“Fall” EP by Jon Foreman (revisited)

This beautiful collection of songs by Switchfoot frontman, Jon Foreman, may be 7 years old but it’s definitely a gem worth revisiting! Especially since we are in the fall season it’s the perfect time to pull out these lovely tunes once again.

I remember downloading this EP, Jon’s very first solo project, right when it was released at midnight in November of 2007. I had been anticipating this EP for a while so there was no way I was going to wait till morning to buy it. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love.

Six songs all reflecting everything I love about Jon’s songwriting. Songs filled to the brim with so much depth and meaning. But this time somewhat softer and more sparse in sound with cello, clarinets, harmonicas, acoustic guitar, and soft piano. A little different than what you typically hear on a Switchfoot album.

Jon said that since his favorite season is fall these songs ended up reflecting the that. And you can definitely hear the season floating in between every single note.

"The Cure For Pain" is an honest, somber tune about facing the pain in your life, "Heaven knows, heaven knows I've tried to find a cure for the pain. Oh my Lord, to suffer like you do. It would be a lie to run away". The romantic & reflective "Southbound Train" features Jon on harmonica and acoustic guitar as well as the talented, Keith Tutt, on cello. The creative use of a pillow and breathing for percussion gives the song a train like sound.  "Lord, Save Me From Myself" is an acoustic, harmonica infused plea to be saved from the traps of this world, "My eyes have seen the glory of this hollow modern shell. And sex is a grand production but I'm bored with that as well. Ahh, ahh, Lord, save me from myself".

"Equally Skilled" is a folksy tune with lyrics taken straight from the scriptures in Micah. "Moon Is A Magnet" is my personal favorite. This song with its beautiful bass clarinet and somewhat odd time signature just steals my heart everytime. Its jazzy sound & quirky lyrics make me smile. Closing track, "My Love Goes Free" is a soft piano tune about letting go. You can hear the heartbreak in Jon's voice as he repeats the line, "If you love her let her go". A perfect ending to this lovely project.

I'm continually inspired and amazed at Jon's songwriting as well as his heart for God and people. He’s sort of a hero or role model of mine, if you will. But I’ll spare you any more of the cheesy stuff lol and just say that whether it be in Switchfoot, his solo music, or in his side band, Fiction Family, he writes honest songs filled with so much beauty and truth.

This was the first of Jon's seasonal EPs released over the course of 2007 & 2008. To purchase "Fall" click here. To purchase "Winter", "Spring", & "Summer" click here. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Trust me, they're all amazing.

"In this way I feel like the creative process brings me closer to God. As a creator of a song I get to take all these broken fragments of failure and chaos and weave together something beautiful and meaningful. Decay. Death. Pain. Fall. And if God is a songwriter then these fallen leaves of mine can be redeemed." -  Jon Foreman

Review of “Fading West” EP by Switchfoot #blogtember

My all time favorite band Switchfoot is gearing up to release their 9th studio album entitled, “Fading West” on January 14th 2014! But since that still feels so far away (I mean it’s next year, for goodness sake! ;)) and they know we fans are not that patient, they’ve given us a three song EP to tide us over!

The EP opens with “Who We Are”,  a pop tinged ode to youth and finding who you are. If I’m being honest, this song is taking a while to grow on me. And even after a few listens, it still isn’t a favorite. Which is hard for me to say because my love for these guys runs deep and is pretty unconditional lol. The chorus features a children’s choir that, from what I understand, is made up of their own kids (the Switch kids? the Foot kids?). Which is actually very sweet and fitting for the song.

“Love Alone Is Worth The Fight” features an anthemic chorus and beautiful lyrics,“And we find what we’re made of through the open door. Is it fear you’re afraid of? What are you waiting for? Love alone is worth the fight.”  It’s easy to picture everyone singing along to this tune, it’s bound to become a live show favorite.

Third and final track, the oddly named, “Ba55”… took me completely by surprise and blew my mind! The experimental sound on this track is so different for them. The music itself is so intricate and interesting but the lyrics are also my favorite on the EP, "I want a fire that could burn me clean. Light the sky with my black eyed dreams. And let my soul fly. I want a fire to burn down the door. Let the wounds of my embers soar. And let my soul fly."  I really hope more of this sound shows up on the album. It’s killer and I’m addicted!

Another really exciting aspect of this project is that it isn’t just an album but a movie as well! “Fading West” the movie documents the guys’ lives making music, touring, and surfing.

“Inspired by such films as Rattle and Hum and Endless Summer, Fading West follows Grammy-winning alternative-rock band Switchfoot as they travel the globe in search of new musical inspiration and perfect waves. Part rock documentary, part surf film, and part travelogue.” 

