I've really grown to admire Relient K over the years. When they started out, they were little more than one more young pop-punk band to throw on to the heap, with enough of a sense of humor to convince me to buy a record on the strength of a few novelty songs, but without the power to really hold my interest once things got a little more serious. But over the past four years, these Ohio boys have managed to become a staple of my Christian music diet due to their knack for slick harmonies, extremely catchy songs that remain engaging long after other pop-punk bands have become monotonous, and most importantly of all, witty lyrics. It probably has more to do with my individual sense of humor than anything else, but I love a band who can play an unabashedly silly song like "Sadie Hawkins Dance", "Gibberish", or a cover of the "Charles in Charge" theme song, and then turn around and use their wit in more subtle ways to describe the struggles of being young, being in relationships, and trying to live a meaningful life as a Christian in away that sidesteps cliché and puts what I'm feeling into more apt phrases than I could ever hope to come up with. Maybe not a lot of people noticed that about them, but from about their second album on, this band has proven to be much more that some one-trick pony. Pop-punk is a genre that I normally can't get into other than maybe 2 or 3 songs per band, so I figure it's an accomplishment for Relient K to have that sort of staying power with me.

Apparently, there weren't enough people who were convinced that RK could make it as a serious band without the novelty to boost kids' interest in their albums, because their latest disc, Mmhmm, doesn't contain any songs that can be construed as only existing for the sake of humor. That's a bit of an unexpected mood, since the very title of the album is a bit of a joke (kind of a sly "Fine, have it your way" to people who complained about unwieldy titles like The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek and Two Lefts Don't Make a Right, But Three Do), and there's a cartoonish flower on the front of it. Those aren't exactly the hallmarks of a serious band.

Truth be told, Mmhmm isn't an album that you start listening to and think, "Wow, these guys have really changed" - it's one of those realizations that hits you at the end of the album rather than the beginning. The meaty, catchy-as-heck pop-punk sound is there, though they've rounded things out a bit with a good helping of piano and a few other subtle musical surprises here and there. The lyrics still employ double meanings, alliteration, puns, and other types of clever wordplay on frequent occasion to get a point across, and even in the middle of some of the most fun songs, there can often be a poignant line that jumps out and grabs you and makes you go, "Yeah, that's exactly how I feel about this." It's a highly quotable record, even if there isn't any one song that I just have to play for all of my friends just to get a few giggles out of them.

I guess you could consider this to be a logical progression from their last record (Two Lefts). The piano worked its way into that album here and there, and there were songs like "I Am Understood?" and "Jefferson Aero Plane" that moved through distinct sections instead of playing out a rote verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus scheme. Mmhmm takes that notion and runs with it, and while it doesn't completely break the rules of songwriting in totally revolutionary ways, changing up the placement of certain song elements as well as the tempos and time signatures can add a lot of life to a genre that normally sounds insanely repetitive to these years. It takes a few spins to take it all in, but keep your ears open while you're banging your head around, and you'll realize that Matt Thiessen and Co. have come up with an excellent batch of songs.

Mmhmm
There's actually a listed "track 0" at the start of the album, which can be heard if you put the CD in a player (not your computer) and hold down "rewind". It's only about 10 or 15 seconds of the guys humming the album title - rather pointless and un-funny compared to what you'd expect from a hidden goodie on a Relient K album. It's certainly no great loss if you decide to not bother with this one!

The One I'm Waiting for
The way that girl can turn a head
Well, she is such a threat
But don't ever forget, she knows it...
The first thing you hear once you're in positive numbers is a neat electric guitar riff lined up with a punchy drum beat that seems like a catchy enough intro, but without warning, the band goes into warp speed - guitarist Matt Hoopes keeps the riff more or less the same, but Dave Douglas doubles the pace of the drums and takes the band closer to straight-up punk territory than they've been for a while. I would never mistake Relient K for a straight-up punk band or anything, but it sure is fun to hear them drop a dizzyingly fast 2/4 drum beat once in a while! Lead singer Matt Thiessen begins to tell us the story of a girl who broke his heart during the deliberately choppy verses, and while he and his band sound quite cheerful with the backing "whoas" and the usual harmonies, you can tell that he's rather bummed. Not only did the girl leave him high and dry - she was well aware of her power to do that to him from the get-go. The song seems a little bitter because of that, and yet oddly enough, it backs off in its intensity for the chorus, using a more soft and measured rhythm there as if to reverse the usual soft/loud dynamic that a lot of bands seem to be stuck in. it's like he realizes his folly in the chorus, and he admits to God that "I'm still waiting for You to be the one I'm waiting for". In other words, I made the mistake of putting my faith in another person, and she let me down, and I should have learned that lesson long ago. One has to wonder if this song has anything to do with Matt's recent split with singer Katy Hudson, but then, I probably shouldn't speculate.

