By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
There's no denying that Switchfoot has had quite the impressive history. Their first album gave them a pretty quick small cult following, and it stayed that way until their huge release "The Beautiful Letdown", with songs like "Dare You to Move", "Meant to Live", and "This is Your Life" putting them into huge popularity in Christian, and eventually secular circles. Ever since then, they've continued to release some very impactful albums and songs. My personal favorite to this day is still "Nothing is Sound", their darkest record to date which has some incredible cuts like "Stars", "Lonely Nation", "Politicians", and "The Blues". Now Switchfoot is back with their tenth album (a huge landmark you don't see too often these days) "Where The Light Shines Through". This album is coming off of "Fading West", which probably got the most mixed reception I've seen out of any Switchfoot release. Many did not like the pop styling of the album, and even felt the ballads were devoid of true passion. I personally thought the record was fun for what it was, a movie soundtrack that shouldn't be looked at as anything more. But I will agree it was one of their weaker releases. Now this new album on the other hand... let me just say upon first listen and multiple others I was absolutely blown away.
The most significant thing to say about this album is that it couldn't have come out at a better time. The thematic arc of "Where The Light Shines Through" revolves around finding hope in the midst of darkness, as well as in God. And while it might be hard to see, beauty can be found in tragic events, as God is working through them. With the Orlando shooting, the death of more innocent black lives, and the Dallas riots, I really think an album like this is needed, one that beautifully suggests love and hope are the ultimate answers. The excellent album opener "Holy Water" wastes no time in showing Switchfoot's newest releases as one of their most energetic. It's a great slow-burning rocker with John Foreman's unmistakable vocals giving their all. The lyrics are great, expressing desire for God's holy water to be flowing through our veins: "But now I’m praying for rain/I want to make that change/I got your blood in my veins/Like holy water". But while this song is great, the one that truly stands out as my favorite is without a doubt the title track. Right from when I heard the song, it hit me hard as someone who firmly believes good can arise from tragedy. And the lyrics in this song are some of the best Foreman has ever written: "Because your scars/Shine like dark stars/Yeah, your wounds are where the light shines through/So let’s go there/To that place where/We sing these broken prayers/Where the light shines through" . I think most anyone could get behind those lyrics showing light can be present in our wounds. The song's pop rock sensibilities perfectly highlight the hopefulness the song expresses.
"I Won't Let You Go" is the first ballad on the album, and I personally think it's one of Switchfoot's best ballads they've made. Foreman uses his falsetto here, which I've not heard him do to such a large extent. The song seems to be from the perspective of God, asking his subjects to look to him and trust in him in hard times because "I swear, that I won't let you go". What really makes this song great is the usage of screams along with Foreman using his vocals in a very unique way. "If the House Burns Down" stands out as the best rock song on the album, rejecting materialism in exchange for a relationship with another person ("You possess your possessions or they possess you/And if the house burns down tonight/I got everything I need when I got you by my side"). Foreman's vocals also are completely unbridled here, with his voice sometimes nearing on screaming the lyrics out. The song is the perfect combination of fun and thoughtful, becoming yet another major highlight on this album full of highlights. "The Day That I Found God" feels a little simplistic compared to the previous songs, but it still works for the subject matter, which is finding God in unexpected places. I actually appreciated the simplicity, as it reminded me of something you would hear on one of Switchfoot's earlier releases.
The next song, "Shake This Feeling" has a straight up fun feel to it, with the lyrics asking for a chance start over: "And it’s hard to fly when your wings are tied/And I’m wishing that we could start all over again/Yeah, start it over again". The chorus of this song is super catchy, and I could definitely get behind the message it was giving. "Bull in a China Shop" is a great rock number, simply giving a message about shaking the status quo up a little bit. This one doesn't have a very complicated message to it, but I can definitely imagine this one working very well in a live setting. The guitar work in this song should be commended as well, as the guitar really shines here. "Looking For America" is probably the most controversial song on the album both musically and lyrically. For me, I actually really liked that Switchfoot took a risk sound wise by trying out rap/rock, and I think it worked. Lecrae's rapping in this was amazing as usual, using his clever wordplay to ask America what kind of nation they want to be. And the lyrics "I’m singing/Farewell my utopia/Farewell my euphoria/Fare thee well my suburban day-dream" are actually pretty inspiring in telling America to leave behind this idealized idea of America and instead tackle the real dark issues going on. Many probably won't like the more political message going here. And usually, I'm not the type that likes politics being addressed in music. But Switchfoot and Lecrae do it in such a way on this song that I think it works, and even becomes a highlight. "Healer of Souls" gives a recovery from the darker lyricism of the previous song by offering a straight up gospel-rock song that I imagine could be sung in a youth group, and "Hope is the Anthem", while not Switchfoot's best closer, still ends the album on an uplifting note, reminding us that hope will be the ultimate ideal that pervades.
The only weak points on this album were surprisingly the singles, which are usually the stronger Switchfoot songs. But honestly, "Float" felt very odd to me and didn't at all have any distinction as a Switchfoot release. The chorus felt pretty weak, using similes and metaphors that felt a little bit silly. I know this song was supposed to have an odd atmospheric quality to it, but this more felt like something Coldplay would do rather than Switchfoot. While I didn't hate "Live It Well", I couldn't shake the feeling that it was so obviously pandered towards Christian radio. Usually, Switchfoot doesn't make it so obvious which of their singles are radio-friendly, but "Live It Well" really does scream it, with its somewhat cliched lyrical content and easy sounding ballad quality.
"Where the Light Shines Through" shows that even after ten releases, Switchfoot still has a lot of great music in them. It's definitely their strongest release since "Nothing is Sound". I can't recommend the title track enough, as I feel it offers a great amount of hope to people of all beliefs in this year which has been filled with tragedy. It also just happens to be one of the best songs of the year. This album will definitely be in my top 10 albums of the year, and is one of the best summer releases so far!
Favorite Songs: "Where the Light Shines Through", "If the House Burns Down Tonight", "I Won't Let You Go", "Holy Water", "Looking for America"
Least Favorite Songs: "Float", "Live It Well"
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