BACK TO SWITCHFOOT

Switchfoot

The Beautiful Letdown

Coumbia/ RED Ink Records

www.switchfoot.com

San Diego rock quartet, Switchfoot, is not a 'letdown' with the group's debut release on Columbia's RED Ink label with The Beautiful Letdown. Actually their fourth cd, Letdown maintains the signature songwriting style with a slightly more polished production than the three independent releases before it.

A better first impression, and first track, could not be found on a debut album. Guitar and drum-driven "Meant to Live" is twice as impressive with the depth of content and the overall musicality of the track. Few true philosophers exist in today's music-Jon Foreman is a beautiful exception. Issues from the meaning of to the confusion of modern technology's "noise" are tackled with the resonance of a poet and the rhythm of a rock star. Switchfoot is unique in all things, although fans of Third Eye Blind may find some of the hooks and riffs of "Adding to the Noise" and "More Than Fine" similar.

Look for Switchfoot on MTV2 and Much Music USA. The freshness of this release will carry these four surfers to the well-deserved next level.

Key song: Meant to Live

Reviewed by: Heather Wiederstein, 1340mag.com