With the recent announcement that the Switchfoot hiatus is over and album number eleven is either done or in process, I got to thinking how I would rank their ten albums. As a fan of the band from the beginning, this proved to be no easy task. With much deliberation and angst, this is what I came up with. Bear in mind that this is just one fan of the band’s opinion and not the opinion of the entire staff. Also, with that being said, I’m good with you disagreeing with me, just keep in mind that music is largely subjective, so be nice! Lastly, I’d love to see how you would rank them, so please leave your list in the comments below. Here goes…
- The Beautiful Letdown (2003)
Probably surprising no one, this is my favorite overall Switchfoot album, and it’s not close. With “Adding to the Noise” the only track that I skip occasionally, this is a near perfect album in my opinion. “Dare You To Move” wins for favorite overall song with “24” and “Meant To Live” following close behind. “Gone” is pure fun, “Redemption” has some of my favorite lyrics, and “Ammunition” rocks. TBL is a true standout of the genre!
- New Way To Be Human (1999)
New Way To Be Human has been in my car cd binder for many years, so I’ve probably heard this one the most. It’s definitely one of their more mellow albums, but the lyrics of “Let That Be Enough,” “Only Hope,” and “Under The Floor” are top notch. Combine that with the fun of “Company Car,” the driving “Sooner Or Later,” and the grungy “New Way To Be Human,” and you have a terrific album on your hands.
- Hello Hurricane (2009)
Hello Hurricane was one of those albums that came along at just the right time when I needed it. The first four tracks rival the best opening quartet of the bands albums with the U2-esque of “Needle Haystack Life” and the guitar laden “Mess of Me,” offset by the beautiful ballad, “Your Love Is A Song.” Other highlights for me are the driving “Free,” the triumphant title track, and the soulful longing of “Red Eyes.”
- Where The Light Shines Through (2016)
At first, I was disappointed with Where The Light Shines Through, but with time it really grew on me. The tracks I revisit most often are the buoyant “Float,” the frenetic “If The House Burns Down Tonight,” the fun “Bull In a China Shop,” and the earnest closer “Hope Is The Anthem.” If this had been their swan song, it would have been a fine close to the bands career…luckily, there’s more to come…
- Oh! Gravity (2006)
Panned by critics, I feel like Oh! Gravity is a tremendously polarizing album. Those who like it really like it, and those who hate it, really hate it. I loved it for being different, though I do admit it and Fading West are the ugly ducklings of their catalogue. I love the indie feel to many of the tracks and still enjoy the title track, “Dirty Second Hands,” “Circles,” “Faust, Midas, and Myself,” and “Head Over Heels (In This Life).”
- Vice Verses (2011)
For whatever reason, I don’t come back to Vice Verses much, which seems ridiculous considering the stellar songs in the tracklist. Barn burners like “Afterlife,” “The War Inside,” “Dark Horses,” and “Rise Above It” give this one some good pep. Paired with the experimental “Selling The News” and the trio of superb ballads, “Restless, “Vice Verses,” and “Where I Belong,” many of the songs from this album would make my top twenty for the band overall. It’s a mystery to me why it ended up 6th in my ranking, and yet here we are.
- The Legend of Chin (1997)
High nostalgia factor with this one…I love the raw, somewhat sloppiness of this one, a true garage band album if there ever was one. I still remember hearing the first strains of “Chem 6A” on a sampler and being hooked. I raced to my local Christian Bookstore and listened to the rest cementing my “need” to own this one. Only problem was I only had money for one album that day, so I did what any great big brother would do and convinced his little brother that he liked it enough to buy it. Guess who ended up with it? Yeah, and I don’t even remember the album that I purchased that day. (Not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of this story, haha.)
- Nothing is Sound (2005)
There’s a few good tunes on Nothing Is Sound, but overall it felt like a bit of a rush from the label to get more marketable songs out there quickly after the success of The Beautiful Letdown. “Lonely Nation,” “Stars,” “Daisy,” and “The Shadow Proves The Sunshine” are the ones I still listen to. I rarely set out to listen to the whole album in one sitting. That being said, it’s not a bad album, it just had the tough task of following up their best so it was bound to disappoint with my expectations so high.
- Learning to Breathe (2000)
Learning to Breathe is a good album, definitely a more mature follow up to their debut. This is the album that we first hear a version of “Dare You To Move” that they would slightly retool and re-release on The Beautiful Letdown, which I’m’ glad they did as it was mystifyingly missed this go around. “Learning To Breathe” is my favorite song on the album and would likely make my top twenty songs list from the band. Others from the record I enjoy are “Innocence Again,” “Paparazzi,” “Love Is The Movement,” and “Living Is Simple.”
- Fading West (2014)
Ranked last because something had to be, Fading West to my understanding was never intended to be a full album but simply a soundtrack to the bands surf/rock documentary of the same name. I’m glad they made it into an official album even if it is my least favorite because it brought us a more pop Switchfoot which was nice for a little change of pace from the band. Favorite songs are “Love Alone Is Worth The Fight,” and the trio of “Slipping Away,” “Ba55,” and “Let It Out.”
Well there you have it…Where did I get it right? Where did I miss it? How would you rank them? I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments below!