Relient K - Five Scoreand Seven Years Ago

Thu 5th Apr, 2007 in Music Reviews

Christian rock has never held the most upstanding reputation amongst the various music scenes. Sometimes it is due to confrontational preaching, sometimes admitting to liking a Christian band doesn’t have a lot of – œstreet cred’ but a lot of the disdain towards Christian rock bands has mostly come from the trite and pedestrian music they produce.

Relient K are no such band. These bible bashers out of Ohio have the uncanny ability to produce a perfect blend of pop melodies and soul grabbing harmonies all covered with a muscular punk edge. Although Matt Thiessen is a notorious soft cock amongst the pop punk lyricists, the man certainly knows how to weave words together. Every now and then there will be a soft breakdown in the middle of a song where Thiessen will provide a harmonious spiel about his love for God but they are hard to come by and scarce in numbers so we (like God) can forgive him.

The album opens with a Beach Boys-esque Plead the Fifth introduction to the album which, unlike most other petty, superfluous curtain raisers actually goes down well, contributes to the album and rolls on nicely to the next song. What comes next is true brilliance: perfect alternation between soft and heavy, sing-along harmonies and uplifting lyrics. By the second song of the album it already becomes evident that Relient K have grown up, removed their weak links and produced an album that is so beautiful and melodic yet aggressive and forceful. Thiessen rips his throat through solid verses then punches through the choruses with sufficient support through backing vocals/harmonies.

Contrary to the majority of the subject matter covered on Relient K’s previous release Mhmm, Thiessen has removed all the pessimism and angst from his book of poetry and has replaced it with glorious, uplifting and blissful lyrics. Love is a beautiful thing, and the way in which Thiessen’s words of love drop from his tongue aptly and effectively summarise the most amazing feelings one can ever have the pleasure of experiencing. Thiessen talks of his life with his significant other (no, not God) and how each day with his true love is only exceeded by the next. One would normally feel envy and jealousy towards a man going through such an amazing stage in his life but Thiessen takes the listener along the journey with him with his pop sensibilities, searing sincerity and delicious melodies. It is evident that Thiessen has written this album while on cloud number nine with lines such as “I’m racking my brain for a new, improved way to let you know you’re more to me than what I know how to say”. This guy may be sensitive and in touch with his emotions but he is a master lyricist and has the ability to put catchy sentences together better than the majority of his pop punk peers.

Although it would appear that Niessen is a serious, straight forward man of Christian faith, he proves to the listener that he doesn’t take himself too seriously with the track Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care which is a 12-second track with the lyrics “I just wasted ten seconds of your life.” This light hearted sort of attitude is indicative of the band’s approach to music (and life) and is possibly the reason for Relient K’s prevalent climb in popularity amongst music going people.

FSASYA is a more mature and established record that creates a more accomplished and solidified sound by the Christians out of Ohio. The leaks have been removed from the boat and it is all smooth sailing from here.

In terms of constructive criticism, the fair majority of the tracks on the album consist of the clichéd and predictable soft breakdowns with tender lyrics until the rest of band blasts back into the picture again. It’s what you would expect to hear on a Relient K record and one of the things which they do better than any other band but too much is overkill. The only disappointing track on the album is Faking My Own Suicide which produces an annoyingly repetitious melody with eclectic, metaphorical lyrics that don’t suit Relient K and could have easily been left off the album without taking anything away from it.

The highlight of the album is without a doubt curtain closer Deathbed – an 11-minute mini rock-opera that chronologically takes the listener on a tasteful journey through all of life’s troubles with a sound that is reminiscent of something from the 1950s. Relient K have done in one song what My Chemical Romance did in a whole album. Jon Foreman, lead singer of fellow Christian band Switchfoot features on the track at approximately ten minutes into the song. Jon Foreman’s voice is meant to portray the voice of Jesus in the song as he repeats “I am love” to tie into the overall theme of the lyrics.

Wipe away the tears on your Cure records, take Hawthorne Heights out of your CD player and replace it with Relient K’s latest anti-nihilistic masterpiece. In an age where there are enough depressing records to provide you with a lifetime of aesthetic therapy, FSASYA stands out like a sore thumb amongst most other CDs. People often question whether there is in fact a God but the calibre of Thiesens’s voice is so incredible that one would make the presumption that it must have been granted by a supernatural force. Relient K provide the listener with a fierce injection leaving them feeling content, satisfied and most of all, inspired. Here’s one for all the happy times, for all the times when a depressing record ironically doesn’t overwhelm you with joy and one to inspire you in the times of insipidness and monotony.

Relient K, take a bow.