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Genre: alt rock/post-grunge/power pop Rating:  ½Check Out: “Happy Is A Yuppie Word,” “Shadow Proves The Sunshine,” “Easier Than Love,” “Lonely Nation”  Myspace, website |
While I’m a self-proclaimed Switchfoot fan, this album was a bit of a disappointment in comparison to Beautiful Letdown. One of the problems here is that I enjoyed the music, but the lyrics left me yawning.
Some people think there isn’t a difference between two; after all, when we hear a song, it’s usually one cohesive unit. However, the lyrics and the music (beat, rhythm, etc.) really work together – if one fails, the entire song is usually doomed. Switchfoot is definitely familiar with this dichotomy because they’ve always had the lyrics down pat but struggled with the music until recently.
For example, Beautiful Letdown sounds so mature because the lyrics and music are finally harmonious and work beautifully together. But in Nothing Is Sound, frontman Jon Foreman (and main songwriter) seemingly eased up on the lyrics but stay focused on the music. Fortunately for him, it works, but it’s definitely a close call. The only songs that I can say are lyrical in nature are Politicians, Happy is a Yuppie Word, Daisy, and Easier Than Love. These four are great social commentaries (especially Politicians and Easier Than Love) and reflect that introspection that I love so much about Jon.
While the rest of the tracks are cohesive in the sense that they stick to one idea, they really lack that lyrical flair that has set Switchfoot as the ‘thinking man’s band.’ Definitely a fun listen, but not their best work.
Tags: nothing is sound, switchfoot
