Oh! Gravity.

Perhaps influenced by the post-punk of such contemporaries as Franz Ferdinand and Futureheads, Switchfoot smartly keep things stripped down and to the point this time.

Oh! Gravity is their liveliest record, full of dive-bombing guitar fuzz, juicy arena-alt choruses, and the art-rock ear candy Chris Cornell favored in Soundgarden.

From this psychic angst bursts an album that poses more questions than it answers, packed with restless dreamers and lovers spinning in endless circles.

This is what mainstream rock could and should be.

Thankfully, the band rediscovered their pop chops on Oh! Gravity., a sparkling, focused album bursting at the seams with giant hooks and even bigger ideas.

Ignore the lyrics ... and Oh! Gravity is surprisingly fun: Switchfoot have vastly expanded their stylistic palette, moving from leaden post-grunge into Stones-like swing, jittery post-punk, and, with ”4:12,” a better R.E.M. song than R.E.M. have made in years.

Beats the crap out of Creed, but still.