Nothing Is Sound
Encyclopedia
Nothing Is Sound is the fifth studio album by American
alternative rock
band Switchfoot
. It was released on September 13, 2005, and début at number three on the Billboard 200
. The first single from this album was "Stars," which was the number one most-added song on Modern Rock Radio, and received much airplay on alternative rock
stations upon release. A second single "We Are One Tonight" was released in early 2006, but without much success on the Billboard
charts.
The album was marred by major controversy over the inclusion of XCP copy protection distributed on all copies of the disc. This led to bassist Tim Foreman
posting a detailed work-around on the band's website (which was promptly removed by Columbia Records
). Nothing Is Sound was at the forefront of the Sony BMG CD copy prevention scandal, which eventually led to the recall of all CDs that contained the protection.
, the band found itself constantly touring and were forced to work on most of the new record while on the road. As a result, many of the songs on Nothing Is Sound made their public debuts at various shows on the tours. Every night on tour, the band would write parts to new songs, and test them out during the shows."There's nothing like playing a new song in front of real people with real opinions. The people at those shows, (the extended Switchfoot family), they shaped this song as much as anyone," lead singer Jon Foreman
said.
even hinted that the album could be viewed as "a dark chapter revealing even more mysteries to be solved". Lyrically the songs explore topics ranging from loneliness, the end of the world, anti-entropy, and the commercialization of sex. The band has always viewed the album as being more hopeful than anything, pointing to songs like "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" as how a seemingly dark theme can actually be positive. Foreman says, "I may write about how everything is meaningless, but it’s a very hopeful thing for me to be proven wrong.". The song is a fan favourite and is often played live at their shows.
Musically, the record features the most densely-layered guitar work by the band to date. This is attributed to the official addition to the band of touring guitarist Drew Shirley
, whose work on the song "Golden" provided a "mellow, ethereal roof over top of the song," as Foreman noted. "Noise never sounded more beautiful!"
for selling 500,000 copies. The incredible pacing tapered off significantly, following the revelation of Sony's rootkit
on the disks. The November 1st, 2006 edition of Billboard magazine reported that Nothing Is Sound had sold 549,000 units. It debuted on the Billboard 200
at number three, being the highest that any Switchfoot album has ever placed. "Stars
" is the best charting single of the album, reaching as high as 16 on the modern rock chart, and number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
was distributing albums with Extended Copy Protection
, a controversial feature that automatically installed rootkit
software on any Microsoft Windows
machine upon insertion of the disc. In addition to preventing the CDs contents from being copied, it was also revealed that the software reported the users' listening habits back to Sony and also exposed the computer to malicious attacks that exploited insecure features of the rootkit software. Though Sony refused to release a list of the affected CDs, the Electronic Frontier Foundation
identified Nothing Is Sound as one of the discs with the invasive software.
Bassist Tim Foreman
posted a way around the protection on the bands message boards. The original post was soon deleted, which caused some people to speculate that Sony would sue the band over this issue. However, no legal action has been taken. Jon Foreman would later say that he felt the album was "tainted" by this.
An additional copy protection problem was found on some of the disks that were published by EMI
. These disks contained Cactus Data Shield
copy protection. Ironically, some copies of that version were also recalled due to incorrect copy protection settings, although they were exchanged for other copy-protected copies with the correct settings.
version of Nothing is Sound was released simultaneously with standard editions of the album. Notable is the fact that these DualDisc CDs did not contain the copy protection software.
The DVD-side of the album featured the entire album in 5.1 Surround sound
, and also includes an approximately 30-minute long documentary on the making of the album.
except where noted.
Additional musicians
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
. It was released on September 13, 2005, and début at number three on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
. The first single from this album was "Stars," which was the number one most-added song on Modern Rock Radio, and received much airplay on alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
stations upon release. A second single "We Are One Tonight" was released in early 2006, but without much success on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts.
The album was marred by major controversy over the inclusion of XCP copy protection distributed on all copies of the disc. This led to bassist Tim Foreman
Tim Foreman
Timothy David Foreman is the bassist for the band Switchfoot. He was born in Lake Arrowhead, California but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and Virginia Beach, Virginia...
posting a detailed work-around on the band's website (which was promptly removed by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
). Nothing Is Sound was at the forefront of the Sony BMG CD copy prevention scandal, which eventually led to the recall of all CDs that contained the protection.
