Review: Fall EP by Jon Foreman

Officially released on Nov., 27 2007, Fall EP is the first of four installments under Lowercase People Records. The three successive EPs will be called Winter (releasing in mid January), Spring, and Summer.

Jon Foreman, also front man of Switchfoot, takes a folky departure from his California rock roots. Each of the six songs on Fall EP are smooth and acoustic (upright bass, piano, guitar, harmonica, bass clarinet, etc.). Very little synthetic here. Just raw Foreman.

The first song "Cure for the Pain" is the most contagious melodically. The second song "Southbound Train" uses harmonica, cello, and background vocals to effectively simulate the feeling of a train. Third, "Lord Save Me from Myself" is a psalm-like tune, among the first real worship tunes that Foreman has been able to write. Similarly, "Equal hands" reflects the minor prophet Micah:

Both hands are skilled in doing evil;
the ruler demands gifts,
the judge accepts bribes,
the powerful dictate what they desire—
they all conspire together (Micah 7:3).

The lyrics to the chorus of the song are:

And both of our hands
Are equally skilled
At doing evil
Equally skilled
At bribing the judges
Equally skilled
At murdering justice
Both of our hands
Both of our hands.

Second to last on the EP, "The Moon is a Magnet" is a cry for love by Foreman, in a strange timing. It is a brilliant 1:54 long song with a bass clarinet. Last, "My Love Goes Free" is a song about lost love, with the refrain: "If you love her, let her go." It is a sad song of lovers leaving lovers, in love.

All in all, Foreman's Fall EP is amazing, lyrically and musically. On top of that, Foreman himself claims that this EP is his least favorite of the four. Exciting things to come!

Check it out for yourself at http://myspace.com/jonforeman