New Switchfoot press release – announcing the guys’ upcoming performance on Conan!:
Vice Verses (Credential Recordings/lowercase people and Atlantic Records), the new album from GRAMMY-winning rock band Switchfoot, debuts at No.8 on The Billboard 200. It also debuted at No.5 at iTunes Album chart and No.3 on iTunes Alternative chart. The band will perform “Dark Horses,” their new Top 15 Modern Rock hit, on “Conan” on October 25th. The track was just added by Clear Channel Alternative Premium Choice, WTCL (Denver), WRFF (Philadelphia), KNDD (Seattle), WRXL (Richmond) and 98.7 (Los Angeles).
Switchfoot’s co-headlining tour with Anberlin is currently underway. (See below for itinerary.) After performing for a packed house at New York City’s Best Buy Theatre last week, lead singer/guitarist Jon Foreman took the show outside, performing atop a newspaper stand for thousands of people in Times Square. Along the tour route, local chapters of StandUp for Kids, a national nonprofit volunteer outreach organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of at-risk, homeless and street kids, will be collecting new and used backpacks at the concerts. The backpacks will be used to distribute food and essentials to kids served by the organization.
“The War Inside,” another track from Vice Verses, can be heard in the trailer for In Time, an upcoming 20th Century Fox film starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Switchfoot has contributed an exclusive new song, “Out of Control,” to the just-released Hawaii Five-O soundtrack. The track was heard in this week’s episode of the hit CBS show. You can also check out Switchfoot’s recent performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Hulu.
Switchfoot waged a Game Day takeover of ABC, with Vice Verses tapped as the exclusive music for the Oklahoma vs. Florida State football game. ESPN hosted an exclusive stream of Vice Verses and partnered with the band to give away a trip for two to the 2012 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. Hurley selected Switchfoot as the exclusive music for the Hurley Pro, held last month in Trestles, CA and the band performed at a recent San Diego Padres game.
Vice Verses, the eighth studio record from the multi-platinum rock band, explores the polarity of what it means to be human. “Between the dialectic of life and death we are pulled tight, stretched out like the strings of my guitar,” Jon Foreman explains in his latest Huffington Post piece, which you can read here. “We are the notes dancing from the strings of time, held firm between life and death. This is the polarity of our existence, pulled tight between despair and hope, belief and doubt. We are strung tight between our birth and the grave. Humanity is dancing on the fretboard in-between. Death will one day cut the string. Until then, we live in the tension.”
It’s an adventurous collection that builds on the harder-edged sound of 2009’s Hello Hurricane and puts the rhythm section upfront, with hip-hop influenced tracks like “Selling the News,” “The Original” and “Blinding Light.”
“[The] gorgeous, swelling ‘Restless’ sounds plucked from U2’s Achtung Baby,” said Alternative Press. “But the real standout is ‘Souvenirs,’ a stunning ballad that, if there’s any justice, will go down as one of the band’s biggest hits to date.” Billboard praised Vice Verses’ “powerful, anthemic rockers” and Relevant Magazine called it Switchfoot’s “most unique” album yet.
Switchfoot – comprising Jon Foreman (vocals/guitar), Tim Foreman (bass), Chad Butler (drums), Jerome Fontamillas (keys/guitar) and Drew Shirley (guitar) – recorded most of Vice Verses in the band’s San Diego, CA home studio, working with producer Neal Avron (Sara Bareilles, Weezer). Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Dr. Dre, Pink) who produced 2009’s Hello Hurricane, served as executive producer. Hello Hurricane entered The Billboard 200 at No. 13 and contained the Modern Rock hits “The Sound (John M. Perkins’ Blues)” and “Mess of Me.”
The band took home “Artist of the Year” honors at the San Diego Music Awards earlier this year and remains very connected to their hometown. Each year they host the Switchfoot Bro-Am Presented By Hurley, an annual concert/surf contest/silent auction. The event has raised more than $500,000 to date for San Diego-based children’s charities, including StandUp for Kids.
Mark your calendars for that Conan performance!
