(by Arpit Mehta of AM Music Blog)
Since the moment I heard of it being in the works, I have been adrenalized with anticipation, looking forward to its release. And it's finally here. Jon Foreman, frontman for Switchfoot, has put out the first of his 4-EP solo venture. Conveniently titled Fall, it does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the season.
The EP features 6 tracks that take you on a ride, one that you want to get back on the moment it's over. The one word that came to mind as I was listening to this album was 'melancholy'. The word itself has a negative connotation in most cases, but when using it in reference to this album, there is a poetic beauty to it that Jon Foreman has laced each track with. Listening to the album is likely to help you conclude that melancholy is the new black!
From the reverbed guitar that echoes through 'The Cure For Pain' to the haunting keys that line 'My Love Goes Free', this album is filled with little nuggets of brilliance from the mind of Mr. Foreman. While the music sets up a beautiful environ for the listener, the lyrics are drenched in sweet honesty. What I love about them is that though they echo the brokenness that fall brings to one's heart, they provide an answer (of sorts) to this human condition: hope.
Perhaps it's that as time winds down in this year and the next peeks its head over the horizon, or simply a result of absolute immersion into the album, but every note of this album sings to me to just hold on a little longer; that the answers I seek are just around the corner. Despite the brokenness and emptiness that each and every one of us feels at some point, holding on to hope will bring us through. And though melancholy pumps through my veins, hope is what will balance it out at the end of the day. It is all that we have left when stripped bare to our core.
I could go on, but I won't. Experience the album for yourself as this year winds down, and as you start making your resolutions for this next year. Sit by the fireplace or peer through the fogged-up window, and let hope be your guide to the next year.
Visit Jon's MySpace to listen to 4 of the 6 tracks. Click here to buy the single "The Cure For Pain" on iTunes.
Official Site (includes handwritten lyrics) | Buy Fall at our online storeLabels: album reviews., mp3 of the week |
thankyou,thankyou,thankyou!