The band Relient K is actually pretty new to me. My sister-in-law introduced me to them earlier this year and since then I've listened to four out of five of their studio albums fairly religiously (no pun intended). They're a Christian rock band seemingly bent on being clever with song and album titles like "Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do", "Which to Bury, Us or the Hachet?" and "Failure to Excommunicate". Fortunately, they're sound is genuinely unique and mature for the alternative rock scene, so this obvious tounge and cheekiness is easily excused and even amusing at times*. Their latest "album", The Bird and the Bee Sides is actually a double EP (the single disc contains both The Nashville Tennis EP and The Bird and the Bee Sides EP). There are 26 tracks ranging in genre from country to ska to rock, new tracks and acoustic versions of old ones. For approximately $11.99, 26 tracks is a great buy for any Relient K fan. Now as I stated before, I'm somewhat of a neophyte to Relient K, but in my opinion The Bird and the Bee Sides may not be the best entry point for people unfamiliar with Relient K because of it's broad scope - certainly, there's something for everyone, but a better first album might be Mmhmm or Five Score and Seven Years Ago - Relient K fans call me out if I'm wrong on this one).
My favorite tracks are "At Least We Made It This Far", "Up and Up (Acoustic)" and "The Lining is Silver", but what really makes this album impressive and worthy of the top 10 of 2008 is how it shows off the band's tremendous talent and range.
* like the lyrics "and you can't see the forest for the symmetries" from "The Lining is Silver".
2 comments:
As a long-time RK fan (I first saw them in concert in May 2001!), I must add a few things:
1) This CD you're reviewing is actually "The Nashville Tennis EP" part of the CD (the first half). The second half are "The Birds and the Bee Sides" because they're the B-sides of songs. Of your three favorite songs, two of them were from the "Nashville" side. Just a minor thought though.
2) An appropriate starting point for a newbie to RK would be "Two Lefts..." and "mmhmm." "The Nashville Tennis EP" has such a mix--from country to hard rock to their usual pop-punk rock to more piano-driven songs (which has been the direction RK has been heading as of late). Really, it incorporates the musical strengths of each member of the band (three are relatively new) and gives each a chance to shine. The harder rock, for example, is Ethan's (the brand new drummer) background.
Cool!
Thanks so much for your comment and insight! I'm really enjoying delving into Relient K's library of great music. I hope they come out with a whole lot more.
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