Be My Escape
And this life sentence that I'm serving
I admit, that I'm every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair...
The second track, which I believe is the album's first single, backs off slightly on the rock factor while remaining fairly upbeat, allowing Matt Thiessen's newfound love for the piano to take prominence. The piano flows really nicely through the verses, which find the lyrics flying by softly but quickly - it's a horse of a different color for Relient K, and the kind of song that I think takes multiple listens to really appreciate. The lyrical premise is fairly simple - Matt is dealing with the realization that he has to surrender to God and not try to rely on his own power to save himself. The way Matt describes it is chock full of insight where a lot of other Christian bands would rely on clichés to carry them through such a song - the quick pace of the lyrics allows Matt to write a lot of 'em, and yet they never feel like filler. The song eventually gives way to a waltz-like interlude of piano and bells, in which Matt realizes, "All I was trying to do was save my own skin... but so we You". I love how those last three words come out in falsetto - it seems like a musical non-sequitur, but it gives the song some gentle closure.

High of 75
And tomorrow, I know, will be rainy at best
And the forecast, I know, is that I'll be depressed
But I'll wait outside, hoping that I'll catch sight of the sun...
A quick acoustic strum leads off this peppy little song, which explores the tendency that some people (myself included) have to get all depressed and melancholy when the weather gets cold. The song quickly becomes electric and quite loud, sticking to an unabashedly catch melody as Matt describes the "bi-polar" weather patterns around him and noting that "It's funny how you find you enjoy your life when you're happy to be alive". Kind of a truism, but also a good indicator that he knows he needs an attitude adjustment. Interestingly, the tone of the song changes for the chorus, utilizing a pumping electronic beat that seems to come out of somewhere else entirely (kind of like the new wave pop feel of "In Love with the 80's" from their previous album), but then it reverts to the usual punk beat for the final chorus. And there you have it in under three minutes - a nice little pick-me-up for those yucky winter days. Listen closely to this one, and you'll catch subtle lyrical tricks like using the words "weather" and "whether" in the same line.

I So Hate Consequences
And after all of my alibis desert me
I just want to get by, I don't want nothing to hurt me
I had no idea where my head was at
But if my heart says I'm sorry, can we leave it at that?
This song seems to be this album's "Forward Motion" - it expresses frustration over sin and an inability to own up to what you're doing wrong and grow up, and it changes rhythms and textures quite a few times in doing so, starting off with a rambunctious "And I'm good, good, good to go!" and kind of wandering off in several different directions from there. If the music seems a bit A.D.D., it's not an accident - it fits with Matt's frantic attempt to get away from God and avoid facing up to the consequences of what he's done wrong. The song strikes a delicate balance that isn't often heard in Christian music - on the one hand, the release of finally giving up and taking it to God and knowing you're forgiven can be heard, specifically in the soft, piano-driven reprise of the chorus near the end, but on the other hand, the band clearly makes a distinction between punishment and consequence - sins still have destructive effects that naturally follow and that God doesn't always stop from happening even though we're forgiven. Hence, the need to learn from our stupid mistakes instead of just continuing to sin. The guys add a lot of different touches to this one - a little bit of frustrated screaming here, overlapping vocals that compensate for densely packed lyrics there, and so forth. It adds a lot of personality to what turns out to be one of RK's best songs yet.

The Only Thing Worse than Beating a Dead Horse Is Betting on One
Opinions are immunity to being told you're wrong
Paper, rock, and scissors, they all have their pros and cons...
At a scant 1:13, and with such an absurdly long title, you might expect this track to be a silly interlude or a dumb joke song. It actually seems to have a point, but don't ask me what that point is. The lyrics fly by so quickly at the beginning of the song that they're impossible to make sense out of without reading the liner notes. Definitely not a typical moment for a pop punk band. And then it breaks into an acoustic section where the band greets us with clearer lyrics that seem to speak in riddles. The whole thing feels rather random, but with its stray references to politicians and opinions, it probably has a point that just take a little digging to find.