Jon and Drew stopped by the internet TV show Revision3 for a performance – here are a few photos, and hopefully we’ll have video soon!:
Photo Credit: Revision3
Photo Credit: Revision3
The Examiner posted a review and some awesome photos of Switchfoot’s sold out show in Bolder, CO:
Just two weeks after releasing their newest album Vice Verses, fans sang along to every song and that fact didn’t go unnoticed. Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar) thanked the crowd for helping to make Vice Verses such an instant success. (The album debuted at No.8 on the Billboard 20, at No.5 at iTunes Album chart and No.3 on iTunes Alternative chart.) Jon, an evangelical Christian, along with his brother Tim (bassist for the group) writes hard hitting meaningful lyrics that appeals to the masses, not just to Christian rock fans. Thus, the influence of Switchfoot’s music has become vast.
View the photo slideshow HERE and an awesome group shot below:
Photo Credit: The Examiner
Here’s a new Vice Verses review by BlindedBySound.com with some critique on Selling the News – agree or disagree?
“Selling The News” is a bit too cute by half; Foreman’s rap-ish delivery of the verses is a bit over the top and you wonder if his occasional guest pieces on Huffington Postcaused him to take himself a tinge too seriously. His best lyrics have a thin veil of opacity. He’s not wrong but there’s nothing subtle or revelatory in “Selling The News.” Foreman quickly returns to his lyrical comfort zone on “Thrive,” a beautiful song that echoes the theme of “More Than Fine” from the band’s breakthrough The Beautiful Letdown.
Hey Reverb posted an interview with Jon on the new album and tour!:
When you played Red Rocks in April, you said “Vice Verses” was your “best attempt at a worship record.” Did you go into the studio with that in mind, or did it evolve?
For me, music has always been a spiritual endeavor, some records more than others. I feel like transcendence can happen in a few ways with music. A lot of times it happens in spite of you (laughs) and other times, you happen to be seeking it out. I think “Vice Verses” is probably a combination of both, but ultimately there’s a sense of honesty in this record that’s kind of unabashed — not self-abasing, but not afraid to be critical, either. That honesty is what creates kind of a sentiment where you can actually have a true spirituality.
…
How are the new songs playing on tour? Do you take the stage feeling like this is really a special time in the evolution of the band?
Yeah, this is a really, really special time for us. To put out our eighth record –- even just to say that, that’s amazing. How many bands actually get a chance to make eight records and still care deeply about each other? That’s something that we’ve always had — Heaven forbid we’d ever lose it. We really like making music together. It’s not animosity that fuels the music. I love the Police, but their years of tension felt like what fueled some of their best records, and finally they imploded. For us it’s a different fire.
The true test of a song is to play it in front of a bunch of other people. I was just debating with our guitar player, Drew (Shirley). He’s always of the opinion, ‘Let’s practice it a few more times before we play it live.’ I’m like, ‘Let’s just practice in front of people. Let’s play it live.’ You can practice all you want, and the only way you know whether you know it or not is to play in front of people. So for me, and for all of us as a band, that risk is no longer terrifying. It’s daunting, but it’s also invigorating as well. It’s been a lot of fun to play these new songs live.
Read the full interview HERE!
Additional press:
- Switchfoot Score Top 10 Debut
- Switchfoot’s Big Vice – “Diehard fans will most likely enjoy “Vice Verses” for its adventurous and rather ambitious sound, but other listeners would probably focus their attention on tracks like “Dark Horses,” “The Original” and the title track. While the other tracks are moderately enjoyable, casual listeners will likely not pay much attention to them simply because “Vice Verses” as a whole is hardly out of the ordinary.”
- Switchfoot Veterans Comfortable On Stage – “They finished off the show with “The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues),” and the audience yelled the chorus with them at the top of their lungs. Red lights flashed behind the band as they frantically rocked out at the finale of the song, ending the show on an exhilarating note. After years of practice, Switchfoot assuredly is a group of veteran rockers, and they definitely know a thing or two about putting on a good rock show.”
