Oh! Gravity
On the heels of three years of incredible mainstream success, Switchfoot rockets back with Oh! Gravity. While maintaining the energy of its last two CDs, the San Diego band returns to its more creative and experimental roots.
From the chaotic piano break in the title track to the ba-ba-ba’s near the end of “Circles,” Jon Foreman and crew take frequent left turns mid-song. “Dirty Second Hand” begins with country guitar picking, then quickly adds Middle East-influenced rhythms, a hardcore rock chorus and a vocal bridge á la U2’s “Bullet The Blue Sky.”
“Faust” also brings a Switchfoot first: a story-song. Like the classic tale, a deal with a mysterious old man (traditionally the devil) leads to a life of golden success, but ultimately results in emptiness. In the end, the character wakes up with a new appreciation for life.
Both of the band’s last two CDs (Nothing is Sound and The Beautiful Letdown) focused sonically and lyrically on the shallowness of the human experience. Oh! Gravity often mines the same themes, but Switchfoot seems to have a lot more fun this time around. The result is a much more relaxed and infectious musical offering.
_______________________
Review by: Norm McDonald
Originally published January 01, 2007.
