Jon Foreman
Fall and Winter
Credential Recordings

Jon Foreman
Spring and Summer
Credential Recordings
By George W. Harris

A lot of younger jazz musicians are looking into the songbooks of modern indie rock acts for compositional inspiration. Coldplay and Radiohead are just a couple of the bands that have been interpreted under the different idiom. Switchfoot, lead by Jon Foreman, seems to be a logical choice, and this collection of twin EPs will give even more evidence to that proposition.

As these 2 sets attest, Foreman has an uncanny ability to write convincingly about our universal struggles about faith, justice, mercy and love. Songs like “Instead of a Show” strike like a hot poker at the issue of hypocrisy, while “Your Love Is Strong” takes The Lord’s Prayer and turns it into a haunting modern anthem. The music itself can run the gamut from Sgt Peppers-ish Indian pop to indie rock meets mariachi, and all that runs between it. The intimate folkish tunes are the most poignant; “Southbound Train” and “Lord, Save Me From Myself” are visceral encounters with your deepest yearnings. Little to choose from between the two discs; just grab both and d o some thinking about your purpose in life. As CS Lewis said, “That which is not eternally focused is eternally obsolete.” This is music that’s made to last.