Seven years ago, Relient K was a rather immature band, a PG-rated Blink 182 creating amusing pop-punk songs for the Christian youth group crowd. Their debut album was a purchase that to this day, I kind of regret, because it's one of those albums where you listen to the first few songs and then kind of tune out. But I saw them in concert with the Supertones and Switchfoot in 2001, and that's where I really started to become a fan - these guys were solid live, and their sense of humor served to augment a tight performance rather than distracting from a sloppy one. So I put up with the inconsistent and occasionally judgmental lyrics over the years and watched as the band slowly matured, eventually shedding most of the one-joke lyrics and garnering some mainstream attention, as seen on their finest work, 2004's Mmhmm. Four years, a few concerts, a couple of covers of silly kids' songs, and several witty lyrical nuggets later, they had managed to sneak into my list of all-time favorite bands. So maybe I didn't regret that initial purchase overall, even if their first album still kinda sucks.

Did I mention that Relient K really isn't much of a punk band? I mean, they can play the fast and sloppy rhythms and the three mindless chords and do the snotty faux-angry thing when they went to (I know there's more to punk rock than that; don't throw things at me), but we're really talking about a solid, young-at-heart rock band with an ear for a clever pop hook, the gift of vocal harmony, and a keen understanding of song structure that makes them willing to play around with the expected constant tempo and verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus mentality. As their label president Toby Mac once explained, several of their songs have "sections", and that's something a lot of radio-friendly bands aren't really into. Prog-rock it ain't, but every now and then they entertain delusions of epic grandeur that really cause a song to go farther than "Hey, that's a cool guitar riff" could ever take them.

So now it's 2007, and we have their fifth album in seven years, a feat referred to in the title, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. This album is the beginning of an era in some ways - it's their first album without their old bassist Brian Pittman and with new bassist John Warne (former lead singer of Ace Troubleshooter) and extra guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Jon Schneck. It's also their first album to come out since they racked up some real mainstream attention. What's interesting about RK, in comparison to other bands from the Christian music scene who have broken out beyond those walls, is that they're apparently not worried about what folks will think if people find explicitly "Christian" songs on their albums. Now I happen to think a solid love song is just as "Christian" in its message as any explicitly religious song, so it's not like I judge albums by number of Jesus references per minute - I actually tend to prefer it when faith is expressed in more artistic terms. It's just that other bands like Switchfoot or MxPx or even U2 are more likely to tackle the subject of their faith from a broader perspective that is relatable to those still asking the big "Do I even see the need to believe in anything spiritual, and if so, why?" question, which is totally respectable. RK is a fun-loving and genuine enough band that I think they can pull off love songs, humorous songs, and Jesus songs side-by-side (sometimes even unabashedly mixing those elements), and it'll be blatantly obvious what they're singing about and I still don't feel like it's so unrelateable as to scare off a more "mainstream" audience. (Though I'm admittedly not the most unbiased judge of such things, but I try to imagine what it's like on the outside looking in at some of these oddball Christian bands.)

More importantly than what the songs are about, though, is the fact that RK has continued to develop their sound on Five Score, taking lead singer Matt Thiessen's love for piano-laden rock music and continuing to add to their sonic palette, while also going back to basics for some fun rockers - maybe more streamlined in the sound department than their older stuff, but I don't think that's a bad thing at all. It's the expected continuation of Mmhmm in some ways, but it's not a totally predictable continuation - an RK album wouldn't be the same without a few curveballs. While there may be a few too many peppy love songs this time around (Thiessen seemed a little more heartbroken on Mmhmm, and here, he's almost giddy on a few songs while sounding rather depressed on others - such is love, I suppose), that and a few of the lyrical cliches that it inevitably leads to are the only serious drawbacks. Mmhmm was oh-so-close to being a five-star album in my book; Five Score is oh-so-close to outdoing Mmhmm but it falls just barely short. Still, a solid B+ is by no means a bad grade, and this thing's getting more spins from me than any other 2007 release that I've listened to thus far.

