| Oh! Gravity. | ||||
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| Released | December 26, 2006 (2006-12-26) | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:44 | |||
| Label | Columbia/Sony BMG | |||
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| Switchfoot chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Oh! Gravity. | ||||
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Oh! Gravity. is the sixth album by theSan Diego–basedalternative rock bandSwitchfoot. It was released on December 26, 2006.[6][7]It was Switchfoot's last album released throughColumbia Records andSony BMG (Their next album was released throughlowercase people records).
To give fans a preview of the new material, Switchfoot released the downloadable single "Dirty Second Hands" to major online music stores on September 26.[5][8] The album's first radiosingle, the title song "Oh! Gravity.", was released to radio on October 31,[9] and received moderate airplay on alternative stations across America.[10] In addition, the band provided free streaming audio of both the aforementioned tracks on their MySpace page.
The album debuted on theBillboard 200 at number 18, as the second-highest debut of the week, selling 63,000 copies in its first week. As of June 2010, the album had sold 262,000+ copies.[11]
The concept ofOh! Gravity. originally began as a shortEP recording. "We weren't trying to achieve anything; we just set out to make music for ourselves,"[12] lead vocalist and principal songwriter Jon Foreman said of the process. Switchfoot, who tour heavily throughout the year, took a break in spring of 2006 between legs of theNothing Is Sound Tour to record five or six song ideas with producerJohn Fields.[13] During their time in the studio, the band found that they had more than enough time to record additional songs, and decided to put together a full-length LP, which they have called their most "sincere" effort yet.
Enlisting their A&R producer Steve Lillywhite, the band tracked the song "Awakening" and were enlivened by his fresh approach to recording. Lillywhite emphasized the "How does it make you feel?" approach to the process, "which felt great" according to Foreman.[13] "We spent far more time rehearsing and refining the song than we did actually recording it... Don't press record until you get things right."
The rest of the record was produced by Tim Palmer, who Foreman described as possessing the uncanny ability to get "everyone out of their skins, where you begin to forget that the mics are there."[13]
While the band's previous effort, 2005'sNothing Is Sound, was termed "darker,"Oh! Gravity. represented a departure from that densely layered sound. It was an attempt to find the balance between "spit and polish" as Foreman said. "This one's got a lot more spit." As such, the album was lighter on the sonic layering, with less production elements thanNothing Is Sound or evenThe Beautiful Letdown, and carried a more pop direction, with new experimentation into areas the band had not previously explored, while also returning to their lo-fi indie roots. Topics explore living, time, coping with the death of a loved one, and, most dominantly, anti-materialism, particularly in the songs "American Dream" and "4:12," with the lyrics: "You begin to believe/that all we are is material/it's nonsensical."
On June 2 Switchfoot e-mailed a newsletter containing a free download of an unreleased song, "Daylight to Break," along with a statement from Tim Foreman implying that the band wanted to have a new album out by the end of the year, as well as thanking their fans for helping keep the band together for ten years. The recording of this album was rather public,[14] as Switchfoot had set up awebcam in their recording studio, and also continued to keep fans updated via theirpodcasts. A contest was also conducted to give fans a chance to win an opportunity to be in the studio with the band to playcowbell on one of the tracks.[15]
In early August, Switchfoot announced that the album was complete. By late September, the band had released the song "Dirty Second Hands" as a downloadable single to further promote the album.[16] In early October, the band made the songs "Dirty Second Hands" and "Oh! Gravity" available for streaming on their MySpace page, the latter of which was serviced to Modern Rock radio as the lead single for the record. The entire album also "leaked" on MTV2.com in the week leading up to the album's official release.[17] In addition, the band launched the websiteOhGravity.com, which featured the title track andYouTube clips that highlighted "gravity at its best" - mainly people falling while skateboarding, surfing, and participating in other similar activities. The website is no longer up.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [18] |
| Alternative Press | [19] |
| Christian Music Today | [20] |
| Cross Rhythms | [21] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[2] |
| IGN | 8.2/10[22] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [23] |
| Melodic | [24] |
| Paste | [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [25] |
In 2008, the album was nominated for aDove Award for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the39th GMA Dove Awards. The song "Awakening" was also nominated for Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year.[26]
All tracks are written byJon Foreman, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh! Gravity." | 2:30 | |
| 2. | "American Dream" | 3:09 | |
| 3. | "Dirty Second Hands" |
| 3:18 |
| 4. | "Awakening" | 4:11 | |
| 5. | "Circles" | 4:06 | |
| 6. | "Amateur Lovers" | 4:36 | |
| 7. | "Faust, Midas, and Myself" | 3:51 | |
| 8. | "Head Over Heels (In This Life)" | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Yesterdays" |
| 4:04 |
| 10. | "Burn Out Bright" |
| 3:24 |
| 11. | "4:12" | 4:12 | |
| 12. | "Let Your Love Be Strong" | 3:47 | |
| Total length: | 44:44 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "American Dream" (acoustic) | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 47:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "American Dream" (acoustic) | 3:04 |
| 14. | "Dirty Second Hands" (Live Bootleg from Tulsa, OK) | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 52:38 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Burn Out Bright" (acoustic) |
| 3:32 |
| 14. | "C'mon C'mon" (remix) | 3:23 | |
| Total length: | 51:39 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "C'mon C'mon" (acoustic) | 2:25 |
| 14. | "American Dream" (acoustic) | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 49:53 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Revenge" | 4:09 |
| Total length: | 48:53 | |
Recorded at Big Fish Recordings,Encinitas, California. Additional recording at Signature Sound,San Diego, and Starstruck Studio.
Mixed at Paramount Recording,Hollywood, and South Beach Studios,Miami. Mastered atSterling Sound,New York City.
Switchfoot
Additional musicians
| Additional personnel
|
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] | 74 |
| USBillboard 200[28] | 18 |
| USChristian Albums (Billboard)[29] | 1 |
| USTop Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] | 4 |
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | December 26, 2006 |
| United Kingdom | January 1, 2007 |
| Oh! EP. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| EP by | |
| Released | October 17, 2006 (2006-10-17) |
| Recorded | 2006 |
| Genre | Alternative rock,hard rock,post-grunge |
| Length | 9:28 |
| Label | Independent |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [31] |
Pre-orders of "Oh! Gravity." from switchfoot.com came bundled with a three-song EP[32] that the band recorded in the same studio sessions as "Oh! Gravity." The EP was first made available on October 17, 2006, at Switchfoot's live shows but became available online as well. It later became available separately on the Switchfoot online store.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Sound in My Mouth" | J. Foreman | 3:56 |
| 2. | "C'mon C'mon" | J. Foreman | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Oh! Gravity." (Acoustic) | J. Foreman, T. Foreman | 2:37 |
