“Hello Hurricane acknowledges the storms that tear through our lives,” states Switchfoot singer and songwriter Jon Foreman. “This album is an attempt to respond to those storms with an element of hope, trying to understand what it means to be hopeful in a world that keeps on spinning.”
With Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot is set to thrive in 2009 with a newfound independence: a new home studio HQ, a new label, and a return-to-roots creativity and sense of purpose. After ten non-stop years of working as the world’s most humble multi-million selling rock band, the hard-charging North County San Diego-based quintet saw recording sessions for their aptly-titled seventh full-length album as a unique chance to reassess, reflect, and rededicate.
“We built our own studio so we wouldn’t be paying and playing by the hour,” says Foreman of their self-styled Studio of the Foot home. Beginning in 2007, the band tracked more than 80 songs and allowed themselves to get lost in the music again and get back to basics. “That’s why we see this album as a new beginning of sorts,” continues Foreman, citing the inspiration that likewise moved bandmate/brother Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keyboards), and Drew Shirley (guitar). “For us it was a feeling of true freedom.”
The album’s driving and urgent “Mess of Me” – with its personal declaration of independence, as Foreman passionately announces to the world that “I wanna spend the rest of my life alive!” – powerfully demonstrates the edge behind the new tones. Not content to settle into a single groove, the band moves from the high flying album opener, “Needle and Haystack Life,” to songs like the stirring “Always Yours” and the sweetly soaring “Your Love is a Song,” which – by its very nature – cries out for many waving hands illuminated by a blue cell phone glow.
The anthemic, riff fueled “This is the Sound,” with its utterly timely generational themes, finds Foreman spitting, “This is the sound from the discontented mouths of a haunted nation!” The “Hello Hurricane” title track is even more poignant when it comes to the band’s perspective on themselves and the world around them. “I’m not talking about ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane,’” says Foreman with a wink before turning reflective. “There is a real despair that I see when we travel around the country… and its music that people turn to in a time like this. I wanted to reach out to those people with song.”
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Switchfoot [Hello Hurricane]| Posted October 27, 2009 Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot’s first studio album since 2006’s Oh! Gravity, which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200, acknowledges life’s storms while managing to find an element of hope in them. The band tracked more than 80 songs at its self-built home studio before narrowing it down to the 12 that appear on the new album. Hello Hurricane is the group’s seventh full-length album and its first on Atlantic Records. Switchfoot is comprised of Jon Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar).
The album grabbed my attention right from the opening notes of “Needle and Haystack Life”, which will thrill long-time Switchfoot fans, and probably win them new fans with the U2-esque epic feel and extremely catchy music and lyrics. This is one of those albums that is meant to be experienced in the order it is arranged as lead single “Mess of Me” switches gears musically and brings a new grunge-type sound with the passionate lyrics “I wanna spend the rest of my life alive!”. My favorite new Switchfoot song is next, “Your Love Is A Song” in the style of “On Fire” from The Beautiful Letdown. I’ve enjoyed this band since New Way To Be Human released in 1999 and Hello Hurricane truly brings a great mixture sonically and stylistically that fans of rock anthems, alt-rock and grunge-rock will enjoy. “The Sound” will also have you shouting along with Jon, whose vocals have never sounded better and musically this song reminded me of “Stars” and “We Are One Tonight” from Nothing Is Sound, my previous favorite Switchfoot album. There is little that reminds me of Oh! Gravity, other than maybe the up tempo but more refined sounding rock songs that perfect the sound introduced with the title track and “Awakening”.
Some other highlights for me come towards the end of the album, which cools down with “Always”, a truly inspirational song in the style of “Twenty-Four” with this great bridge: “Hallelujah!, I'm caving in, Hallelujah! I'm in love again, Hallelujah!, I'm a wretched man, Hallelujah!, every breath is a second chance”. “Always” transitions beautifully to “Bullet Soul”, another Switchfoot anthem which will have you moving with a great guitar riff and a call to action “are you ready to go?”. As if the album didn’t have enough hooks, my next favorite track comes next with the ballad “Yet” a gorgeous contemplative song with a sincere chorus: “I'll sing until my heart caves in, no, you haven't lost me yet”.
I find myself singing at the top of my lungs with each song and “Your Love Is A Song” is one of my top 20 songs of the year. For me, Hello Hurricane is now the best overall album by Switchfoot and is one of my top 5 albums of 2009. The standout songs are “Needle and Haystack Life”, “Mess of Me”, “Your Love Is A Song”, “The Sound”, “Always”, “Bullet Soul” and “Yet”.
Hello Hurricane, I'd Like You To Meet The Sound| Posted November 18, 2009
I'll admit it. After such a long drought of a solid album (their whole career), and the recent draught of even a decent album (Since 'Beautiful Letdown'), I kind of gave up on Switchfoot. Add to that the fact that this album is three years in the making, and I thought it couldn't possibly be that good. Boy, was I wrong. It's not only the best in Christian rock in quite some time, but 'Hello Hurricane' is a rock-solid rock album.