Plead the Fifth
That night at the theater, an impersonator died
Mr. Booth was tried, I just kept the truth inside...
The album's intro track is a bit random, though quite well-executed - it's entirely acapella, down to the chugging rhythm in the background, with plenty of "oh-wee-ooh-ooh"s and a "da da da" melody that sounds like it came straight from a Coldplay song. This switches to a slower, more syncopated rhythm, so that the band can give us a quick glimpse at the trail of Abraham Lincoln's assassin. What that has to do with the rest of the album, I have no clue, but I guess it ties in to the album's title, which is a riff on a quote from the Gettysburg Address. I really wish these guys would do a full acapella song one day ("Auld Lang Syne" was a cover and they talked over part of it, so that doesn't count), but these things probably take forever just to record a minute of music, so I guess I'll cut 'em some slack for keeping it brief.

Come Right Out and Say It
Thought I could make up your mind
You had a decision locked up so tight it couldn't be touched
Thought you were being so kind by keeping your mouth sealed shut
Rather than just open up...
The first full song doesn't really sound like the type of song that you'd put at the beginning of an album, which gives Five Score the unfortunate distinction of sounding like it starts off in its middle. That doesn't mean that this isn't a solid pop-punk song, though - it examines a communication breakdown in a relationship in the wry manner that only Matt Thiessen can, asking a friend who has been playing nice and shoving his offenses under the rug until he or she can't take it any more to just give it to him straight instead of keeping it all bottled up until they explode. It plays out much like "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been", with the piano playing a supporting role to give the song color without dominating it - it'll play a slightly larger role later in the album.

I Need You
Explore the cave that is my chest
A torch reveals there's nothing left
Your whispers echo off the walls
And you can hear my distant calls...
Ow. A slight bit of screechy guitar dissonance starts this one off, and then we tumble headlong into one of the band's most memorable rockers. What you can obviously tell is a little bit of lyrical laziness (they're admitting that they're nothing without God, big surprise!) doesn't do too much to weigh down an otherwise solid song with a massive "Who-oa-oa-oa!" hook in the chorus hook that finds them encroaching on Jimmy Eat World's territory just a bit. Matt proves himself to be a solid rock vocalist here, adding a slight bit of grit to his vocal delivery (though it's not as harsh as "Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet" from the previous album), and the other four guys in the band contribute solid backing vocals to make that chorus hook really count. Matt Hoopes does an excellent job trading off vocals with Thiessen in the verses, as well as backing him up in the righteous riffage department. The lyrics aren't a total wash, with some of the expected clever analogies made in the verse - I just think it's a bit unfortunate that a solid chorus melody is wasted on "I need you here, I need you now, I need security somehow". Not their finest of sentiments.

The Best Thing
I'll go back to before we met
Try and erase the past, try harder to forget
Cause nothing will ever be as good as here and now...
While being the first of a few overly saccharine love songs that drag the album down a bit, this track is a wonderful example of how Matt's piano playing contributes to the dynamic of this band's sound. He's got a rolling piano melody that flows beautifully throughout another strong, melodic rock tune - it reminds me of some of Charlie Lowell's best work in upbeat Jars of Clay songs. The main message here is that this person Matt has fallen in love with is the best thing that has ever happened to him, and it's every bit as cliche as it sounds, so the delectable piano and the well-timed shifts in the song's melody are what really make it a memorable one.

Forgiven
And what we've been striving for has turned into nothing more
Than bodies limp on the floor, victims of falling short
We kiss goodbye the cheek of our true love...
You couldn't find a better choice on this album for the first single released to Christian radio. The moody, minor-key piano hook at the beginning drips with tension, and Dave Douglas's solid drumming leads the band into broader, more stadium-ready territory, with an absolutely humungous chorus that begs for the forgiveness of a friend who he has wronged. Rather than just groveling, though, this song is a keen examination of how all men have fallen short of their own standards, and it kind of reprimands the person a bit for being blind to the plank in their own eye - holding a grudge against him and not being able to see that they're guilty of disappointing God just as much as he has. "I know that I am forgiven", he boldly states, "and I just hope you can forgive me too". I'm thrilled that this one is doing so well at Christian radio, since the song actually contains the word "damned", which I kind of figured would be a big no-no in the CCM world, despite the fact that it's totally being used in a theologically correct context - "You've been aptly damned to fail, and fail again" - and not as a swear word. It's a bold bit of lyricism (considering the audience) that works well because it rings 100% true. Not three years ago, Derek Webb chose to pull that very same word out of one of his songs while fighting to keep the equally appropriate use of the word "whore" in another, so either you can look on the bright side and say that the Christian music industry has lightened up a bit, or you can be cynical and say that Relient K gets away with it because they play a more popular style of music. In any event, this is one of their all-time best songs and I just plain can't get enough of it.

