This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
The Beautiful Letdown is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Switchfoot, released on February 25, 2003, by RED Ink Records, and later re-released through Sony Music. It marked the band's first release on a major label and their first release with keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas. The album was produced by John Fields and Switchfoot and recorded over a span of around two weeks; all songs on the album were written either in part or entirely by lead singer Jon Foreman. The album thematically covers the human condition, with its lyrics expressing a "dissatisfaction with the status quo"; it focuses more on asking questions rather than answering them, a writing style Foreman described as "Socratic". Compared to the band's previous "lo-fi" efforts, The Beautiful Letdown adopts a more "polished" production style. Musically, the album has been described as alternative rock and post-grunge while also incorporating electronic instruments and digital effects. The album received acclaim from critics. It received praise for its musical diversity and for discussing difficult themes and spiritual topics without being evangelistic. The Beautiful Letdown and its singles were nominated for multiple awards at the 35th GMA Dove Awards and 36th GMA Dove Awards, winning several of them. Critics labeled it one of the best Christian albums of 2003 and the 2000s, and it has since been regarded as one of the best Christian albums of all time.
This album was perfectly named, it was indeed a letdown.
Fuck yeah, former church kids REPRESENT
Rock
Great album. Thanks for suggesting
I remember this band and album growing up. I don't remember them being all that remarkable to me. I really do like some of their stuff, especially Dare You To Move and Meant To Live. That's top tier early 2000s pop rock right there. But the rest of the album left me slightly bored. Honestly, they all kind of sound the same to me. Psuedo-Christian rock hiding in pop clothing. As far as Christian rock goes, it's up there with the best of the best. However, musically, it's just lacking something that I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's the singer's voice, which to me gets grating more and more after each track? The fact it can't decide if it's Christian rock or general pop rock? Sort-of generic early 2000s easy to play rock sound? I don't know. Far from the worst album in the book or user-submitted. 3.5/5, but rounding down to 3 stars because I wish it would decide what it wants to be.
That's hilarious that they got popular due to A Walk to Remember. This was all the rage in this era though, especially with my Christian circles at the time that were given carte-blanche to like Switchfoot because they were "Christians" even though they were never "Christian Rock". That said, I find it completely generic beyond that "they are Christian gimmick". I mean I'm sure they are fine folks but... musically I'm underwhelmed.
Yeah, I mean it deserves a spot on the list for being the most popular Christian band if nothing else.
A fine line between rock, grunge and pop. I loved the diversity in this album
I remember the first song, one of those "oh right, that existed" sorta tunes. Not too bad, a bit too 00s radio rock for me overall though. 3/5.
Strong Pearl Jam vibes, particularly in the vocals which are delivered sincerely but a little lacking in emotional range. I liked it well enough but didn't feel like it brought anything particularly notable to its grunge/heavy rock genre.
Never once had I considered seeking out the album that Dare You to Move was on. It's certainly 2000s rock. 6/10
6/10. As advertised. A bit beautiful, and a bit of a letdown.
ca sonne tellement année 2000 et c'est exactement le genre de band que j'écoutais. J,ai passé un bon moment 3.5
Mjah, leuke 90 sound maar wel erg netjes
Much of this album was (and probably is) in heavy CCM rotation, and for good reason. It's a shame that Switchfoot moves to purely worship team-able for about three songs since the semi-ambiance of some of the slower cuts really works with the electronics of this album. Lyrics are a bit clipped, emphasizing the lesser U2 appeal.
If you're too young to remember, this is what 2003 sounded like. I never realized it until now. But it sounded like Switchfoot.
A return to high school alternative radio
Switchfoot, really?
Well played and well executed, but it's all a bit too much 'middle-of-the-road alt rock' for me. I miss the sharper edges and would like to hear some more emotion in the delivery. I'm sure this was all the rage back when it came out, but it doesn't really stand out from the many many other early 2000's rock bands.
Pure American hard rock from the early 2000s. To me, it's easily confused with hundreds of other similar sounding albums from that era. But I know that in certain circumstances, if you listen to an album like this in the right place and time, you'll just love it, it'll stick with you, and it'll be able to transport you back to that time and place when you hear it again in the future. Been there. Not my case with this one though
Didn't know this band at all, first track was good and made me optimistic for the rest...but unfortunately the rest was nowhere near as good
Nickelback vibes. Not much my taste
Boring but not unpleasant.
