Album Review: Switchfoot's 'Vice Verses'
After 15 years together and seven highly successful albums released, one might think that this is the point when veteran rock band switchfoot would reach a creative standstill. Multi-platinum records, numerous industry awards, and sell-out concerts are just a few of their laurels upon which they could rest. However, switchfoot shows no sign of slowing down, instead doing quite the opposite, by charging full-speed ahead into new musical territory with their eighth album, Vice Verses.
With scorching, mile-a-minute guitars, and bouncy rhythms that are hard to resist dancing to, Vice Verses is the band's most energetic album to date. The first two tracks, "Afterlife” and The Original,” are rousing introductions to the album, serving up heavy doses of hard-rocking guitar and drums. The Lenny Kravitz-esque “The War Inside" features a sonic, hip-hop beat over which Jon Foreman laments about being his own worst enemy. The band even experiments with spoken word on "Selling the News." The first single "Dark Horses,” an electrifying anthem, is a surefire hit.
The mellow moments on this album, which is set for release in September, are few, but when the band does slow down, it results in gems, such as "Souvenirs," a reminiscent love song, and the title track "Vice Verses," an acoustic ballad about life's seemingly simultaneous blessings and curses.
