A Best Fifth Release Nominee in the 2005 Awards!
As with many bands who released CD’s in 2005, the members of Switchfoot have diversified their talents for Nothing Is Sound. (They have also now added a fifth bandmember.) This album’s rock tracks (“Lonely Nation”, “Stars”, “Easier Than Love”, “Politicians”, & etc.) are more rock than ever, and its ballads (“The Blues”, “The Fatal Wound”, “Daisy”, & etc.) tend to pull at you more, as well. Nothing Is Sound also generally contains the rawest lyrics that we have heard from Switchfoot yet.
The disc begins with “Lonely Nation”, and it’s a good opener. Lyrically, it provides a broad, ‘tired’ view of hollow culture, desperately wanting more. Musically, it’s a solid medium-paced rocker that vocally picks up a bit after the second chorus.
And if you liked that, the next track “Stars”— Nothing Is Sound‘s smash hit single— truly showcases Switchfoot’s brand-new, rich, full, “Yeah-we-can-heavy-rock-too” sound. And what a welcome sound it is! 
“Happy Is A Yuppie Word” has almost dark music during its verses, which switches to a different, lighter melody for the choruses.
In “Easier Than Love” Switchfoot delivers a cutting message, speaking boldly and unashamedly about one of society’s biggest problems (hence the Content Advisory).
“The Blues” is one of this CD’s excellent ballads. Its
melancholy-yet-somehow-still-uplifting lyrics and rhythmic, anthemic music make it a definite favorite.
“Politicians” is another pleasant shock— it’s the hardest rocker on the CD [and indeed the heaviest track Switchfoot has done so far]. With a good pace, cutting lyrics, and excellent guitars, this is also one of the CD’s best tracks.
And then there’s “The Fatal Wound”, which is, in our opinion, one of the finest songs Switchfoot has ever recorded. Featuring an acoustic guitar and a harmonica as the main instruments and then adding in the others during the course of the song, this somewhat dark and moody track is amazingly catchy. (We actually had to play it twice in a row to get our fill.)
“We Are One Tonight” is an easier, medium-paced song with uplifting lyrics.
And to cap off the album is “Daisy”, another excellent ballad with lyrics of surrender. Near the end, the music and vocals build spectacularly and then fade away, a finish that gave us goosebumps.
DualDisc Version Bonus Content:
The DualDisc version of this album comes with the regular CD on one side and a DVD on the other. The DVD side contains the entire CD again in 5.1 surround-sound for those with home theater sound systems; and it also contains a great, interesting, and fairly funny behind-the-scenes making-of video.
Our rating for Nothing Is Sound: 5 & 1/3 Stars. 