Nothing Is Sound : Switchfoot : Review : Rolling Stone

Yes, Switchfoot's members are Christians, and yes, there are lyrics on Nothing Is Sound that refer to the Lord, penitence and "the meaning of existence." Even if you're the sort who's cynical about that kind of thing, the San Diego band offers enough in the way of high-voltage buzz-saw riffs and irresistible melodic hooks to make up for it on this considerably better-than-average follow-up to the group's multiplatinum major-label 2003 debut. "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine," "Stars" and "The Setting Sun" are meat-and-potatoes alt-rock tunes that hearken back to mid-Nineties albums by the Smashing Pumpkins, Our Lady Peace and Hum (whose one hit also happened to be called "Stars"). All of which means that we'll forgive Switchfoot for the unfortunately titled "Happy Is a Yuppie Word" -- and we're pretty sure He will too.