Highlights Include:
Mess of Me
The Sound
Free
Hello Hurricane
Always
Bullet Soul
At first I was put off by Mess of Me's repeating of the line, "There ain't no drug," but the song grows on you, and it's surprisingly catchy, and it just plain rocks. 'The Sound' has made great prominence as the 'Blackberry Storm 2' commercials, and it certainly works in the stormy atmosphere the ad depicts. It's as much of a storm of anthemic rock as it is a sound. But for me, the highlight is 'Free,' a hook and chord driven piece that builds up to an excellent chorus, and the containment of some great lyrics. Jon Foreman punctuates this song, and the rest of the songs on the album with a more soulful, but ever rock-tinged vocals. 'Bullet Soul' just plain rocks. Note crazy about the lyrics, but make sure to turn it up loud.
Lyrically, while Jon Foreman may say that songs have an underlying political meaning to them, the album's theme is one of redemption, with the subject first acknowledges his trouble (Mess of Me), yearns to be free from his pain (Free), gives his life to God (Always), assures God "You haven't lost me yet"(Yet), then longs for his life to be made into a melody (Sing It Out). Granted, the story seemingly made by the album is incomplete, but the album is about staring into the hurricane of life, then coming out of it by the grace of God. Of course, could be totally wrong in this interpretation. In fact, the only true weak track of the album is 'Red Eyes' simply because nothing works. A big part is the lyrics. What do red eyes have to do with anything the song is talking about? I'm confused...
Overall, a truly solid effort from Switchfoot that adds up to their most quality effort yet. Sure it doesn't have the memorability of 'Beautiful Letdown' yet, but it's a great start, and hopefully in the series of albums the band plans to release in the next several years, they can continue the trend. They've certainly pushed the car into the hurricane, so let's see if they can drop it on some unsuspecting patch of true rock greatness.
Note: On the subject of the album art, while it may not be appropriate for an album with the word 'Hurricane' in its title, it's beautiful nevertheless.
BACK TO THE BEAUTIFUL LETDOWN BRILLIANCE| Posted November 09, 2009
Very rarely does a band obtain the perfect combination of major label distribution and complete creative independence, but Switchfoot's multi-million album sales and countless crossover hits certainly warrant such an arrangement. Following a several-album stint on Columbia, the band made the timely decision to reclaim ownership of their music, allowing Hello Hurricane to bow on the band's own lowercase people records in partnership with Atlantic.
No matter what the circumstances behind the switch, Switchfoot comes out of the gate swinging on its first CD in three years, recalling the now-classic The Beautiful Letdown in everything from the anthems to the songwriting and even the artwork font. "Needle and Haystack Life" is destined to return the California natives to the top of the charts, coming across like U2 during its Unforgettable Fire days. "Mess of Me" marks a militant follow-up that's amongst the group's grittiest to date, thanks to Led Zeppelin-tipped riffs. "This Is the Sound" lends an experimental vibe with frontman Jon Foreman's growling vocals and the band's rumbling arrangements. And for every super-charged rocker, there's a tasteful power ballad to match, like the inspiring "Always Yours" and the stadium-filling "Sing It Out."
All the while, the group takes an increasingly hopeful lyrical approach, inspired by the guys' work with Habitat For Humanity and perhaps even their artistic liberation, which, after the mildly darker nature of Oh! Gravity, is a welcome return to form. Along the way, Switchfoot maintains its spiritual mindset, but never comes across as preachy in a secular environment, making Hello Hurricane the ultimate benchmark for any like-minded act, and amongst this band's very best.—Andy Argyrakis
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CCMMagazine.com. Click here to visit CCMMagazine.com today!
Welcome This Hurricane| Posted November 17, 2009
Living on the Gulf Coast,I have had my share of hurricanes recently.Hurricans Rita and Ike are two that will never be forgotten in SE Texas.
The new CD from Switchfoot,"Hello Hurricane" is another story.I welcome this hurricane with open arms !! This is the best CD Switchfoot has EVER put out.Every song is great. My favorite song is "The Sound". Other great songs on this CD are "Mess of Me","Needle and Haystack Life" as well as two awesome ballad-type songs "Your Love is a song" and "enough to let me go".The lyrics to these songs are very catchy.I find myself humming and singing these songs in my head quite often.
Words cannot express howtruly awesome this CD is.
This is a must have for any music lover.
Stupendous!| Posted November 16, 2009
Incredible work from Switchfoot, who have told their fans that this work was very personal to the entire group. Instrumentals and lyrics are stupendous! Awesome work guys!
Hello Hurricane| Posted November 11, 2009
Wow, this Album is really amazing!!
I heard their latest album and this is one of the most incredible.
send my congratulations on this record and I hope that God continue to give inspiration for writing lyrics and music like this.
God Blessing our lifes!!
switchfoot is back| Posted November 11, 2009
I was slightly diaapointed with the style that switchfoot took on with Qh! Gravity, but think they have returned to thier older sound in Hello Hurricane. Songs like "The Sound" give the album a loud sound, but than there are also great slower songs like "Always", and "Your Love is a Song". Great Album!
Great New Album from Switchfooot!| Posted November 10, 2009
I pre-ordered it so i got it early, and immediately "Free" was one of my favorite songs. I had already heard "Mess of Me" from their earlier released video and liked that song. Not one song have I not liked. The harmony and vocals are great and musically one of my favorite Switchfoot albums already.
Sounds good| Posted November 10, 2009
Pretty good, classic switchfoot style... kinda poppy kinda rocky. I think they did a good job with it. Hello Huricane (the song) is especially nice, has a good rythm and proper conbination of folk and rock.
Wow| Posted November 10, 2009
Their new stuff sounds fresh and original. I'm impressed with they're new cd because it's not a carbon copy of what is already being produced in the music world. great job!
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