- Switchfoot and Anberlin Prove They Were Meant to Live
- Switchfoot & Anberlin Concert
- New Switchfoot Album Hits Billboard Top 10
Speaking of the fall tour, here’s the setlist and notes from their Bowling Green show, courtesy of Josh and Josh!:
Mess of Me (They had this giant transparent screen up the whole song which illuminated them cool when lights shown on them, and it dropped as they went into the last chorus)StarsThe War Inside (Complete with drum bashing which segued right into This is Your Life)This is Your Life (Jon leaned out into the crowd to sing, then sang through his guitar)Restless (He sang the whole song in the crowd, actually about 15 feet from me)Meant to Live (They did the whole intro beforehand like they’ve been doing for a couple of years)Your Love is a Song (Jon pulled out his good old harmonica on this one)Dark Horses (They had the acoustic version to start this one)Where I Belong (Everyone knew and clapped along just like on the studio track)Dare You to Move (Jon started this one acoustic, like always)Encore:AfterlifeThe Sound (They extended the end with the whole half-time feel and Drew soloed)
If you haven’t yet, check out this stellar cover of “Lucky Man” that Jon recently performed on Sirius XM radio:
Discussion Point: I hope you’ve all been enjoying our community Vice Verses song discussion as much as I have! So far we’ve discussed Afterlife, The Original and The War Inside, but now it’s time to dive into Restless (Vice Verses). Let’s start by looking at Tim, Chad, Romey’s commentary on the tune:
Tim: “Restless is one of my favorite songs that Jon’s ever written. I really identify with the imagery in the song that we’re like water looking for the ocean… relentless in our pursuit for purpose and meaning… and trying to figure it out. I think this song is a special song and we’ve been playing it live for a couple months now and it immediately became one of our favorite moments of the night every time we play it.”
Romey: “Restless is a song that’s wide open. It starts out very slow and soft but there’s a great build to it and it just builds and builds to the very end and by the end you’re standing up. It’s a very powerful song, one of the best songs I think that Jon has ever written. One of my favorite songs on this album.”
Chad: “My favorite part about the song Restless is the section after the chorus – the super chorus if you will – it’s just a jubilant, triumphant moment musically. I think it’s really a story, it’s a journey. This song is a word picture and it really takes you somewhere emotional.”
Do you agree with the guys that it’s one of the best songs Jon’s written? What’s your favorite moment of the song? What journey do you experience with “Restless”? Do you have a favorite lyric? What imagery comes to your mind? Share in the comments below!
I love this song. This song has carried me through so much, and I can totally identify with it, restlessly searching for Him when I begin to lose hope and faith.
If you can, I strongly suggest you listen to this song by the ocean, or any body of moving water. I was at the beach one day, just sitting in the sand watching the waves with my iPod on shuffle, when the live version of Restless I had back then came on. Listening to the words while watching the water actually moving just brought a whole new perspective to the song. I don’t know how to explain it, but it was an incredible experience.
I totally agree with the idea of listening to Restless while watching the ocean. That’s where the song really hit me for the first time too.
it’s amazing when you’re in the rain, too
especially when it’s pouring rain and you’re driving through it.
During a similar experience, I was walking across my campus the other day, and I passed a pipe that was leaking water drops from the rain the night before. I stopped everything I was doing and just listened to that hollow, rhythmic sound. I thought of this song and all the symbolism that those raindrops signified – it was a powerful moment.
Restless is my favorite slower song on the record by far. The buildup and payoff really let this one shine. I also cant emphasize how much better the studio version is compared to the radio edit. It still sounds like jon is singing “I can’t hear you breathing” instead of “can” at least for some of those lines. Overall an amazing song. My favorite part though is what I feel is the emotional climax ” Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete, the tide of tear and pain subside, laughter drinks them dry.”
restless is my favorite song in the album, even though haven’t listened to most of the songs yet.. it’s powerful and moving… first time i heard it, i broke out in tears..
Same here. It is amazing.
I haven’t cried yet, but whenever this song comes on my mp3 player, I sing it at the top of my lungs!
