Artist of the Week: Vertical Horizon
It is time for a new article type for Rizzo Music, Artist of the Week. I was thinking about a song of the week but since we have a playlist of ten great songs every week as well as tributes to music videos, I don't think that a song of the week is necessary. Instead we will have an Artist of the Week where every Saturday, I will write an article displaying the great music of one artist. In these articles I will try to direct you to some cool media involved with each band including music videos and acoustic versions of songs.
This week I thought I would start with Vertical Horizon, one of my favorite bands. I have been listening to these guys a lot lately, mainly their two major label releases. I recently discovered the full album of Everything You Want, not just the four singles that they released from the album. Almost everyone has heard their ever popular "Everything You Want" single that was constantly played on the radio at the close of the millennium. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this album. This song has such a great intro that lures you in and never waivers beginning to end. There is a brilliant acoustic version that can be seen here. When this song first came out I was a big fan and was excited to see what these guys would put out next. They did not disappoint as the next two singles are very good ones with "You're a God" and "Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)”. The music video for “You’re a God” can be seen here, which features Tiffani-Amber Thiessen from Saved by the Bell. “Best I Ever Had” is a musical treat for anyone that has never heard this beautiful song. It was remade by country singer Gary Allen about two years ago and broke into the top ten on the country rock charts. “We Are” was their first single released off this album and is a fairly catchy tune. It never really took off but I remember hearing it on the radio briefly.
Now it is time for the heart and soul of the album “Everything You Want”, by examining the songs that were never released as singles. First up we have “You Say” a song with a contagious beat. This song has a great build up that neatly ties the verses and the chorus together. These are some of my favorite lyrics, “Here in the light / It burns you up inside / Here in the shell of a sun / We echo on / Too much listening / Not enough living”. “Finding Me” is next, a song that really has grown on me. With lyrics like these, “Oh so much for nothing / But nothing means so much / I know it's touching / But I've been out of touch”, it’s hard to not like this song. My favorite song from the album is “Miracle”, a great slow moving rock song that has powerful vocals and lyrics that call out in desperation. If you haven’t already noticed I am a big fan of when alternative rockers slow it down a little but at the same time, I am a fan of all different kinds of tempos. There are two other songs from this album that I want to highlight before I finish this album, “Send it Up” and “All of You”. “Send it Up” is a good song worth checking out as well. This song has the kind of lyrics that you want to belt out. “All of You” is a song that sums up the style of Vertical Horizon with good verses and a great chorus.
Vertical Horizon’s second major label release, Go, is their latest album. This album has some strange history behind it. It was first released under RCA but they dropped the band shortly after. They were picked up by Hybrid Recordings and re-released the album. With RCA they released the single “I’m Still Here” and with Hybrid, “Forever”. Both of these singles had moderate success but soon fizzled out. “I’m Still Here” is a good song but I can see why it wasn’t popular on the radio. This song belongs more on the track listing then as a single. “Forever” is more radio friendly but not the kind of radio hit that Vertical Horizon is capable of producing. It is still a magnificent song that many fans see as Vertical Horizon's best song. You can watch the music video here. I am not going to go through this album song by song but I would like to highlight a few for your enjoyment. “When You Cry”, “Echo”, and “Inside” are three songs that you should definitely check out.
It seems that Vertical Horizon is working on a new album that will most likely be released this year. Their official website is rarely updated but their myspace page contains updates on their progress. It seems that they are still trying to recover from being dropped from RCA and get everything sorted out. I hope that you enjoyed this issue of Artist of the Week and hope that you come back next week for a new artist. I will leave you with some food for thought lyrics.
We're all found
We're all the same
Just one heart
Beats in us
We're different names"
-Inside, Vertical Horizon
Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity Album Review
Switchfoot is a post-grunge band from California that made it big in 2003 with "Meant to Live" and "Dare you to Move" off their album The Beautiful Letdown. That album is one of favorite albums of the last few years. There is not one song on that album that I would ever think of skipping over. They then went on to release Nothing Is Sound with a fairly big hit "Stars". I was not as impressed with this effort as their previous album but there were plenty of songs to note, such as "Lonely Nation" and "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine".
Then came Oh! Gravity., released on December 26th 2006 with 12 new tracks (3 bonus tracks at the end) and a running time of 51:57. This is their third album in four years and they continue touring rigorously. They are really dedicated to their fans and it shows. The album kicks off with their new single "Oh! Gravity", a song full of energy with politically charged lyrics. This is nothing new for them, as a lot of their previous songs have spoken out on political issues. The next song, "American Dream" is more of a social commentary on society's infatuation with money and material wealth. It has the same kind of high energy as "Oh! Gravity" which is not really my style. I think that yelling shows the passion for their message but these songs can do with out it. Next up is "Dirty Second Hands", song about how time flies and that you should make the most of it. This is where the album starts to turn around in my opinion. With "Dirty Second Hands" you can see that this album has the makings of a great album and the next song, "Awakening" only further proves this.
"Awakening" is the kind of song that Switchfoot has been creating for years and the reason why I think that they are such a good band. I predict that this song will be there next single and be a bigger hit then "Oh! Gravity". It seems that the trend with Switchfoot is to release the hard rock song first and then follow it up with a more mellow song. This song really showcases lead singer Jon Foreman's voice and the lyrics display a longing for something better which remind me of "More than Fine". Next up, they slow it down a little with "Circles". With lyrics of struggling through daily life with a search for meaning, the song evokes emotions of desperation. Another favorite of mine is up next with "Amateur Lovers", a more upbeat song musically. The lyrics speak truth about the search for love and the recklessness that pursues. The seventh song on this album, "Faust, Midas, And Myself" is another good song. This song expresses a lot of the same messages of Switchfoot pasts songs. It is about regret and that you should be careful in the life you lead.
We are now halfway through the album and ready for "Head over Heels (In This Life)". This song is great and makes me begin to think that this album has the potential to be just as good as "The Beautiful Letdown". This song sounds like a classic Switchfoot song and a classic alternative rock love song. "Yesterdays" is up next, this song will run chills up your spine. If you have recently lost someone close to you, this song could be playing on repeat for the next couple of months. It is a beautiful song about grieving and holding on to someone who has passed on. The next song, "Burn Out Bright", is another song about living life to the fullest and how short life is. It's a short song that picks you up after such a sad song, "Yesterdays". The next song is known only as "4:12" as it refers to the time mentioned in the lyrics and also to the length of the song. This song refers again to the materialist society we live in and that our dreams should be more than obtaining wealth. "Let Your Love Be Strong" is the last new song on the album. This song is about finding hope in the face of despair and holding on to "your love".
The album ends with acoustic versions of "American Dream" and "Awakening". They also throw in a remix of "C'mon, C'mon", which I believe is previously unreleased. These are great bonuses for the dedicated Switchfoot fan.
This album is everything that I hoped it would be and definitely fulfilled my expectations. I wasn't crazy about "Nothing is Sound", though it had it's moments. I believe that "Oh! Gravity." is a step back in the right direction and it is nice to see that Switchfoot is consistently releasing great music. I would highly recommend picking up Oh! Gravity. and I give it 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5.
Switchfoot.com
(Check out the Tour Dates near you)
Blog about Switchfoot
Switchfoot Fansite
Oh! Gravity. Music Video on YouTube
My Favorite Songs from the Album
Yesterdays
Head Over Heels (In This Life)
Faust, Midas, And Myself
Amateur Lovers
Awakening