::RELIENT K::

For those of you who know me fairly well, you have seen this coming since the inception of this music blog. Relient K has been one of my favorite bands for a long while. Though I tried to push them away, I eventually couldn't resist (especially when the album The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek was burned for me as a Christmas present...with no writing on the disc...those clever girls). With the Christmas season nearing each and every day, my thoughts reflect to the CD copied for me so long ago (as well as the wonderfully executed Christmas album Let It Snow, Baby...Let It Reindeer).

Relient K, an alternative/pop punk band out of Canton, Ohio, has been one of the bands that, through my constant shift in musical taste (see last post), always seems to find their way into my speakers. The band has been categorized into the Christian Rock genre by many critics; however, many fans have questioned whether or not that classification fit the band. To this, lead singer Matthew Thiessen stated in an interview:

"Our whole answer is, call us whatever you want. You can call us a Christian band, you can call us a rock and roll band. And we can go out on tour with this band, and we can go out on tour with that band. But we don't care. We're just doing what we do. We're having fun. We write about what we want to write about and, you know, most of the time, that's, you know, our hearts and our faith."

I'd like to follow the same idea given to us by Mr. Thiessen himself...it doesn't matter if you're Buddhist, Christian, or Palestinian, one thing (and perhaps the most important thing) still remains constant: this band knows how to write music...and write it well. If you're in the mood for a slow, acoustic driven song about throwing all cares away and seeking something you love, they've got it ("Getting Into You"). Say you feel like listening to an upbeat, catchy tune to put on a mix CD for that special someone...they've got that too ("Must Have Done Something Right"). Let's venture for a minute: maybe you're in the mood for an 11 minute, wisdom filled reflection through a life that has come and gone...yep, they've written that too ("Deathbed").

In addition to the brilliantly crafted melodies, Relient K also has a one-up on the competition: their lyrics. From the dramatically hopeful lines found in "Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II)" ("And this is how I choose to live/As if I'm jumping off a cliff/Knowing that you'll save me") to the tongue in cheek lyrics found in songs such as "Sadie Hawkins Dance" ("Sadie Hawkins Dance, in my khaki pants/There's nothing better/(Oh, oh, oh!)/Girls asking guys, it's always a surprise/There's nothing better/Baby, do you like my sweater?") In other words, no matter your mood, Relient K has (brilliantly) written a tune to fit your exact emotion. If, somehow, this band has gone overlooked, I urge you to give this feel good quartet another shot...you won't regret it.