Must Have Done Something Right
We should get jerseys
Because we'd make a good team
But yours would look better than mine
Because you're out of my league...
If you find the above quote (which opens the song amidst a bit of riffing from John Warne's bass) to be cute instead of shamefully stupid, then you'll probably stand a good chance of appreciating the album's second sappy love song. This one remains upbeat, but strays even further into jaunty pop territory with its perky, major-key chorus, synthesizers and little bits of toy piano, and even a programmed handclap here. This one revisits the "you make my life better" theme while attempting to greet the more cynical side of their audience with a wink and a nudge by basically acknowledging that the thoughts being expressed are cliches. I've heard the whole "I can get away with being cliché if I make sly references to the fact that it's cliché in the actual song" thing, and there are very few instances in which it actually works. Due to that, this one was kind of a mediocre choice for the first mainstream single from the album - I kind of think it might scare some folks away who might otherwise enjoy the band's style and lyrical approach. I do enjoy the bridge, though, which sort of hearkens back to the acapella "bop bop bop" rhythm from the latter half of "Plead the Fifth", only without silencing the instruments in the process. There might be a deeper tie-in between the two songs than I'm detecting, but I'm not gonna worry about it right now.

Give
No one told me how bad I need you
But I somehow arrived at that conclusion all by myself
And I want all you have to offer
So I'll offer myself and I'll just give until there's nothing else...
Now here's a shameless attempt at a breezy Christian Hit Radio chart-topper if I've ever seen one. It follows the "Catchy rock band scales back the tempo and adds acoustic guitars and programmed elements" template to a T, and yet, I like it quite a bit. That's probably because it's a pretty decent showcase for the band's more sensitive side, with killer vocal layering in the chorus and smartly written lyrics about what it means to give unselfishly even though nobody taught you the exact procedure for doing so - it's just something that you have to figure out as you go. The synthesized elements add to the melodic nature of the song, but there's more than enough of a "real" elements in the drums, guitars and vocals so that it doesn't feel like the work of a band that was too shy to say no to an overzealous producer or something. They wanted to write a great pop song and they totally pulled it off. (Someone in the band's gotta have a fairly extensive collection of Beach Boys records.)

Devastation and Reform
An injury I'll cause with my own fist
It seems to me to be slightly masochistic
But there'd be no story without all this dissension
So I inflict the conflict with the utmost of intention...
The band smartly recognizes that it's time to rock again, and they go for a slicker approach a la Anberlin with a slightly detached verse, a cleaner guitar riff at the beginning of the song, and solid, straight-ahead drumming, leading up to a frustrated but anthemic chorus. It's basically a song about trying hard and failing over and over again, and actually attaining spiritual growth because of what is learned from those repeated stumbling, rather than by being 100% good and earning some sort of imaginary merit badges. The band's got a great balance of anger and wisdom in this compact little rocker, with the only drawback being a bridge that's a little too smooth and gentle for the song it's placed in the middle of. It's the one point where a sentiment like "Thank you, God, for giving me the insight" seems like it was forced into a song to wrap things up neatly, where it might have been better to just allow this one to express the frustration and let another song explore the peace and gratitude that comes later on.

I'm Taking You with Me
If home is where the heart is, then my home is where you are
But it's getting oh so hard to spend these days without my heart...
Here's the point where it starts to feel like the album's got one love song too many. They go into totally teenybopper-friendly pop-punk with this one, starting off with an excellent hook of peppy, layered "whoa"s (which later leads to a really awesome, sudden ending with just the vocals), but take way too straightforward of an approach for most of the song, basically expressing the problem of being in a rock band and having to tour and be away from a loved one for extended periods of time. Matt's solution is basically, "Hey, wanna ride in our tour bus for a few weeks!", though it's expressed in much more general terms, with the occasional witty quip to keep it from getting too sappy. I tend to remember this song as that other song with a good "Whoa" hook, and forget most of the rest of it.