I was fortunate enough to be there the first time jon ever played this song live and I remember the whole auditorium just going absolutely SILENT. and afterwards, all I could think was “wow”
I have to say, “Restless ” is one of Jon’s best songs he’s ever written. I am completely in love with the bridge, “Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete” which is a reference to a couple of verses in the Bible, one of which being “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. (Revelation 15:2 NKJV)”
This is such a beautiful description of heaven and “the final healing”, if you will. This song echoes all of our deep longing to be close to our Creator- whether we know it or not. I’ve always pictured this song like the ocean, rising and falling with immense passion and emotion- not everyone really listens to what the ocean has to say.
I found it really interesting how Switchfoot opened the album with “Afterlife”, (not waiting for heaven to truly live) and then put “Restless” in the middle (the deep longing for God” and then closed “Vice Verses” with “Where I Belong” ( longing for the world we were made for). I think the guys really put an emphasis on heaven this time.. It’s great. And I LOVE how “Restless” and “Where I Belong” are polar opposites compared to “Afterlife”. There was definitely some great thought going into this album.
I still remember my first Switchfoot concert in July where I wrote down the entire setlist during the concert. It was the first time I’d ever heard “Restless” (I’d heard Jon’s poem though). I wrote down “Restless” with a heart and an “!” right by it. I was amazed!! Great song.
For me, Afterlife isn’t exactly a polar opposite to “Where I Belong” or “Restless”. I take Afterlife as even though we are still on this earth, why should we wait until we get to Heave n to start sharing God’s love. We need to bring others to God and “come alive” so that they may now. I think of “Restless” as more of a continuation of “Afterlife”.
That’s very true. Thanks for calling me out on that!! For me, they’re mostly opposites musically, “Afterlife” being very loud, and challenging. “Restless” feels like a moonlit beach to me
Definitely
I love the bridge too! It’s so amazing!! Restless is definitely my favorite song on the album!!!
I LOVE RESTLESS!!!!!!!!
Along with Blinding Light, this has to be my favorite that I’ve heard so far!
I really love Jon’ analogy of the raindrop “Always longing for the deeper ground” like we are always longing for an intimate relationship with God.
I believe this IS Switchfoot’s best “praise-and-worship” song.
And from live videos on YouTube, SF gives it their best!
Restless is so epic. Theres a certain part that always reminds me of Starfield/Our Lady Peace
I will never have the words to properly say how much I love Restless. It’s probably my favorite song on Vice Verses, it contends as one of my favorite Switchfoot songs of all time. There’s such an aching longing in the song, it feels very… Wistful? I guess. I don’t really know how to describe it.
Lyrically, I think it’s one of Jon’s best. I love the, “Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete.” part. I have a feeling I just might start crying if they play this at my show. It’s going to be embarrassing, haha.
Anyhow, there’s my two cents. I never really analyze songs much, I always just describe the feeling they give me.
Favorite song of all time? Very highly probable.
For me Restless is like Where I Belong’s little brother. The message is quite similar, but separate enough, and the song in its context in the album seems to foreshadow what is to come. Restless for me looks a little more like a man in the midst of his life striving to get everything together, anxious to get where hes going. At this point in the “plot” of Vice Verses the “main character” is taking a step back from all the contention and struggle in the world and yearning, pleading to be shown the way. Hes a bit energetic, anxious, excited!
Musically, I think my first statement holds true again! Restless is musically quite emotional and steadily moves forward building and building. It even uses a bit of the “2 Chord Structure” at first between a Major Chord and its Suspended 4th, building expectation before moving on musically. In a little more depth the Suspended 4th is a chord that very much wants to resolve to its major so by going back in forth between the two it builds this sort of anxiousness that you feel! Drew’s guitar work here is also similar to Where I Belong, it has a soaring emotional quality to it that i adore!
With each of these songs I really want us to play the game of: Pick out the “Polarity”/”Vice Verses” represented in each song! In this song i think the opposites here are the feelings of Tension and Resolution with the Resolution being represented by the lyric “Until the Sea of Glass we meet/ At last completed and complete/Where tide and tear and pain subside/And laughter drinks them dry”
To look backwards on the last few songs I would say that the Polarity in The War Inside is between the potential for both Right and Wrong within us all. I think the Polarity in the Original is between the freedom of confidence in ourselves and the bondage of going along with whats socially expected. My view of the Polarity in Afterlife is between living in the now or depending on our expectations for the future. What do you think?
