everything that's on my mind

Now playing: Hello Hurricane

I liked the music of Switchfoot in the early days, back when they appeared to be just another “Christian” band. While they always intended just to be a rock band (who happened to be made up of Christians), they ended up with a record deal that primarily placed their first three albums in the Christian music market after their label was bought out by another.

It was the band’s fourth album, 2003′s The Beautiful Letdown, that allowed them to break through to the mainstream and also solidified them as a favorite of mine. It was an outstanding album that remains one of my favorites of the decade, and an album I’ve never expected to see them surpass. Their efforts since have continued to be good, but each one failing to quite live up to the last (an admittedly hard task after the excellence of Letdown.)

Enter their new release Hello Hurricane.

The band had over 80 songs that they eventually whittled down to the 12 that made the album. I don’t know how the others stacked up to the final track list, but I’m pleased with the ones that made the cut.

The album title hints at its “facing the storms of life” thread and Foreman’s lyrics are also sprinkled with love and hope, backed by Switchfoot’s signature sound. The anthemic “Needle and Haystack Life” kicks off the album, which then tears into rockers like “Mess of Me”, “The Sound” and “Bullet Soul”, and tones it down for ballads like “Your Love Is A Song” and “Sing It Out”.

Just as was the case with Letdown, I was unable to find a disappointing song on this album. And this one is also among my favorites of the year. Certainly Switchfoot is not for everyone, and I wouldn’t call them a great band, but I’ve always loved their sound. And though Letdown has always been my favorite, this one may very well be just as good. But I’m not willing to say that. Yet.

Check out “Mess of Me” and “Bullet Soul”:

-gf