The guys will be premiering the movie on the fall tour, which is already underway! I was actually planning to attend the Atlanta date when I visited my sister next month but unfortunately, it’s sold out! Ugh!! (Oh what’s that sound you hear? Just me… over here sobbing. Okay, so maybe that was a little emo of me, sorry!) Seems like this tour is selling out quickly so be sure to get your tickets soon!

One of the many things I love about Switchfoot is that they never make the same record twice. Their sound is always evolving and always changing. This album I can already tell is going to be no exception. This EP definitely represents a new sound for these San Diego, CA natives. The more I hear the more excited I get for both the album and the movie. And I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us!

Click here to purchase the “Fading West” EP

(This post is for Day 16 of #Blogtember: Review a book, place, or product.)

Album Review of “Vice Verses” by Switchfoot

To say that I was just a bit ecstatic when I received my copy of “Vice Verses”,  Switchfoot’s 8th studio album, in the mail a few days before its release might be an understatement. I could not wait to dive into it! We fans have been hearing about this album since before 2009’s Grammy Award winning, “Hello Hurricane”. I had only heard three songs from “Vice Verses” before its release as I was one of those fans that would not let myself listen to the free stream. Though it was so tempting, I’m a sucker for the element of surprise. And I’m glad that I didn’t give in because nothing could beat sitting there listening to the whole album beginning to end in one listen; lyrics in hand. Let me tell you, I haven’t been this moved by a record in a long time.

On Tuesday, September 27th, the wait was finally over and “Vice Verses” hit the market! If “Hello Hurricane” was about walking through the storm then “Vice Verses” feels like a big picture perspective of all the highs and lows of the storm. Lead singer, Jon Foreman, talked a little bit about this theme recently in CCM Magazine, “Hurricane is singing into the storm and this is almost that apocalyptic view of what happens in the aftermath of it all. It’s delving deeper into the darkness and the light.” 

You can feel that tension on the rocking first track, “Afterlife”. It’s a great opener as it starts in traditional Switchfoot fashion with crunchy guitars kicking it into high gear. Jon sings passionately in the chorus about not waiting till we get to heaven to really come alive, “And I wonder why would I wait till I die to come alive? I'm ready now I'm not waiting for the afterlife”. To me, “The Original” is the type of fun rock tune, with great guitar riffs and some pounding drums, that you blast in the car with the windows down. “The War Inside” instantly blew my mind! Seriously, I do not think I’ve ever heard Switchfoot sound like this before! The music and Jon’s vocal on this track has an edgy, rhythmic, almost electronic feel to it. This song, with its killer guitar riffs, speaks of the internal war we wage, “Ain't no killer like pride. No killer like I. No killer like what's inside./I am the war inside. I am the battle line.” The worshipful tune, “Restless” has got to be one of the best songs Jon’s ever written. The lyrics of longing and searching for our Savior are poetic, and the melody takes your breath away as Jon’s voice soars. It’s easy to close your eyes and get lost in worship with this tune. “Until the sea of glass we meet. At last completed and complete. Where tide and tear and pain subside. Laughter drinks them dry. I'll be waiting. Anticipating. All that I aim for. What I was made for./ I am restless, looking for you.” A masterpiece.

The biggest surprise on this album is no doubt the hip-hop (yes, hip-hop) infused track, “Selling The News”. This is definitely a side of Switchfoot we’ve never seen before! The guys once again enlisted the help of hip-hop producer, Mike Elizondo, and no where on the record do you hear his influence more than on this tune! Jon’s spoken word style singing really fits this brutally honest and outspoken song, about the corruption of the media, “I want to believe you. I want to believe But everything here's in between. The fact is fiction. Suspicion is the new religion.” I would really love to hear more songs like this from the guys! "Dark Horses" is the anthemic, guitar driven first single from the record. In this tune the guys rock it out for the homeless kids in San Diego they support through their annual Bro-Am surf competition. The soft and vulnerable “Thrive” in my opinion, gives us one of the best lines on the record, “No I'm not alright. I know that I'm not right. Feel like I travel but I never arrive. I wanna thrive not just survive.”

When title track, “Vice Verses” starts I feel like the world just stops, this song leaves me breathless. It’s a soft, delicate, acoustic guitar driven song with lyrics that are honest, questioning, and beautiful. “Where is God in the earthquake? Where is God in the genocide? Where are You in my broken heart? Everything seems to fall apart. Everything feels rusted over. Tell me that You're there.” The echo in the background adds a really lovely touch to this song.

