Album Review: Oh! Gravity by Switchfoot

In 2003, San Diego rock band Switchfoot burst onto the music scene with their breakout hit "Meant to Live". This was followed by another top 10 single, "Dare You to Move". Both songs were from Switchfoot's major label debut, The Beautiful Letdown, which went on to sell over 2.5 million records.

This first album earned Switchfoot a lot of recognition, but when the band released their follow up Nothing Is Sound in 2005, it failed to garner the same attention. It sold far less than a million copies, which had to be a disappointment for the band and their label Columbia, after the amazing success of The Beautiful Letdown. Switchfoot had come back to earth.

And perhaps that was part of the inspiration for their new album, Oh! Gravity. The title track asks that mysterious force known as gravity, "why can't we seem to keep it together?" With bouncing chords and a frenetic melody, this song gets the record off to a strong, catchy start.

"American Dream" follows, a pure anthemic rock song that denounces American materialism. "That ain't my American Dream", sings frontman Jon Foreman. Though the chorus is strong, the lyrics seem a bit trite at times.

Next up, Switchfoot switches it up for long time fans with a song that sounds nothing like anything they've previously done. "Dirty Second Hands" sounds like a mix of gritty southern rock, Tool-like methodic riffs, and middle eastern melodies. It's slow, grinding, and one of those songs that listeners will either love or hate.

Every Switchfoot album has a definite radio-friendly single on it, and "Awakening" is just that for Oh! Gravity. From the opening, echoing notes to the climactic chorus and drum fills, Switchfoot produces a song that goes down easy.

Other highlights of the album include the semi-psychedelic rocker "Circles", the haunting dream-telling of "Faust, Midas, and Myself", the rollicking love song "Head Over Heels (In this Life)", and the jaunty, feel-good vibe of "4:12". There are no "Meant to Lives" or "Dare You to Moves" on this album, but there are plenty of enjoyable songs with that unique Switchfoot feel to them.

Overall, I'd give Oh! Gravity 4 out of 5 stars. It's probably their most creative effort yet, though perhaps lacking a bit compared to other records lyrically. They probably won't score any huge radio hits out of this album, but most fans of Switchfoot's previous work will not be disappointed.