Switchfoot
The Beautiful Letdown
2003, Columbia
alt rock
Shortly before this album’s release, I and other Switchfoot fans received an email through the band’s mailing list stating that Jerome Fontamillas, a keyboardist who had toured with the band since 2000, was officially a member of the band. Considering that this was also their first album with Columbia Records and the first time Charlie Peacock would not be their producer, it went unsaid that this album would be different than the others.
Switchfoot had perfected its lyrical depth with Learning to Breathe, but only with Beautiful Letdown did their musical arrangement mature as well. The addition of Fontamillas smoothed their sound to an almost alternative pop. In some ways that alienated old fans, but the ‘outsider’ stance that Switchfoot has always had remained in their intense lyrics. In fact, I think the lighter sound just emphasized the lyrics that much more.
The lyrics in this album are not explicitly Christian in any way, but there are oblique nods to spiritual issues and even God throughout. Again, this was also a difficult change for old fans to swallow, but it’s obvious now that Switchfoot was more comfortable in subtlety than they ever were with forthrightness. Either way, I’m not too much of a snob to say that I love this album despite the changes, and more importantly, I loved how much publicity this deserving band received. They have a swagger now that they never had before.
“Twenty Four,” “On Fire,” “The Beautiful Letdown,” and “Adding to the Noise.”
myspace, learning2breathe.com
Switchfoot’s Learning to Breathe, Anberlin’s Never Take Friendship Personal
