It’s been 11 years –12 if you count the Chin Up days – since the San Diego boys of Switchfoot first hit the scene. In that time, they’ve added two bandmates, Jerome Fontamillas and Drew Shirley, expanded their sound from indie rock to a more densely layered sonic palette and destroyed public pre-conceptions that Christians can’t write good, relevant music. With hit singles on mainstream and alternative radio, it’s easy to imagine that the band would have a “greatest hits” record to call their own.
With the release of “The Best Yet,” that time has come. It’s an appropriate title, as the band’s best songs so far, the ones they’re most proud of, are all compiled into a concise, 18-track set. A deluxe edition, which includes a DVD, is also available. While featuring just about all the official music videos the band has ever released, the music video for “This is Home” is conspicuously missing. The DVD also features commentaries by the band, candidly discussing why they chose certain songs to be on the compilation, as well as the stories behind some of the songs and music videos. Overall, it makes you feel like the guys are your buddies hanging out with you while they eagerly show you their work from over the years.
The track-listing of the actual CD is comprehensive, albeit inevitably incomplete as is expected from any “greatest hits” release. Missing are the pop anthems “We Are One Tonight,” the Sugar Ray-esque tune “Gone” and the popular classroom boredom satire, “Chem 6a.” But to rant about what is missing on this album is to take away from the superb list of songs that did make it. There is no filler on this album – all 18 songs are excellent and represent the band’s varied and eclectic musical style. Of course, there are the obvious songs like “Meant to Live,” “Dare You to Move,” “Stars,” “Oh! Gravity,” and “Awakening,” but several other standout, non-radio songs also made the list, notably “Concrete Girl” and “The Shadow Proves the Sunshine.” Also, “This is Home,” the single previously exclusive to the “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” soundtrack, is also thrown into a Switchfoot-only project for the first time.
It’s worth noting that Columbia could have thrown together a bunch of commercially successful singles and been done with it. However, this wasn’t the case, as the label graciously gave the band some control over the list and the album artwork.
“We want to make sure if it’s got our name on it, it’s a product we like,” explained Jon Foreman in a Billboard.com article in August 2008. “We’re trying to steer [Columbia] in the right direction.”
“The Best Yet” deluxe edition is not just a greatest hits compilation for longtime fans, but a glimpse into the tunes the band is most excited to share with potential new listeners. With their next studio album in the works, their new label independence and artistic freedom at their disposal, now is as good a time as ever to look back on a truly influential band’s best work – so far.
Tracklisting
1. Dare You to Move
2. Meant to Live
3. Stars
4. Oh! Gravity
5. This is Home
6. Learning to Breathe
7. Awakening
8. This is Your Life
9. On Fire
10. Only Hope
11. Dirty Second Hands
12. Love is the Movement
13. Company Car
14. Lonely Nation
15. The Shadow Proves the Sunshine
16. Concrete Girl
17. Twenty-four
18. The Beautiful Letdown