Recording history
After the large success of Switchfoot's previous record, The Beautiful LetdownThe Beautiful Letdown
The Beautiful Letdown is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Switchfoot. Released in early 2003, it launched the band into the mainstream on the strength of two top 20 singles: "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move." The album was hugely popular and remained a staple on the Billboard...
, the band found itself constantly touring and were forced to work on most of the new record while on the road. As a result, many of the songs on Nothing Is Sound made their public debuts at various shows on the tours. Every night on tour, the band would write parts to new songs, and test them out during the shows."There's nothing like playing a new song in front of real people with real opinions. The people at those shows, (the extended Switchfoot family), they shaped this song as much as anyone," lead singer Jon Foreman
Jon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
said.
Music and lyrical themes
Nothing Is Sound is characterized as being a much "darker" album compared to Switchfoot's other releases. Jon ForemanJon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
even hinted that the album could be viewed as "a dark chapter revealing even more mysteries to be solved". Lyrically the songs explore topics ranging from loneliness, the end of the world, anti-entropy, and the commercialization of sex. The band has always viewed the album as being more hopeful than anything, pointing to songs like "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" as how a seemingly dark theme can actually be positive. Foreman says, "I may write about how everything is meaningless, but it’s a very hopeful thing for me to be proven wrong.". The song is a fan favourite and is often played live at their shows.
Musically, the record features the most densely-layered guitar work by the band to date. This is attributed to the official addition to the band of touring guitarist Drew Shirley
Drew Shirley
Andrew Philip Shirley is a guitarist and the newest member of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. Shirley attended California Baptist University studying a Fine Arts degree with a Music minor. During that time he also started and led various school bands and shows. He had only started playing...
, whose work on the song "Golden" provided a "mellow, ethereal roof over top of the song," as Foreman noted. "Noise never sounded more beautiful!"
Reception
In October, just over a month after its original release date, Nothing Is Sound was certified gold by the RIAARecording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for selling 500,000 copies. The incredible pacing tapered off significantly, following the revelation of Sony's rootkit
Rootkit
A rootkit is software that enables continued privileged access to a computer while actively hiding its presence from administrators by subverting standard operating system functionality or other applications...
on the disks. The November 1st, 2006 edition of Billboard magazine reported that Nothing Is Sound had sold 549,000 units. It debuted on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number three, being the highest that any Switchfoot album has ever placed. "Stars
Stars (Switchfoot song)
"Stars" is the first single released from Switchfoot's fifth album Nothing Is Sound. It was the most-added song on Modern Rock Radio in its first week of release and peaked at number sixteen on the US Modern Rock chart. The song was certified gold as a digital single on December 13, 2005...
" is the best charting single of the album, reaching as high as 16 on the modern rock chart, and number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Copy protection controversy
In November 2005, it was revealed that SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
was distributing albums with Extended Copy Protection
Extended Copy Protection
Extended Copy Protection is a software package developed by the British company First 4 Internet, and sold as a copy protection or digital rights management scheme for Compact Discs...
, a controversial feature that automatically installed rootkit
Rootkit
A rootkit is software that enables continued privileged access to a computer while actively hiding its presence from administrators by subverting standard operating system functionality or other applications...
software on any Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
machine upon insertion of the disc. In addition to preventing the CDs contents from being copied, it was also revealed that the software reported the users' listening habits back to Sony and also exposed the computer to malicious attacks that exploited insecure features of the rootkit software. Though Sony refused to release a list of the affected CDs, the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
identified Nothing Is Sound as one of the discs with the invasive software.
Bassist Tim Foreman
Tim Foreman
Timothy David Foreman is the bassist for the band Switchfoot. He was born in Lake Arrowhead, California but grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and Virginia Beach, Virginia...
posted a way around the protection on the bands message boards. The original post was soon deleted, which caused some people to speculate that Sony would sue the band over this issue. However, no legal action has been taken. Jon Foreman would later say that he felt the album was "tainted" by this.
An additional copy protection problem was found on some of the disks that were published by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. These disks contained Cactus Data Shield
Cactus Data Shield
Cactus Data Shield is a form of CD/DVD copy protection for audio compact discs developed by Midbar Tech now owned by Macrovision. It has been used extensively by EMI and BMG and their subsidiaries...
copy protection. Ironically, some copies of that version were also recalled due to incorrect copy protection settings, although they were exchanged for other copy-protected copies with the correct settings.
Dual Disc release
A DualDiscDualDisc
DualDisc was a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group and later under the aegis of the Recording Industry Association of America...
version of Nothing is Sound was released simultaneously with standard editions of the album. Notable is the fact that these DualDisc CDs did not contain the copy protection software.
