The Best Yet in Bloomington, MN

Anyone claiming to be even the slightest fan of modern rock was well acquainted with "
the Foot
" by the time this greatest-hits anthology was released. Even 12 years and six highly acclaimed albums after they first got together,
Switchfoot
still feel like the band you grew up with -- that memorably personal source of musical comfort that you always want to have with you. It's hard to picture how far
Jon Foreman
and his surfer buddies would come in that space of time -- over five million albums sold, three discs hitting the
Billboard
Top 20, and a string of modern rock radio hits. A handful of those hits -- mostly from the band's commercial breakthrough,
The Beautiful Letdown
-- appear on practically every alternative rock fan's "best songs of the 21st century" playlist. And
wouldn't be
without proving to their fans that they have stayed grounded despite all the accolades. To do this, they included a generous helping of 18 songs on
The Best Yet
(plus 14 videos on the Deluxe Edition), almost a third of which were culled from their early years on the
re:Think
label. Listeners who only know
"Dare You to Move"
or
"Meant to Live"
will be pleasantly surprised by this disc, which includes the band's latest track from the
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
soundtrack,
"This Is Home."
A fitting title indeed;
still makes you feel at home. It is an endearing collection from one of the most well-known modern rock outfits this side of the post-grunge movement. ~ Jared Johnson