Kerosene & electric sparks. | switchFEED.com: Another dose of reviews, and the reason why.

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Friday, December 29, 2006

Another dose of reviews, and the reason why.

Gellie said on the tagboard that she's gonna quit reading reviews, because what others think doesn't change what she feels about the record (which, I hope, goes without saying for everyone.) I understand where she's coming from, so, I thought I'd post a disclaimer: The only reason I somewhat care about reviews is because, as a supporter of the band, I find myself curious to know what the world thinks (not that it needs to affect what I think). And, I guess, knowing the general critical consensus gives me a better idea of what song most people like, or what song a certain type of music fan/reviewer likes (useful when trying to introduce someone to the band). Besides, I guess I'm just attracted to the idea of attaching words to things I like (conversely, to see what words others attach to it). Maybe I don't get tired of wordplay, because words always fall short of doing justice to something I love. Paradox? Anyway, here's the round-up of reviews from the past couple days:

Sheila Stone believes that if she has nothing good to say, she won't say anything at all. Its not usual to see a reviewer concede "I don't know if this is my style, but you may love it, so check it out."

Washington Post's short review mistakes Switchfoot's characteristic diversity for an identity crisis they're currently undergoing (obviously this person hasn't listened to previous Switchfoot records):

The still-spiritual foursome steps away from its Christian roots with this catchy, genre-bending album of alternative rock.

On "American Dream" they sing: "Like a puppet on a monetary string/ Maybe we've been caught singing/ Red, white, blue, and green/ But that ain't my America/ That ain't my American dream."

Switchfoot fares best when not taking itself too seriously, as on the super-catchy title track and other pop-punk tunes.

But the band seems to be undergoing something of an identity crisis, and the result is a hodgepodge of guitar-driven stadium rock peppered with poppier, MTV-friendly songs.

The much-respected IGN.com loves "Oh! Gravity." but has just one complaint. An 8.2/10 from IGN doesn't come easy.

[The above 3 reviews courtesy Vicky.]

KING5.com likes jittery jangling, Oh! Gravity., dreamy insomnia, and other fancy words. I liked that.

I love "Amateur Lovers", but other than that this was a good review.
EDIT: Anthony writes in about something regarding the above review that slipped my radar:

Phil, that CB music review, in the third paragraph, he claims Switchfoot dropped the 'J-word' once they turned mainstream, to have mainstream appeal. But Switchfoot have never used the 'J-word' in any song.

Thanks Natalie for pointing me to another review that got it right. This one doesn't mistake diversity for identity crisis. Its good to know I'm not the only one who thinks "Yesterdays" is a hit-in-waiting.

Labels: album reviews.

posted by phil @ 2:30 AM

3 Comments:

At December 29, 2006 8:58:00 AM PST, Rose said…

Please tell me that Sheila did not compare Switchfoot to Fuel. I think I'm going to slit my wrists, now.
At December 29, 2006 9:25:00 AM PST, Phil said…

yeah.. and the next thing they'll do is compare them to Hinder, after which i'll have to close down this blog. jk..
At December 29, 2006 11:05:00 AM PST, heather said…

"Besides, I guess I'm just attracted to the idea of attaching words to things I like (conversely, to see what words others attach to it). Maybe I don't get tired of wordplay, because words always fall short of doing justice to something I love."

Whoa, that is so creepy, phil. I was just thinking about the whole concept of reviews this morning, and I decided that the reason I don't care for reading them is exactly for the reasons you just mentioned. It's just stressful to me to keep track and to be concerned with what other people think about stuff like this, since when it's something I love the way I love SF, it's too personal to let other people color my devotion to it. I don't know why I let that affect me so much. ...Not that anyone needed that lengthy explanation!