Description
New Way to be Human is the sophomore full-length studio album by the American alternative rock band Switchfoot, released on re:think in 1999, a division of Sparrow Label Group, distributed by EMI Music Distribution and Chordant Distribution Group. The album was produced by Charlie Peacock.
Following its successful 1997 debut, The Legend of Chin, the San Diego-based power pop trio Switchfoot has managed to turn its creativity up a notch, thanks to quirky production aid from Charlie Peacock. On New Way to Be Human the Switchmen amp up their guitar driven sound with a mature pop song-craft and off-center studio effects. At the same time, singer Jon Foreman moves in a quiet, intimate direction on two acoustic ballads, «Let That Be Enough» and «Only Hope». The latter sports an intelligent string arrangement that swells, but doesn’t overwhelm the honest sentiment of the song with saccharin sweetness.
Musically, it’s a fine line between catchy pop accessibility and energized alternative guitar sounds, between hooky modern rock and something that manages to be fresh, yet stays personally authentic. Switchfoot, which finds Foreman backed on bass by brother Tim and on drums by Chad Butler, embodies balance and charm throughout New Way, seasoning straightforward pop with moments of eccentric sound.
Lyrically, Switchfoot has come close to creating a concept album around the theme of what it is that makes human life meaningful. Lacking a contrived format, the songs on New Way acknowledge the God-shaped space in the human heart. «Incomplete» speaks to the heart of the longing for fulfillment in those who are lonely and cut-off. Elsewhere the writing demythologizes the American cult of focus on fame and fortune as a key to self-esteem. A person can be driving the «Company Car» and still find that there is definitely «Something More» to life than the accrual of things and status.
Switchfoot, in music and lyrics, has created a compelling follow-up album that speaks the gospel message in a personal way, yet speaks to universal concerns. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, April 1999]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/new-way-to-be-human/724858674)
CD tracklist:
01. New Way To Be Human – 3:38
02. Incomplete – 4:14
03. Sooner Or Later (Soren’s Song) – 3:59
04. Company Car – 3:13
05. Let That Be Enough – 2:39
06. Something More (Augustine’s Confession) – 4:00
07. Only Hope – 4:13
08. Amy’s Song – 4:30
09. I Turn Everything Over – 3:21
10. Under The Floor – 3:55
Note: The song “Under the Floor” ends at minute 3:07. After 15 seconds of silence, at minute 3:22 an untitled, hidden song that is a brief radio jingle begins.
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