Forgot to mention how much this song feels inspired by C.S. Lewis! It brings to mind the ending of the Chronicles of Narnia series which is a particular bit of reading that makes me feel happy beyond belief!
I’ve always felt the same thing!
Jacob & Jeanna- Same here! I always imagine the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader where they all meet Aslan on the beach when I hear the super chorus (“sea of glass we meet.. “). This song is definitely a journey and I am glad that Jon lets us share it with him. For that reason,among others, this song will always have a special place in my heart. It really is the song of our souls and our longing.
Woah, this is so true! I never thought about this particular song that way before. I’ve always thought that Switchfoot’s music in general reminds me of Narnia, but…wow. I think for me the song that stood out was Where I Belong. It just reminded me so completely of the feeling I got the first time I read The Last Battle.
I never thought about that before either.
I like that… I feel like Restless is leading directly into Where I Belong
I agree, it feels like the midway point between Afterlife and Where I Belong… not quite there and perhaps faltering a little, but still running hard for it.
Wow, that’s really true. If Afterlife is the decision to live now, Restless is the journey and Where I Belong is the end – the prize.
I’ve probably said this before, but Restless+Where I belong REALLLLY reminds me so much of the Prince Caspian movie scene where Reepicheep goes back to Aslan’s country! Where there’s this sea, ocean waves rolling, separating Narnia from Aslan’s country- and the little mouse ‘holding his head up high’ and rowing his little boat into the ‘other side’! We feel the same about CS Lewis alright (:
“Until the Sea of Glass we meet/ At last completed and complete/Where tide and tear and pain subside/And laughter drinks them dry” of Restless makes me feel completely like what Where I Belong is trying to achieve, the Rest, the Resolution.
And man, keep those musical analysis going Jacob. I love them. I’m quite and amateur musician myself
Switchfoot has this great musical sense in combination with their genius songwriting! It’s so true that how the chords follow each other, can contribute different ‘feel’ ! 
I love how we were thinking the same thing!
Totally!!:) ok I can’t rmbr the reepicheep scene, whether it’s in prince caspian or dawn treaderXD
You’re thinking of Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Only two things I have to underline this time: the bridge and the superchorus. Extremely powerful, unbelievable, unspoken!
Restless is one of the most moving and powerful Switchfoot songs ever. It’s fast becoming one of my favourites. So I plan on getting lyrics tattooed on me, but I need to make sure of the EXACT correct lyrics. I think this is right: “Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete, where tide and tear and pain subside, and laughter drinks them dry.” Please let me know if that’s wrong!
according to my lyrics booklet, that’s correct
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. – St. Augustine
I love this song. When the mp3 of the live version first came out, I put it on my iPod and listened to it on repeat for hours. Then when the radio version came out, I listened to the radio all day just to hear it, and while I waited, I listened to the radio version on YouTube on repeat. And the album version is even more awesome. It’s almost like Where I Belong – it feels like a song that just doesn’t want to end. It makes me cry. Easily (and I don’t usually cry easily). I’m afraid to hear it live =P I think it may be the best, lyrics-wise, that Jon has ever written (or at least equal with Let Your Love Be Strong….. yeah, I think Restless is better). The words flow like the water he sings about.
Did anyone else notice the way this song continues themes found in the previous songs (and really throughout the album)? You have the “drops of light” – Afterlife is all about light, the “slipping tides”, “breaking seas” – that’s really a thematic element through the whole album. “I am the dried-up doubting eyes” – The Original’s “Got your eyes out of socket”, The War Inside “Eyes on the ceiling” “Let your own eyes shine”. “Looking for You” – matches up with “looking for a feeling” from The War Inside. And “Pushing through the ceiling” – and “eyes on the ceiling” from The War Inside. (I should do this at the end =P )
A couple other points I found interesting: This song is all about searching – looking. He never says “I can see you” – it’s always “I can ear you” or “I can feel you” – until the sea of glass (play on words? maybe). It’s also all about water moving, rushing, restless, the tides that keep moving and keep searching – at the sea of glass, the final sea, the tides subside, the tears subside, the restlessness subsides when we finally reach the sea we’ve been searching for all our lives. But until then we’re restless, looking for that sea.