My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend
When he was seeing her, you could see he had his doubts
Now he's missing her, because you know he's missing out
I think that this one would be the closest thing to a "funny" song on the album, since it's a lot more lighthearted than most of the material here. However, it isn't really a laugh-out-loud sort of song - more of a cute one, really, since it goes about flattering a girl in a rather unorthodox way. The song is dedicated to the guy that this girl used to date, and Matt basically sings about what a dunce he must feel like now that he realizes what he's left and Matt is able to reap the benefits. The phrasing of it is very clever - "If it wasn't for him, he'd be as happy as me" is definitely a standout line. But I don't know; it feels rather mean-spirited, which is why I can't really bring myself to be all that amused by it. It's a nice try, and I like the soft vocal breakdown near the end that reminds me of their old song "Staples", but let's face it, they've done better relationship songs.

More than Useless
I noticed, I know this
Week is a symbol of how I use my time
Resent it, I spent it
Convincing myself the world's doing just fine...
One of the more straightforward pop-punk songs on the record takes a similar musical tone to the last album's "Trademark", and uses it to discuss feelings of worthlessness and laziness. Here Matt is confessing the sin of simply wasting his time, and basically admitting to God that he can't accomplish any good on his own. It's a convicting and motivational song all at once, especially if you're one of those folks like me who can have entire months go by and wonder where on earth they went, and be led to think that your life doesn't have any significance. Matt knows that he should know better than that, and he recalls that God has promised him the ability to "do something right for once".

Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet
I tried to move you, but you just wouldn't budge
I tried to hold your hand, but you'd rather hold your grudge...
Here we find Matt dealing with aftermath of a conflict with someone that it seems like he loves dearly but is very angry with. His emotions here range from explosive frustration (check out the yelling on the chorus - very surprising, very cool) to self-blame to a more level-headed wish for reconciliation. Relient K definitely gets into their heaviest territory with the chorus, which also includes the witty line, "You know I'll always love you, but right now I just don't like you." And in between the verse, you hear... is that a banjo? Whoa, this is getting weird. But I can't complain. The other voices in the band are utilized quite well here, juxtaposing multiple vocal lines with a little bit of screaming during the bridge. Eventually, the whole thing cools down into a mournful dirge driven by the banjo and piano, which segues brilliantly into the next track.

Let It All Out
And you said, I know that this will hurt
But if I don't break your heart, then things will just get worse...
I hope you liked the soft ending of "Be My Escape", because it's that gentle, piano-driven mood that dominates this entire song. The vocals of Matt Hoopes and Dave Douglas play a major role here, with those guys filling in parenthetical lyrics (I think the entire second verse is actually sung by one them) in between Matt's soft call for confrontation with the person who is mad at him. "The end will justify the pain it took to get us there", he tells us, and it's a hard truth - sometimes reconciliation requires being honest and saying things that hurt a bit in order to get your grievances out in the open and work things out. The rhythm vacillates back and forth between 4/4 and 3/4, giving the whole thing a watery, emotional mood, and at one point it almost turns classical with plucked strings in the background. The closest thing RK has done to a song like this so far is "Less Is More", but this one's a shade more artistic, more in line with a song like "I Celebrate the Day" from their Christmas album. It's a bit difficult to sing along with, but that's really no big deal - it's a gutsy move for the band and it pays off.

Who I Am Hates Who I've Been
I talked to absolutely no one
Couldn't keep to myself enough
And the things bottled inside had finally begun
To create so much pressure that I'd soon blow up...
Returning once again to more straightforward territory (funny how these types of songs are the least interesting ones on the album, though that doesn't mean they're bad in any way), this song keeps the piano around to offer a light touch to the verses, while taking on more of a classic Relient K sound for the bulk of it. Here, Matt deals with the whole "old man vs. new man" battle, a simple concept, but one that he explores eloquently due to his use of vocabulary. This song actually has two sections that seem to function as a "chorus", and the second time through, the band actually plays the first "chorus" section calmly, allowing it to take on different mood than it the first time, when it had more of a punk/screaming vibe to it. Even with the more straight-ahead songs, I think they like to keep us guessing.

Maintain Consciousness
We took prescription drugs, but look how much good that did
Well, I think I had a point, but I just got distracted...
It's easy for me to get a few of the songs near the end of this album mixed up, and that can sometimes be the case with this one, with its themes of boredom and laziness that were kind of already explored in "More than Useless". This one brings out Matt's slacker tendencies a little more as he realizes he's inevitably becoming an adult against his will. The mood here is extremely sarcastic, and the chorus features one of the most clever lines on the record: "It's seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, routine, and here at twenty-three, it's the same old me." Just to illustrate the boredom, the bands shifts gears entirely for the song's midsection, taking into another frenzied punk breakdown before settling back into the standard rhythm for the second verse. If nothing else, this song will give you a chance to get your frustrations out - try screaming "A.D.D.!!!!!" along with them during the chorus.