Faking My Own Suicide
I'll write you a letter that you'll keep
Reminding you your love for me is more than six feet deep...
OK, you guys have got to be kidding me with this one. I rather enjoy the laid-back beat and the harmonica that sounds like it was dropped in from a sad folk song. Matt plays the "sad sack" role quite believably, and you can tell that this one came from a very different phase of his life - he actually wrote it for his side project Matthew Thiessen & the Earthquakes, hence the mellower tone and the almost humorously depressing lyrics. His basic shtick is that he's bummed that a girl doesn't like him back, and he figures that she'll regret her decision if she thinks that he committed suicide over this. In some ways, it's played with a bit of a wink and a nudge because he's fully aware that it's a really stupid idea that would only work in some cheesy romantic comedy flick. So part of me can chuckle at it. But then there's this other part of me that thinks that it's not very funny at all, because some jerks would probably try a trick like that in real life and get a solid left hook to the face for their efforts once the girl found out. Even more problematic is the fact that some teenage listener really could feel like killing himself over unrequited love, so in that sense, it hit's a little close to home and they run the risk of their target audience not realizing it's a joke. It's not an altogether terrible song, and I'm not about to blame it for all of the problems faced by America's youth, but it is a bit of a poorly-executed joke.

Crayons Can Melt on Us for All I Care
This is a totally frivolous interlude in which, over a brief piano flourish, Matt informs us that "I just wasted ten seconds of your life." And then a last note from the piano ends the song sharply and resolutely, at exactly 10 seconds into the track. Hee.

Bite My Tongue
It seems I'm always close minded with an open mouth
And the worst of me seems to come right out
But I've never broken bones with a stone or a stick
But I'll conjure up a phrase that can cut to the quick...
This is the late-album rocker that almost wasn't - Matt wrote it, but wasn't confident in it enough to put it on the album until he was convinced by the rest of the band that it was a pretty good song. I think it's a pretty decent example of his writing, in line with songs like "This Week the Trend" from Mmhmm, or even a more serious version of "Hoopes, I Did It Again", about how he says stupid stuff without thinking and lacks the restraint to know when it's better to keep his mouth shut. Clever wordplay, such as the phrase "too ticked to talk" (tick tock, get it?) is what characterizes the song, as well as the near-shouts of "Quiet! Quiet!" in the chorus. The chug-chug guitar riffing doesn't do as much for me, but I do enjoy the song's primary riff, which is simultaneously shimmering and gritty - I'm not quite sure how they pull that off.

Up and Up
To be prosperous would not require much of me
You see, contentment is all that it entails
To be content with where I am, and getting where I need to be
And moving past the past where I have failed...
OK, so they might have used the "Whoa-oa" hook one too many times on this album. This song comes close to having an 80's beat (think "In Love with the 80's" but less blatant, since it's played with piano and distorted guitar instead of cheesy synths and programming) and a more relaxed feel overall, tending toward jumpy pop-punk by the time it gets to the chorus, but kind of straddling the fence in terms of what kind of song it really wants to be. This one's a more positive reflection of "Devastation and Reform", and it doesn't grab me as much because it's almost a bit too optimistic with its declaration that "I'm just trying to be a better version of me for you", but I do like the message of being honest about one's failings but not finding reason to give up on one's ability to grow. Plus I like the fact that Matt rhymes "on to it" with "conduit". (Every time I hear the word "conduit", I think of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Don't ask.)