I think this song really unearths a truth that everyone can identify to – I love how Jon manages to put into words what’s in my (and probably a lot of other people’s) heart – something I know but can’t say. This song really does that for me.
rae – I was also reminded of that beautiful Saint Augustine quote when I first heard Restless…
same here.
The first time I heard Restless, I wasn’t that excited about it. I think I might have heard the poem somewhere along the way, and loved that, but I didn’t connect it to the song when the single came out. I liked the song well enough, but I didn’t really love it.
Then I went to the beach and sang the song by the ocean, and I suddenly got it. As someone else already said, you really have to be by the water to really get the song.
After that, I saw it live, and that REALLY brought it alive. You can tell they mean every single word of it. It’s just beautiful. The idea that we are constantly restless, the constant search, like water running to the ocean. That’s how our love for God should be.
You can really hear in the song that it came from a poem, and I think that gives it a lot more depth. The lyrics are very poetic, with a lot of imagery. I just love listening to them. ‘Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete. When tide and tear and pain subside, and laughter drinks them dry.’
I love the musical build here. Switchfoot is a band that really knows how to NOT play. Sometimes a song isn’t nearly as good quality just because every band member writes a part just because they can. A good musician needs to know when to be quiet, and they did that well in this song, with minimal guitar and bass at the beginning, but a dramatic rise in the middle.
My sister and I were discussing this song a day or two ago, and we came to the conclusion that the song is very ‘singable.’ The melody rises and falls wonderfully. It’s easy to listen to, easy to sing, and just generally pleasing.
Yes, lyrically this is one of the best songs Jon has every written. The music is beautiful too. Such a longing, aching song. I cried the first time I listened to this song in the context of the whole album. I get the chills most times I hear this song. The bridge is priceless.
Restless is a very powerful song. I definitely agree that it’s one of Jon’s best songs. The metaphorical meaning is incredible. Be relentless in all your pursuits. I love how it builds, and the victorious bridge. “Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete. Where tide and tear and pain subside, and laughter drinks them dry.” I love this song.
I love ‘Restless’.
For me, the song is more like how Restless God is, in looking of the lost soul like us.
First time i sang this song with my guitar, i cried. It just reminds me how deep His love & His Grace is.
Wow, I never thought of the lyrics in that way… neat interpretation, it definitely puts a new twist on the song!
“Restless” is one of those songs where I want to fall in love with it, but I feel like we have to court for a little while. Everything about it seems incredible, but theres just something about it that I feel is holding me back from being in awe of it. theres something, I just can’t pin-point what….
But onto what I do love about the song right now, is the lyrics. Especially “Until the sea of glass we meet, at last completed and complete, where tide and tear and pain subside and laughter drinks them dry”. I love the visual there, its breathtaking, really. The entire concept of being “Restless” to be with your creator, to reach the other side is one I have found myself longing for many times, and this song is a great reminder that its where we should always be.
I really love what Jacob said here, about “Restless” being the little brother of “Where I Belong”, it makes so much sense to me. In fact, I think i’m going to have to listen to “Restless”, then skip right into “Where I Belong” to get that full effect.
Also, on that “Selling the News” review, I’ve got to say I both agree and disagree with it. I’m really not sure what he’s trying to say with the part of about Jon maybe taking himself too seriously because of his Huffington Post articles. Doesn’t make sense to me at all. But when he (the reviewer) comments on how theres nothing revelatory about “Selling the News”, I agree with that. There isn’t. Its been said, in one form or the other, many times. But we in the Western World obviously still don’t understand what it means. We’re still doing it. So it shall be sung until we all realize that we’re “selling the news”, and then actually change it. But i’m pretty sure we never will, so this is going to be sung for a while.
Very well said!
Not really sure how to describe Restless besides I am in love with this song! My favorite on the album!
It is rather difficult, isn’t it, to put the sheer beauty and emotion of Restless into words?
Yes!! Yes it is! I’m blown away each time I listen to it!
