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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The Beautiful Letdown

Switchfoot

2003

The Beautiful Letdown
Album Summary

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.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.66

Votes

111

Genres

  • Rock

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Reviews

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Jan 18 2024
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2

This album was perfectly named, it was indeed a letdown.

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Feb 09 2024
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4

Fuck yeah, former church kids REPRESENT

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Jan 30 2024
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4

Great album. Thanks for suggesting

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Oct 12 2023
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3

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.

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Jan 13 2024
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2

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.

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Feb 09 2024
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5

Yeah, I mean it deserves a spot on the list for being the most popular Christian band if nothing else.

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Mar 13 2024
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5

A fine line between rock, grunge and pop. I loved the diversity in this album

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Oct 10 2023
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3

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.

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Jan 11 2024
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3

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.

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Jan 13 2024
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3

Never once had I considered seeking out the album that Dare You to Move was on. It's certainly 2000s rock. 6/10

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Jan 13 2024
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3

6/10. As advertised. A bit beautiful, and a bit of a letdown.

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Jan 31 2024
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3

ca sonne tellement année 2000 et c'est exactement le genre de band que j'écoutais. J,ai passé un bon moment 3.5

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Feb 07 2024
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3

Mjah, leuke 90 sound maar wel erg netjes

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Feb 10 2024
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3

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.

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Mar 01 2024
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3

If you're too young to remember, this is what 2003 sounded like. I never realized it until now. But it sounded like Switchfoot.

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Mar 01 2024
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3

A return to high school alternative radio

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Feb 07 2024
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2

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.

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Feb 08 2024
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2

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

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Feb 28 2024
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2

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

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Mar 09 2024
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2

Nickelback vibes. Not much my taste

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Jan 13 2024
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1

A letdown to be sure. But I wouldn't call it beautiful.

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May 23 2024
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5

Dare You To Move is a guilty pleasure of mine

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Jun 16 2024
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4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Meant to live, More than fine, Adding to the noise

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May 13 2024
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3

Rock, yes, but alternative? Decent enough, easy-listening, but all in all very bland.

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May 17 2024
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3

a album that arrived a little late.

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May 31 2024
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3

Straight forward radio-friendly rock reminding me slightly of U2 (including the Christian lyrics). Ok.

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Sep 08 2024
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3

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

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Sep 10 2024
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3

Alternative rock, post-grunge. Ni fu ni fa.

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Sep 12 2024
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3

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.

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Apr 23 2024
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2

"The Mediocre Letdown" would have been a more apt title. 2 stars.

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May 31 2024
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2

Eh. It was just kind of there. No need to revisit or really listen to.

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Jul 06 2024
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2

Sounds like garage "hard rock" really didn't get on with but don't like the genre. 1.5

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Aug 10 2024
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2

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.'

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Jun 11 2024
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1

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.

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