Deathbed
Got married on my twenty-first
Eight months before my wife would give birth
It's easier to be sure you love someone
When a father inquires with the barrel of a gun...
You're totally not ready for this one. You may have been surprised by the all-over-the-map "Jefferson Aero Plane" from Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do, or the epic breakup lament "When I Go Down" from Mmhmm, but this is an album closer which is going to be difficult for Relient K to ever top. It's an eleven-minute doozy of a song about an old, lonely man who has done nothing but screw up for his entire life, and who now lays on his deathbed looking back over his entire life. The chorus plays out as a delicate piano ballad in 6/8 time, and the band surprises us with verses that turn a corner into bouncy piano-pop territory that borrows a trick or two from The Beatles, Ben Folds, and even Sufjan Stevens. Jon Schneck was likely a strong contributor here, as all manner of arguments, from the expected strings to the highly unexpected accordion, toy piano, wedding bells, and even trumpets at various points during the song. A song like this would usually play out as a tear-jerker, and it's definitely a tough one for me to get through without getting a more than a bit misty, but it's also disarmingly funny at certain points as the man recounts different ways that he's totally goofed up his life (particularly his marriage). Matt Thiessen's talent for observation is at its shining best here - he speaks in specifics and one minute you're giggling at a witty remark, and then the next you're feeling bad for laughing at this man's tragic, empty life. I can't think of many other songs which manage to tug at my heartstrings while also slightly tickling my funny bone - every now and then, the Barenaked Ladies can pull it off, I suppose. The band isn't afraid to wear their Christianity on their sleeve with this one, and that's where the Sufjan Stevens influence shows most prominently - it plays as part of this man's life story, the thing that he turns to when everything else has completely gone down the toilet, and while I might have appreciated a little bit of exposition linking his down-and-out state to the reasoning that led him to recognize he needed Jesus, I think it's still great that this man doesn't have to be justified as suddenly turning into a hero and doing all these greatly things for the song to convincingly portray his redemption. Jesus simply shows up, not critical, lovingly saying, "Before we go up, I thought that we might reminisce", and recalls the man crying out with a contrite heart instead of listing all of the ways that he messed up. This part of the song is played more slowly and sensitively, but the quirky instruments still work their way in, and then we're lead into a jubilant, upbeat musical celebration filled with piano, strings, and a great little trumpet fanfare. As if all of that weren't enough, Switchfoot's Jon Foreman randomly shows up to play the gentle, loving voice of God for a few brief lines near the end, leaving Matt Thiessen to finish the album on the simple thought, "I am love". I'm probably getting my personal feelings involved because I had an uncle who died recently due to cancer from the same smoking habit that did this fictional character in, and some of the retelling of his sad life reflects things that I know my uncle went through. But I think that even if you haven't suffered a personal lost, it would take an extremely cynical heart to not be touched by a song like this. It's absolutely breathtaking, and it totally fits Relient K's personality despite being radically different from anything else they've ever done.

Did I forget to mention that you can't buy this album until March 6? Whoops. I got you all excited (hopefully!) and now you're gonna have to wait. Jump on it when it comes out if you've at all appreciated any of the band's past work. It's a bit inconsistent in places, but the majority of the songs make the few duds relatively easy to overlook (and even those are still somewhat enjoyable). Despite only having two original members left, Relient K has gotten much stronger over the years and they show no signs of slowing down or selling out (unless you think they were sellouts from the get-go because they don't play straight-up punk, or because not all of their songs are explicitly Christian, or some stupid limiting bias like that), so they'll probably remain one of my favorite bands for as long as they're around, and I think that Five Score and Seven Years Ago has the potential to make them one of your favorites, too.

ALBUM WORTH:
Plead the Fifth $.50
Come Right Out and Say It $1.50
I Need You $1.50
The Best Thing $1
Forgiven $2
Must Have Done Something Right $1
Give $1.50
Devastation and Reform $1.50
I'm Taking You with Me $1
Faking My Own Suicide $.50
Crayons Can Melt on Us for All I Care $0
Bite My Tongue $1
Up and Up $.50
Deathbed $2
TOTAL: $15.50

Band Members:
Matt Thiessen: Lead vocals, guitars, piano
Matt Hoopes: Guitars, backing vocals
Dave Douglas: Drums, backing vocals
John Warne: Bass, backing vocals
Jon Schneck: Guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, other random instruments

Websites:
http://www.relientk.com
http://www.myspace.com/relientk

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving