Switchfoot

Item: New Way To Be Human
Author: James Stewart

New Way To Be Human

(1999)

Reviewed by James Stewart

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Label re:think RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

alternative rock modern rock pop rock

Many bands provide commentaries on the cultures in which they live. Many other bands suggest answers to problems they see within that culture. But very few manage to combine cultural commentary and suggested answers within such a cohesive theological framework and with the pop sensibilities that Switchfoot's second album offers the listener.

Despite their tender years, Switchfoot has been reading widely and as well as the now fairly standard influences such as C.S. Lewis and Francis Schaeffer they cite such writers as old testament scholar Walter Brueggemann and 19th century Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard among their influences. The first and title track here immediately introduces the strong redemptive theme in Switchfoot's belief system, as it talks both of the endless pressure of a consumerist society with the assurance that Christ's sacrifice will eventually bring us back to the fulness of humanity. The track also has a strong pop-hook and plenty of little sound effects to keep the listener interested.

Charlie Peacock must have had fun producing this. While not all the tracks are as consistently strong as the standouts, Peacock and the band have managed to give the songs room to breathe but also bring in all manner of quirky asides in the mix. Where the sound becomes most dense it is in some ways reminiscent of All Star United, but in general there is a slightly quirkier side in the tones and a looser feel than that band's latest release.

Track four, "Company Car," is the closest the album comes to Switchfoot's debut, The Legend of Chin, but is a little more complete than any but the best tracks on that album. The lyrics are about people compromising their youthful ideals for corporate reward:

I'm the king of things I've always despised
I'm the gingerbread man
Who got eaten alive
I'm half-baked! I'm fake!
But see I got hotels on
Park Place and Boardwalk
And two hundred bucks
I pass go but, oh! Life's taken its toll
Have I won Monopoly to forfeit my soul?

"Augustine's Confession" again shows the band's penchant for reading--in this case it's a look back at the life of St. Augustine, couched in a pop-rock vibe that is once again infectiously quirky. The introduction comprises a flute playing a melody over vinyl-style crackle, and the driving guitar which comes in is accompanied by what sounds like a persistent triangle.

A couple of tracks lack the sparkle which marks out the standouts, but this album is a big step up from Switchfoot's intriguing but ultimately lack-lustre debut and suggests that Charlie Peacock really does know a promising young act when he sees one. Switchfoot is one to watch.

4 tocks