The guys close out the album with a song that feels like a period to a beautifully told story, “Where I Belong”. This track instantly feels epic with pounding percussion, group hand claps and vocals. To me the lyrics speak of living with heaven in mind, knowing that this world is not our home. But while we’re here there is still work left to be done so let’s live it out now.“Until I die I'll sing these songs On the shores of Babylon. Still looking for a home. In a world where I belong.” I feel like this song is where we really see the theme of polarities come to life, as the first track had them “not waiting for the afterlife”, and this last track has them longing for it. I loved how they tied in the lyrics from both songs with the line, “I still believe we can live forever. You and I we begin forever now. Forever now.” It made the album feel complete and full circle.

Once again Switchfoot takes us on a journey through a story of highs and lows of the human experience. They make us see details that maybe we’d be apt to look over or maybe even things we do not want see. Feelings and fears we’re afraid to face and things we just don’t understand. They show us that while there is darkness, our story doesn’t have to end there, that there is hope, and that redemption can come in like a blinding light. I’m always on the edge of my seat to listen to the story these 5 guys from San Diego are telling with their songs and their lives; and hopefully “Vice Verses” is just one more of the many chapters still to be sung.

Review of “Hello Hurricane” by Switchfoot

"I feel like with this record, the motto was, what are the songs you want to die singing?" That is what Switchfoot frontman, Jon Foreman said about the songs on their 7th studio album Hello Hurricane. My first thought about Hello Hurricane was that these truly are songs you would die singing. They're songs that are so meaningful and true that they are destined to walk through life with you. You can really tell that this is the guy's blood, sweat, and tears. Every song is a testament to how much they poured their heart and soul into this record. To me, Hello Hurricane begs to be listened to in order, from the first track, "Needle And Haystack Life", to the last track, "Red Eyes".

 

It's one of those rare albums where skipping any tracks would not give you the full experience. And in my opinion, it is an experience. Every single song has a very specific purpose and place. You can tell that they were very intentional about the placement of the songs because it really is the most cohesive record they've ever made. When you listen to the whole cd in order you feel like you've been taken on a journey. That's the best way I can describe Hello Hurricane, as a journey.

When you hear the cd opener "Needle And Haystack Life" you get the sense that this journey is just beginning, as you hear Jon sing the energetic rock chorus -"In this needle and haystack life I've found miracle's there in your eyes. It's no accident we're here tonight. We are once in a lifetime". I can imagine this song as the perfect way to open a live show. I loved the line "It's no accident we're here tonight", seeing as how that's how I always feel at their shows. Next track and lead single, "Mess Of Me" is a gritty rock song where Foreman and company loudly declare - "I've made a mess of me. I wanna spend the rest of my life alive." I love the bridge when you hear Jon wailing over the guitar "There ain't no drug, no drug to make me well". It really drives home the point that there is nothing this world can sell us that can cure our pain. "Free" is an emotional cry for freedom that's only found in Christ - "Free, come set me free. Down on my knees, I still believe you can save me from me. Come set me free. Inside this shell there's a prison cell".

 

"The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues)" opens with crunchy guitars and an almost eerie sounding build to a pounding rock chorus. Title track "Hello Hurricane" has sort of an indie/rock feel to me. It's a song about hope in the face of pain - "Hello Hurricane you can't silence my love." "Bullet Soul" is a rock anthem for the "dreamers" - "You can't stand by forever. You're a kid with a bullet soul. Are you ready to go?" I love how Jon screams that line at the end. But I have to say out of all the songs on this cd the two that most have my heart are "Always" and "Sing It Out". "Always" is a beautiful piano based ballad that probably has the simplest yet most profound chorus, as Jon repeats the line - "I am always yours". The song builds to a powerful bridge - "Hallelujah! I'm caving in. Hallelujah! I'm in love again. Hallelujah! I'm a wretched man. Hallelujah! Every breath is a second chance." The worshipful ballad "Sing It Out" gave me goose bumps and just about made me cry upon first listen. The song starts off with an eerie sound as the verse speaks of losing the song of your soul. It then moves into Jon's beautiful vocal loudly and powerfully singing a prayer of sorts - "Sing it out. Sing it out. Take what is left of me, make it a melody. Sing it out. Sing out loud. I can't find the words to sing you'd be my remedy. My song. I'll sing with what's left of me." It just totally broke me. That song is my life's prayer.

 

The cd closes with "Red Eyes" which asks the question - "With red eyes what are you looking for?". I love how at the very end of this song you hear it going back to lines from the first track "Needle And Haystack life" - "I've found miracle's there in your eyes. It's no accident we're here tonight. We are once in a lifetime". It really ties the whole record together and makes for an unforgettable ending.

It's really hard to put into words just how much these songs mean to me. I really feel like this album redefines who Switchfoot is as a band. It feels like a whole new level and a whole new season for them. In my opinion Hello Hurricane is their best effort to date. It is in every sense of the word what my sister would call "a life cd", in that these songs were made to stay with you throughout your life.

 

Pick “Hello Hurricane” up here