Summary:The ninth studio release for the San Diego alternative rock band was inspired by surfing and was produced by the Foreman Brothers and Neal Avron.
Buy Now
Buy on
Record Label:Atlantic
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Post-Grunge, Contemporary Christian, Religious, CCM, Alternative CCM
Ultimately, much like riding a surfboard from wave to wave, Fading West moves from earnest ballads to dancey, groove-oriented cuts to breezy, sunshine-soaked rockers with an easy, athletic flow.
If the whole record were as explosive as these final two songs, it might have been Switchfoot’s best. As is, Fading West feels like a somewhat minor release from a band that has never lacked for dependability.
The bulk of these songs feature clichéd lyrics and arm-waving call and response construction.... That said, there is talent and maturity in the song craft, production and playing.
Jon Foreman's ability to write hook-laden melodies remains, and he's an often poetic and perspicacious lyricist, but the themes of redemption and hope on Fading West are too abstracted, frequently degenerating into cliché.
Being a fan of Switchfoot since Legend of Chin, I have been so happy to see these guys from the small stage scenes to a moreBeing a fan of Switchfoot since Legend of Chin, I have been so happy to see these guys from the small stage scenes to a more nationally-recognized alternative rock band. Jon Foreman is an excellent writer and the band as a whole gel so well together that the music, no matter which direction they take it, always remains identifiably Switchfoot. On Fading West, Switchfoot maintain their southern California-style pop/grunge, much in the vein of Hello Hurricane and Vice Verses. Also back is the band's cleverly crafted hooks, which show up on tracks like "Who We Are" and "Ba55". The later channels a bit of MuteMath and grooves out hard. Fading West will hopefully land this band back on some peoples' radar that may have forgotten them over time and generate new fans, because this is a very good album that will net you several playthroughs. I definitely recommend it.…Expand
This album is not as good as Switchfoot's previous two albums, but it's still really good. BA55 and When we Come Alive are really good, andThis album is not as good as Switchfoot's previous two albums, but it's still really good. BA55 and When we Come Alive are really good, and the album really has no glaring weak points. I do wish, however, that we can get back to the guitar riffs from songs like Afterlife, Dark Horses, and Mess of Me, but Switchfoot is still really good with a more pop sound.…Expand
As a pretty big Switchfoot fan, I did like this album, but it's not one of my favorites. The songwriting quality is generally really good asAs a pretty big Switchfoot fan, I did like this album, but it's not one of my favorites. The songwriting quality is generally really good as usual, but I think it's dragged down a bit by overproduction & a lack of subject matter they haven't already tackled numerous times on their past albums. Again it's a very good album for sure, but it just doesn't feel quite as fresh to me compared to Vice Verses. My favorite tracks are the ones where they do go outside their box a little, either lyrically or musically.
Top 5 tracks: Say It Like You Mean It, BA55, **** Heart, The World You Want, Back to the Beginning Again
Score: 75/100
For a much longer & more in-depth review, look up my YouTube channel "Spin It! Reviews".…Expand
Switchfoot has always managed to take sonic explorations over the course of their musical career while still sounding unmistakably likeSwitchfoot has always managed to take sonic explorations over the course of their musical career while still sounding unmistakably like Switchfoot. Fading West, with the help of producer Neal Avron, is a mature production, and a very natural extent of Switchfoot's age and experience. Choruses from songs like Let It Out and All Or Nothing At All are unique but radio ready, while tracks like Say It Like You Mean It and Ba55 are easily some of Switchfoot's finest punk-grunge moments. Thematically, the album deals with struggles and realizations the band went through during their world tour.
Fading West is a feel-good, pop/rock album with an decent amount of musical exploration. Moments like verse two in Slipping Away are reminiscent of Mylo Xyloto, while the bridge of The World You Want features some of Jon Foreman's most convicting and impressive lyricism.
Unfortunately, the album lacks something... while the production and lyrics fit perfectly into the genre, something is absent when compared to other Switchfoot works such as Nothing Is Sound or Hello Hurricane. If I had to take a shot at it, I would call it "cheesy-ness." The children choirs, the overuse of oceanic analogies, the lack of any note-worthy electric guitar, the one too many cliche lyrics, it adds up over the course of an album. The only songs which possibly avoid one or most of these are Say It Like You Mean It and Ba55.
That being said, the album is an enjoyable play from start to finish. Being a fan of Switchfoot pre-The Beautiful Letdown, I was very pleased when I heard this album on iTunes First Play. But after my fifth time around the album, I started feeling too familiar with it. I would still recommend this album as a fantastic pop/rock production to all listeners, but those who are quite familiar with Switchfoot's older successes will recognize a faint but noticeable amount of two-dimensionality to Fading West; the kind which was never found in their eight previous albums.…Expand
Fading West suffers from a lot of things. The fact that the last album was released in 2011 and that every album since Beautiful Letdown hasFading West suffers from a lot of things. The fact that the last album was released in 2011 and that every album since Beautiful Letdown has been good set up this album with a lot of hype. Not to mention that it was being advertised along with their feature length film by the same name. From the very first song on the album you can tell how different the sound is from their typical work. Switchfoot has never been afraid to experiment with different instruments and other sounds in their songs but completely changing the sound of the entire album was a huge mistake. Each song maintains this trend of abandoning their typical styles. Say it like you mean it almost was a decent rock song if it didn't sound just like The Sound from HH but just much worse. Most of the songs are only average except for When We Come Alive which has a great chorus and Let it Out which is an inspiring song. BA55 is being praised by some but I personally HATED this song because it sounded so cool at first but it never took that rock turn as expected from Switchfoot and never hit a climax moment...just a dull and basic tune. Out of their 9 official albums, I rank Fading West 7th just above Learning to Breathe and just below New Way to Be Human. Seriously? Their album from 1999 is better than this over hyped identity crisis of an album.…Expand