This song is beyond incredible. Even now, I’m still trying to get my head around all that it is conveying… The lyrics are absolutely gorgeous and have so many layers of meaning and symbolism to them. They are also achingly honest and filled with bright hope. And of course, the imagery in this song is mind-blowing.
Because Restless is about the longing inside of us for God and for our real home in Heaven, I also think of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which shows Aslan’s country as beyond the waves and the white shores. Or of The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo takes his final journey across the sea to the afterlife. And it makes me think of my own everyday struggles, and how I can never find complete satisfaction and completion in anything but God.
Well said as always, Needle!:D Ever since the first time I heard this song I thought of that same part in Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
I think Restless is a great example of Jon Foreman’s comparison between songwriting and archaeology. It’s like the song always existed and just had to be revealed. There’s something magical about it.
Ok, the first time I listened to this cd, I fell in love with ‘Souvenirs’ and it was by far, my favorite song on the album. Since then, I can’t decide between ‘Souvenirs’ and ‘Restless’. But my favorite part of the song is the bridge –
‘Until the sea of glass we meet, at last competed and complete. The tide of tear and pain subside, laughter drinks them dry. I’ll be waiting, anticipating. All that I aim for, what I was made for, with every heartbeat, all of my blood bleeds. Running inside me, looking for you. Looking for you.’
Some of the strongest lyrics I personally think Jon has every written. I just love this song. It means so much to me.
My response to switchfoots big Vice: My wife has lets say put up nicely with my need to play switchfoot almost daily over the past 6 yrs. Every now and then i would catch her singing along to a song, but she would never play switchfoot on her own. This past week she requested that i make her a copy of vice verses for her and last night she listened to vice verses all the way through twice. I would say that this album has won her over. I ve noticed the songs she really likes are Restless, thrive, vice verses, selling the news and where i belong. I am really excited that she is enjoying this so much and I have never pushed her to listen to them. I feel like true soul music will win you over in time if your heart is open. So to all the critics who say this is nothing new for the guys i say they are only getting better and iam sure my wife would agree. I totally agree vice verses has some of Jons best work in it and this is coming from someone who loves NIS. Also, my Mom who is not a fan listened to Where i belong and said that it is a really good song. I ll bet shes the next to join team foot.
So exited for my first Switchfoot concert tonight! Tonight’s even better since I’m celebrating my birthday!
Have fun! I’m sure it’s going to be AWESOME!
Awesome.
I got to do that for my 16th birthday this year. My dad even got Jon to wish me a happy birthday!! One of the most awesome nights of my life 
have fun, it’s gonna be a good one!!
So excited for you – have a great time, Seth!
Happy Birthday man!
Thanks everybody! Last night was AWESOME!
Found this. Check it out!
http://instagr.am/p/Oj2O_/
Yeah, I saw that and was wondering what is it?? I know it says “The beautiful Letdown” on it, but is it some unreleased artwork or something?? And where is the Grammy museum?
That’s cool…
And this!:
http://instagr.am/p/NPuBH/
Lyrically, this is a valid contender for the best song Jon has ever written. I mean, “I am the sea on a moonless night” – you can’t really get a more evocative opening line than that. The water imagery throughout works wonderfully in representing the quest of a human life for God, even pulling off a mixed metaphor of rivers rushing to the sea and the sea rushing to the shore, both of which aptly illustrate the idea. The quest never ceases until that beautiful moment of coming face to face with God, just as a river never finds “rest” until it reaches the ocean. Big picture aside, there are so many poignant lines in this song: “Running hard for the infinite/With the tears of saints and hypocrites” and “Till the sea of glass we meet/At last completed and complete/Where tide and tear and pain subside/And laughter drinks them dry” stand as perfect examples.
Musically, I initially wasn’t that enthusiastic about this song. Standard chord progression, not much going melodically, the arrangement didn’t seem that impressive at first listen. But I listened to the song more, it really grew on me musically, the way the melody rises and builds up to the simple but longing chorus, the dynamics throughout the song, and especially that post-chorus instrumental that Chad refers to all combine to really make this a transcendent song. I also feel nostalgic about the borrowed arrangement from live versions of “On Fire” at the beginning of the song.
