Graphic By: Allen Blickle

When people think of Switchfoot, most are reminded of the 2002 movie A Walk to Remember. Throughout the movie, songs off of the band's first few albums could be heard, such as "Only Hope" off of the New Way to Be Human album and "Learning to Breathe" off of the Learning to Breathe album. This led critics to believe that Switchfoot is a religious band, which they might be. However, that doesn't affect the band's ability to play good music. So for a track by track analysis of Nothing is Sound, listen up.

1. "Lonely Nation" – A good way to start out the album, as it is very energetic. The song was well written, and it's fairly obvious that the Foreman brothers wrote this in relation to the Iraq war.  

2. "Stars" – Probably one of the better songs on the album. The band released this song as their first single. The chorus is catchy, a little repetitive, but most of you will like this song the best.

3. "Happy is a Yuppie Word" – I’m not exactly sure what "yuppie" means.   This song is a little slower, not my favorite, but if you're the type that like songs with slow verses and faster/louder choruses, you might like this one.

4. "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" – Another slower one; however, this one stays slow the whole way through. Not a bad track, the song has well written religious lyrics and a good slow guitar opening. A solid song.

5. "Easier than Love" – A quicker song with an energetic flow. Again, not one of my favorites, but it has a good sound. It stands out from the others on the album.

6. "The Blues" – A very good yet depressing song. Have you ever lie in your bed listening to music, trying to make a song fit the way you’re feeling? This one is an excellent song to relax and just listen to. The title of the track is well suited.

7. "The Setting Sun" – This song has a pop feel, but don't let that turn you away. It's a great song, and the lyrics are excellent. You can tell the band put a lot into this one. "Let us find where we belong, beyond this setting sun, beyond this setting sun." Great song.

8. “Politicians” – This could be one of Switchfoot’s hardest/darkest songs. Why not have a song called "Politicians" with all of the commotion in politics these days? It may sound like an anti-government song, but it is clearly not. "I pledge allegiance to a country without borders, without politicians." Not a bad song at all.

9. "Golden" – Obviously another religious song. It's a great song with spiritual lyrics. "And everything will be made new again like freedom in spring." This song is about redemption and how everything old will eventually become new. I'm not into this one though.

10. "The Fatal Wound" – This isn't the best song on the album. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the others. The lyrics were a little dark. The harmonica solo was a change from Switchfoot’s normal style. I skipped over this song before it was finished.

11. "We Are One Tonight" – A moderately paced song with pretty good lyrics. The band might have been pushing out the last of their songs to finish the album. The song is OK, but nothing I would recommend for radio play. Then again, it's only my opinion.

12. "Daisy" – A slow song to cap off a great album. This is what most bands will do for a conclusion. The song's not bad, but I probably wouldn't recommend listening to it unless you have a play-list on your computer to fall asleep to.

There you have it! Go out and experience this album for yourself. A word to the wise: if you decide to purchase the album, buy the dual-disc version because the regular version is copy-right protected, which limits you to only using the software that comes with the CD. This means that there is no ripping the CD to iTunes and putting the tracks on your iPod. Also, the regular CD limits the amount of burnt copies you can make. The copy-right protection is why many people have given the album a bad rating; however, it is not the band that asked for the protection, it was the record label. Get the dual-disc!