Switchfoot - Where the Light Shines Through (7.8.16) Album

Seems like these guys are releasing a new album just about every year. I haven't listened to them since like....2008

 

Should check out Hello Hurricane. Possibly their best record. Everything since has been varying shades of bad though.

 

Alright, I'll add that to my list.

 

I would agree that Hello Hurricane was their last good record. Not their best though. That title belongs to Nothing is Sound.

 

Hello Hurricane was the last record I really got into, but I think the two new songs that came with pre-orders are a step up from Fading West. The pop elements on these feel a lot more natural and fitting than they did on the last album.

 

I'm hopeful for this. I really like Oh! Gravity, Hello Hurricane, and Fading West. (Vice Versus was boring though). Seems like this album will be more religious than in the past, which I'm fine with. I've always thought Jon Foreman wrote religious songs better than anyone else I've heard.

 

I thought Vice Verses was pretty spectacular, but was enormously let down by Fading West. But what I'd love most is another Switchfoot album akin to The Beautiful Letdown/Nothing is Sound days.

 

I think that of the 9 released, Fading West is vastly inferior to the other 8.

 

Jon Foreman's Wonderlands EP series from last year is my favorite thing Switchfoot related, honestly.

Also didn't realize I was the only one who actually liked Fading West a good bit. Thought it was a fun change for them. Same with the b-sides on the Edge of the Earth EP.

 

Agreed. In everything I've read on the internet it seems like I'm the only one who thinks their new stuff isn't great (Vice Verses was inconsistent at best and Fading West is just awful IMO) so it's nice to see some validation haha. Although obviously I'm happy if others like those albums, it's not like I wanted to dislike them.

I feel like their new stuff is just so saccharine. Idk if it's that their music has gone that way or if I've just grown out of what they do because honestly their old stuff doesn't do much for me anymore. I'll always be interested in new stuff from them but I stopped being hopeful after Fading West.

 

I loved Fading West. I thought Vice Verses was pretty meh and Fading West refreshing after that. Maybe I only think that cause I watched the documentary first and loved that so I had a stronger connection to the music.

 

How is The Edge of the Earth EP? I've only listened to clips but from what I remember I thought they sounded better than what actually made the album.

 

Nothing is Sound and The Beautiful Letdown are their best. Hello Hurricane is very good but has some pretty big duds, imo.

When it was good, Vice Verses was great. "Where I Belong" is a top five Switchfoot song. I'd put that and Hello Hurricane on about the same level, with Hurricane probably getting a slight edge. Fading West, though, I don't think I've listened to since I reviewed it.

 

If you were turned off by the poppier aspects of Fading West the EP is a lot more experimental and darker. Honestly, I liked Fading West pretty well and I still liked the EP slightly better.

 

The Beautiful Letdown is still my favorite with Nothing is Sound at a close second. Both albums are amazing. I agree though, haven't been blown away by anything they've released since although Hello Hurricane has really become a special album to me recently.

I really want this new album to be excellent. I think it has a decent chance at being the album I've waited for from them.

 

Love Fading West. Definitely in my top 3 Switchfoot records.

Can't wait for this new one, Float is dope.

 

Learning To Breathe and The Beautiful Letdown are their best albums.

 

I'm gonna go ahead and say Hello Hurricane = Oh! Gravity > Fading West/Edge of the Earth > Nothing is Sound > The Beautiful Letdown > Learning to Breathe > Vice Verses > New Way to be Human > The Legend of Chin.

Hello Hurricane and Oh! Gravity are both just really good albums, and the albums that made me view Switchfoot as a genuinely good band.

Fading West/Edge of the Earth I think are the most different, and experimental the band has ever been, and after how boring Vice Verses was outside a couple songs, a breath of fresh air.

Nothing is Sound is solid, though I haven't listened to it much, and The Beautiful Letdown is good, but also kind of obvious as the "breakout into the mainstream" record.

Learning to Breathe to me is the beginning of the band really figuring out who/what they are.

Vice Verses made me hate the band for a few years because it wasn't all that interesting, and made me view the band like any other crappy christian rock group,

New Way to be Human and The Legend of Chin have some gems, but all together aren't amazing albums and I understand why Switchfoot doesn't really play these songs live anymore (aside from Only Hope on occasion)

I will say, I really like both of the singles for Where the Light Shines Through, and I'm really hopeful that this could be a top tier album by the band. I put about $25 of faith into a CD so I hope so. haha

 

Ah, the inevitable ranking. Ok we doing this.

Nothing is Sound=Oh! Gravity>Hello Hurricane>Beautiful Letdown>Learning to Breathe>Vice Verses>New Way to be Human>Legend of Chin>Fading West

Whew, that takes a while to type out on a phone haha.

Also special mention to the Eastern Hymns for Western Shores EP, which I'm not exactly sure where I'd rank but it'd be pretty high.

 

Realized in posting that just how inconsistent this band is on a song by song basis. When the Beautiful Letdown is 4th on my list out of 9 and only about half the songs on it I'd say are very good that's kind of a problem haha.

 

Man. Live It Well is so bad.

 

I'd say:

Nothing is Sound>The Beautiful Letdown>Hello Hurricane>Oh! Gravity>Vice Verses>Learning to Breathe>New Way to Be Human> Fading West>The Legend of Chin

I'd say I only really love the first three. They're an inconsistent band for me. So many great songs, but not so many great albums. I feel like they always get tripped up with two or three weak tracks. I hope the new one corrects that issue.

 

Maybe I'll go through the discography since I want to chime in on this.

But holy shit that's a lot of albums.

 

Oh! Gravity > New Way to be Human > Nothing is Sound > Legend of Chin = Beautiful Letdown > Hello Hurricane > Learning to Breathe > Vice Verses > Fading West

Looks like I'm in the minority of really enjoying their first two albums.