All-in-all, one of the highlights of the new album.
Restless…love everything about it. The flowing verses, the second chorus, the awesome drop down back to the chorus. The song leaves a lot of room (to me) for improvement in a live setting. Not that the actual song needs improvement but down the road I can see lots of things adding to it in a life performance. Just the fact that we are all restless looking for God is a great statement. Love it all.
Restless…the lyrics are just so breathtaking. I think my favorite lyric is “Until the sea of glass we meet” It sounds very..Lord Of the Rings-ish. I really shouldnt say I have a favorite lyric because I mean, as I said, everything is just so beautiful. I think the story behind the song is amazing too. Jon and the raindrops…so insightful! I love the build-up near the end of the song (“with every heartbeat”). I also might add the critic was reeeeally mean to Jon. I mean, for real, Jon can sell the news if he wants to! He’s a writer so why NOT get a spot in the papers?! And his stuff is really inspiring–homeboi the critic needs to be thankful that Jon Foreman isnt the typical rock star strung out on drugs and materialistic crap…good gracious…
This song was gorgeous when I first heard it, but it wasn’t until Jon’s description of the story behind it that I *really* fell in love. Not that the main idea wasn’t clear, but with the simplicity of his explanation, it became even more…poignant. I’ve never admired a raindrop so much.
And it’s an inspiring worship song. I do feel restless. All the time. And whenever I begin to think that’s a vice, I’m going to remember the little raindrops that could, sing this song, and know that restlessness is a virtue because it leads me to God.
This song has grown on me the most of all the songs on this album. And the best part, as others have noted, is the bridge. Perfect buildup right there. The bridge in Selling the News is perfect, too… We should have a discussion of the best Switchfoot bridges.
Anyway, my favorite track is still Where I Belong, but I agree that Restless is like WIB’s little brother, and the progression from Afterlife to Restless to WIB makes so much sense.
I think “Blinding Light” definitely fits into that progression. Perhaps “Thrive” as well. In fact, I think, more than any Switchfoot album in the past, Vice Verses forms a unified statement lyrically. I’m kind of tempted to write an essay about it.
I really like to think of the songs on Vice Verses as having a plot! I like trying to figure out how each song could lead into the next
With all this discussion about Vice Verses having a plot – it makes me want to write it out. Who knows, sometime here I might come up with a short story entitled ‘Vice Verses.’
October 25th is now officially Roctober 25th. I think it would be great if switchfoot was head of the worship once they get to heaven. A switchfoot show every day!
I’ll just add to what has already been said that I love how musically the song just BUILDS at times, where Jon’s voice rises along with an incredible groups of lines of songwriting to create an effect that just takes my breath away.
My favorite instance of this is probably “Running hard for the infinite/With the tears of the saints and hypocrites/ Oh blood of black and white and gray/ Death and life and night and day/ One by one by one/We let our rivers run”. Those words really hit me, and really capture the “we live in a world where hope and dispair occupy the same breath” idea that Jon mentioned a few days ago. We are saints. We are hypocrites. Life is messy with seemingly contradictory ideas all on top of each other to create a sense of paradox. This only adds to the mystery and the wonder.
The bridge of “Until the sea of glass we meet/ At last completed and complete/ The tide of tear and pain subside/Laughter drinks them dry” is spellbinding as well. The idea of pain and sadness being dryed up by laughter is such a hopeful idea, maybe the most hopeful one Jon has come up with. It makes me anticipate heaven, and the album’s final track, more than ever.
(Sorry this comment is so late.) I love “Restless”. Everything about the song is so amazing – the lyrics, the vocals, the guitars, the bass, the drums, the keyboards. Jon’s lyrics are so symbolic and metaphorical and it works so well. He paints a masterpiece with his words, and he and the rest of the guys help with the backing vocals and instrumentals. I really love the bass in this song and the drums – especially in the introduction. Drew’s guitar part is also awesome, especially in the outroduction (I know, I know; that’s not a word). This song is just so amazing; it’s indescribably beautiful. It’s one of my favorites on Vice Verses, if not of all time.