. That ain’t bad. [Vanguard] Doug Van Pelt
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