The DVD-side of the album featured the entire album in 5.1 Surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
, and also includes an approximately 30-minute long documentary on the making of the album.
Music videos
Switchfoot's first music video from this album is "Stars", which was filmed almost entirely underwater. Switchfoot has since released a live video version of "Stars", and another two videos for the album's second single "We Are One Tonight". The band also filmed a video for the song Happy Is a Yuppie Word in anticipation of it being released as the first single. However, it was never formally released, but was later included on the DVD Switchfootage 2 along with a video for The Blues.Track listing
All songs written by Jon ForemanJon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
except where noted.
- "Lonely NationLonely Nation"Lonely Nation" is a song by the rock group Switchfoot. It is the first track on the 2005 record, Nothing Is Sound. The song remains a fan favorite.-Song history:Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman, had this to say about the song:-As a single:...
" – 3:45 (Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman) - "StarsStars (Switchfoot song)"Stars" is the first single released from Switchfoot's fifth album Nothing Is Sound. It was the most-added song on Modern Rock Radio in its first week of release and peaked at number sixteen on the US Modern Rock chart. The song was certified gold as a digital single on December 13, 2005...
" – 4:20 - "Happy Is a Yuppie Word" – 4:51
- "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine" – 5:04
- "Easier Than Love" – 4:29 (Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman)
- "The Blues" – 5:17
- "The Setting Sun" – 4:24
- "Politicians" – 3:28
- "Golden" – 3:36
- "The Fatal Wound" – 2:44
- "We Are One TonightWe Are One Tonight"We Are One Tonight" is a song recorded by the American rock band Switchfoot, and is their second single from the album Nothing Is Sound. This is the eleventh track on the album...
" – 4:42 (Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman) - "Daisy" – 4:18
Extra songs
In addition to the mainstay tracks listed above, the album was released with extra material at different stores.- Albums purchased at Target storesTarget CorporationTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
contained an extra track called "Goodnight Punk". The song was originally considered for the album The Beautiful LetdownThe Beautiful LetdownThe Beautiful Letdown is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Switchfoot. Released in early 2003, it launched the band into the mainstream on the strength of two top 20 singles: "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move." The album was hugely popular and remained a staple on the Billboard...
but was cut from the final selection. - Albums purchased at Wal-MartWal-MartWal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
contained a Christmas song called "Old Borego" as a bonus track, which Jon Foreman had penned earlier for a charity album released locally in the band's hometown of San Diego. - In Japan, the album was released with an alternative version of "Dare You to Move" which is featured during a montage in the band's DVD "SwitchfootageSwitchfootageSwitchfootage are two documentary DVDs based about the behind-the-scenes life of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. They were funded and distributed entirely by the band Switchfoot with help from E.E...
", along with the unreleased track "Monday Comes Around." - Albums purchased at iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
included an acoustic version of the song "Stars".
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Australian Albums Chart | #25 |
| 2005 | New Zealand Albums Chart | #31 |
| 2005 | US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
#3 |
| 2005 | Top Internet albums | #1 |
| 2005 | Top Christian albums | #1 |
Awards
In 2006, the album was nominated for a Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards.The song "Stars" was also nominated for two Dove Awards.Personnel
Switchfoot- Jon Foreman – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Tim Foreman – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Chad Butler – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion - Jerome Fontamillas – keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Andrew Shirley – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Chris Westlake – stringsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
- Tommy BarbarellaTommy BarbarellaTommy Barbarella is an American keyboardist. He was a member of The New Power Generation, Prince's recording and stage band, from 1991–1996.In 2010, Barbarella became a member of Nick Jonas and the Administration along with other former members of The New Power Generation, drummer Michael Bland...
– stringsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses... - Todd Cooper – choral vocals
- Jimmy Coup – choral vocals
- Joel Hossler – choral vocals
- The Kuyasa Kids – choral vocals
- Andy SturmerAndy SturmerMarvin Andrew Sturmer is an American musical artist, writer and producer. He was one of the founding members of the band Beatnik Beatch, which led to the formation of Jellyfish.- Jellyfish :...
– backing vocals - Rachel Masen - backing vocals
External links
- Nothing Is Sound lyrics
- Nothing Is Sound song stories
- Switchfoot - Nothing Is Sound press release
- Are You Affected By Sony-BMG's Rootkit? (November 9, 2005) from Electronic Frontier FoundationElectronic Frontier FoundationThe Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...