A letdown to be sure. But I wouldn't call it beautiful.
Dare You To Move is a guilty pleasure of mine
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Meant to live, More than fine, Adding to the noise
I always had a soft spot for Switchfoot. I'm not particularly religious anymore, but they always walked that line between Christian rock without being obnoxiously preachy about it. Plus, that guitar riff from "Meant To Live"? Mm. Choice. I was really loving the first half of this album, but it eventually kind of loses steam, and I think they take a huge swing at guitar-driven pop on "Gone" and the record never really recovers from the folly. Still, I didn't have any song I disliked on side A, and I really enjoy how uplifting and genuine everything is throughout. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Meant To Live", "This Is Your Life", "Ammunition", "Dare You To Move"
Rock, yes, but alternative? Decent enough, easy-listening, but all in all very bland.
a album that arrived a little late.
Straight forward radio-friendly rock reminding me slightly of U2 (including the Christian lyrics). Ok.
This album was fine, if maybe a bit dated for when it came out. The lyrics are more thoughtful than you might expect in this type of music, but frequently more repetitive than I generally like to hear. Fave Songs: Meant to Live, This Is Your Life, More Than Fine, Dare You to Move
Alternative rock, post-grunge. Ni fu ni fa.
Haven’t heard this before that I know of, although it is possible some of these songs were on the radio or something at the time. Although I don’t feel any need to get this into my musical rotation or anything I didn’t mind listening to this. There were even a few catchier numbers to clap along to.
An enjoyable listen!
This album definitely brings back some memories. One of the first CDs I’ve ever owned, I used to listen to this album a lot. For a kid this is a great blend of rock music with easy to understand lyrics. That was as a kid, now I found the album to be nostalgic, but nothing more than some very generic genre blending of Christian and pop rock. 2003 was a simpler time for music as the popularity of this shows but it’s not 2003 anymore and this is already a bit dated. 6.6/10
Hang on.... is Christian Rock a genre somewhere?! Crazy. Well, three stars for that education. The music is nice enough, but a bit underwhelming.
"The Mediocre Letdown" would have been a more apt title. 2 stars.
Hm
Eh. It was just kind of there. No need to revisit or really listen to.
Sounds like garage "hard rock" really didn't get on with but don't like the genre. 1.5
For those who weren't raised only being allowed to listen to Christian music the genre hopping can be a bit puzzling. This is pretty typical in this kind of music. When music is being marketed to a certain group, in this case, evangelical Christians in the early 2000s, variety goes a long way for airplay, especially when you have a built in audience. This music was designed to be consumed by teenagers, adults, and was even played in some churches during services so there needs to be something for everyone. So here we have post-grunge, pop rock, pop punk, and more standard contemporary Christian music (think slower, lots of acoustic strumming, repetitive singable lyrics). There are moments that work, but overall, the genres do not play well together as an album unit. The lyrics are basic CCM fare; the world is bad and is unsatisfactory. I think they say much more about the Christian worldview in which they originate than the world in which we actually live. They're selling dissatisfaction along with the remedy. There's a line in the title track that really sums up this album for me, 'We're a beautiful letdown, painfully uncool.'
I remember seeing Switchfoot perform 'Dare You to Move' at a TV chat show recording. Jamie Lee Curtis was a guest. Even that nothing of an anecdote is far more interesting than this album. Rating: 1.5 Playlist track: Dare You to Move Date listened: 07/10/24
There are maybe 1-2 good songs on this entire LP, which displays all the failings of modern Christian rock. I wasn’t exposed to any of this through my Methodist upbringing (it seemed to be a bigger hit with the Church of Christ crowd), but even then I could realize how generic and homogenous the genre is by design. Step one foot outside of outright praise and you’ve pushed too far for success, meaning artists regularly scramble to find new words to describe the same old act of praising Jesus (which wasn’t all that lyrical to begin with). No wonder the lyrics on this album feel so corny and cheesy throughout, and the instrumentals non-dynamic and flat. I’m hoping some incarnation of Switchfoot found their way out of the genre and into a more welcoming creative space. The decently solid tracks here have some really creative songwriting and exciting instrumentals, finding ways to connect back to the narrative agenda in a way that’s not wholly religious and palatable for wider radio play. Just a shame the rest of the album has to be coated in cheese, platitudes, and worship guitar that’s nigh unbearable for nearly an hour.
It sound very commercial
Butt rock.