Beautiful? Yes. Letdown? Absolutely Not.
Written: Nov 29 '06 (Updated Dec 15 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great Sound, Meaningful Lyrics
Cons: Somewhat Disjointed Theme, Only 11 Tracks
The Bottom Line: Great for Switchfoot Fans, Great for Rock Fans, Great for Music Fans. If you're only going to own one Switchfoot album, make it this one!
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| zorrothepiking's Full Review: The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot |
Beautiful Letdown was released in 2003 as the biggest misnomer of the millenium. The much anticipated album was exactly what Switchfoot fans were wanting. It really took the positive elements of Learning to Breathe and other early work built on them. The wildly popular song Meant to Live solidified Switchfoot's standing as an artist beyond the Christian scene, being played extensively on secular rock stations and climbing the charts.
THE BACKGROUND -
The Beautiful Letdown is probably the second Switchfoot album to gain real wide-spread appeal. Their early works Legend of Chin and New Way to be Human were awesome, but didn't gain as much publicity as Learning to Breathe. The Beautiful Letdown built on this popularity, spilling over into the mainstream scene.
THE SOUND -
It is a little difficult to categorize the sound of this album. It draws a lot on the successful sounds of the band's previous albums. Some of the dark sound you find in Legend of Chin is gone, but the bring back some of the jazzy elements. They also do a great job of making every song dynamic. While some of their previous work can drag a bit, they really keep things moving in this album using different balances, different instruments, and other little tricks that really attest to their evolution as a band.
The album kicks off with the mega-hit Meant to Live. Coming in with a catchy electric guitar riff that sounds even better in stereo sound, the song builds instant energy. It's not rushed or overly busy, and the solid sound of it is mixed well with the energy and dynamics. This is an awesome opening song! This high-energy rock is a little reminiscent of New Way to be Human, and is found again in More than Fine which has it's own little jazzy interludes and bass lines and also in Gone, which was another of their big hits. Gone is one of my favorites on this album because it starts with something that sounds like an instrument exchange, coming together to make a cool and unique sound.
Some of the rock still has that dark sound. This is Your Life starts out with a very dark synth sound and the song doesn't lighten up until the chorus. Although this song is pretty slow and feels like it drags a bit, there are enough dynamics that it turns out well. Ammunition starts out with a little drum solo and builds the instruments in one at a time. It keeps a darker sound pretty much throughout the song, but the pace is a lot faster than This is Your Life. Also, the vocals carry a lot of energy, which serves to offset the almost muddy sound of the electric.
Dare You to Move shows up again on this album. Although it's been redone, I dare say it would take a lot of experience with the band to tell an immediate difference. I'm not even sure I'd call it a remix, because the balance and various elements seem to be almost the same.
Redemption and Adding to the Noise are not very distinctive. Redemption is a lot of fun to listen to with an upbeat tempo and sound, but I come away from it feeling like I've heard that song too many times before. Still, though not terrible unique, it is still a good song and very indicative of the Switchfoot song. Maybe that's what I mean to say! It's not so much that it's boring or old, but that it just represents everything I know about Switchfoot so it doesn't really surprise me.
No Switchfoot album would be complete without a collection of slow songs. The title track Beautiful Letdown is like a slow, rolling rock. I find myself wanting to bob my head with it, as it has a really catchy melody and a really dynamic sound, particularly for a slower one. Many of the instruments keep a happy and upbeat sound despite the slow pace, and it gives the song a smooth and interesting. On Fire is definitely a ballad, mostly lead by a piano. The focus is definitely on the lyrics here, as the music is repetitive and really serves mostly as a background. Twenty-Four is one of my favorite songs on the album. It has a beautiful acoustic sound, led by guitar. The beauty of this song really comes from its simplicity. Again, the lyrics are really the focus of this song, but the vocals shine through more than in On Fire. Awesome way to close out and album!!
THE MESSAGE -
In previous albums, it was easy to find several themes throughout the album that pointed back to the central theme. This album, though, seems to be different. It's pretty hard to figure out where they were trying to go with this. As best as I can determine, the focus of the album is about being real. It's about inspecting your life and your decision and coming to accept them, and then taking steps to make yourself a better person. This theme is found in almost every song, so I'll share some excerpts. Really, the only songs that offer different messages are The Beautiful Letdown (ironic, since it's the title track) and Adding to the Noise, which is thrown in as a request for the listener to stop listening to Switchfoot if there music isn't making an impact.
The album opens with these words from Meant to Live:
Fumbling his confidence
And wond'ring why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly
This is Your Life challenges us to really consider whether or not we've become the type of person we wanted. It's about taking an honest look at who you are. The theme of fear of failure and acceptance of oneself seen in the first song is found again in Ammunition
Look what a mess we've made of love
Look what a mess we've made
We've got ourselves to blame
And again in Twenty-Four
Life is not what I thought it was
Twenty-four hours ago
Still I'm singing 'Spirit,
take me up in arms with You'
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There's twenty-four reasons
To admit that I'm wrong
With all my excuses
Still twenty-four strong
The reason this acceptance is necessary and the answer to the question is found in other songs. The grace of God and the need of man is shown multiple times. More than Fine talks about his desire to go beyond "fine" into something meaningful and powerful. The song Redemption says that "I've got my hands at redemption's side Whose scars are bigger than these doubts of mine". Gone is a very fun song reminding us that we don't have forever and that we have to act now.
Gone, like frank sinatra
Like elvis and his mom
Like al pichino's cash nothing lasts in this life
My highschool dreams are gone
My childhood sweets are gone
Life is a day that doesn't last for long
The Title Track Beautiful Letdown is about how we make mistakes, but that this isn't where we belong anyway. It's about forgiving yourself and keeping your focus on doing right.
THE CONCLUSION -
If you've heard any switchfoot, there's a great chance of you've heard parts of this album. It really is an outstanding album, full of uplifting lyrics and showing a great deal of musical versatility. Every song is well done, and I recommend this to anyone that enjoys the Switchfoot sound or is interested in hearing more.
Switchfoot Discography
Legend of Chin - 1997 - ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
New Way to be Human - 1999 - ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Learning to Breathe - 2000 - ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Early Years - 1997-2000 - ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Beautiful Letdown - 2003 - ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Nothing is Sound - 2005 - ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
zorrothepiking
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Member: Josh
Location: Huntsville, AL, USA
Reviews written: 59
Trusted by: 12 members
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