This Week the Trend
So I say, give me a solution
And watch me run with it
And then You gave, You gave me a solution
What have I done with it?
The bleed-in between the last song and the intro riff to think one is much like how "College Kids" leads into "Trademark" on Two Lefts. Keeping the momentum going from the past two songs, this one takes on a bit of a "dear diary" tone as Matt examines his self-destructive patterns and realizes that he's repeating the same thing week after week - oversleeping, taking on too much and burning out, creating rifts between himself and his friends, etc. A theme to the record seems to emerging at this point - change, and man's inability to accomplish genuine growth on his own. Here Matt even acknowledges that he's prayed for the solution and had it presented by God, and he still remains unchanged, likely because the way he already was is more comfortable. He almost sounds like he's gone off the deep end when he tells us in the bridge that "I just want to get mugged at knifepoint, to get cut enough to wake me up". Man, what a request! Not to be too much of a downer, this song also has its fun elements, from the insistent one-chord riffing that closes out the song to the way the words "this minute, this hour, this day" pop right back into the refrain of "This week the trend" at the end of the first verse, intentionally jumping the gun on the expected rhythm of the song.

Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II)
Just keep driving
Leave this defeat miles behind me
So far back I'd have to rack my mind just to remind me...
The album's final rock-out moment serves as a riff-heavy sequel of sorts to "Failure to Excommunicate" from The Anatomy, though its subject matter is a little bit different, discussing the disappointing things that happen in life and assuring us that redemption can follow after them. Part of Matt's disappointment here seems to be his own mistakes, and his tendency to dwell on those mistakes, almost as if he makes them on purpose in order to receive more grace. It's a heartfelt confession that I think a lot of honest Christians can relate to, and once again we've got a balance between the rougher, rockier sections, and the gentle swaying chorus, which serves as a reminder that "Death and decay can't touch us now". The song closes with a bit of deja vu - the very same strings that were found at the end of "Failure to Excommunicate" show up again here, as if they're being played back from a very old recording.

When I Go Down
I've thrown away the secret to find an end to this
And I just pray my problems go away if they're ignored
But that's not the way it works...
The album closer finds the band trying to outdo their previous finale, "Jefferson Aero Plane", and the result owes a bit to Jimmy Eat World, though not so much that you forget what band it is. It starts off with a gently picked acoustic guitar pattern, and swells there for a little bit as Matt once again shares about the pain of having been left by the girl he loved. This song seems to be about letting yourself hit bottom and arriving at that point where you've relinquished all attempts to help yourself, so that God can be your only refuge. It's a tough thing to hear, because people tend to flinch from a story where things have to get worse before they can get better, but there's an assurance planted firmly underneath all of the sorrow here, a knowledge that this is only for a season. The electric guitars kick in at the second verse and move the song into slow-burning rock territory, but it's definitely one of the most non-punkish things they've done so far, even going so far as to include Christmas bells and harmonized "ba-ba-ba"s near the end of the song. Ultimately, this one ends up being an uplifting song of worship instead of just time wasted wallowing in depression - Matt realizes that letting go of his dependence on people allows him to trust more in God, which ties together nicely with the album's first song. This is the kind of suffering that refines a man and leaves him better than where he started, and while a distinct happily ever after hasn't arrived by the time this six-minute song closes on an unresolved note, there is a definite sense of hope that we get from it, a lasting picture of Matt looking hopefully up at the sky, knowing that grace is on its way.

I suppose a silly hidden track after a song like that would probably have ruined the mood, and perhaps that's the reason for the absence of songs intended only for humor - it just wouldn't have fit the more melancholy mood as much as it did on previous albums. The band has definitely worn their hearts on their sleeves with this one, and that's going to be a bummer to some people, but then again, the music is so fun and bouncy that you might miss that if you're not paying attention. It's a strange way to put together an album, but it plays to most of Relient K's strengths, and the more unified feel helps to make this the band's most consistent record yet, even if my personal favorite is probably still The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek.

So now I'm just waiting for Gotee Records to capitalize on Relient K's willingness to experiment stylistically, and release a remix album entitled Nuh-uh.

Or not.

ALBUM WORTH.
Mmhmm $0
The One I'm Waiting for $1.50
Be My Escape $1
High of 75 $1.50
I So Hate Consequences $2
The Only Thing Worse than Beating a Dead Horse Is Betting on One $.50
My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend $.50
More than Useless $1
Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet $2
Let It All Out $1.50
Who I Am Hates Who I've Been $1
Maintain Consciousness $1
This Week the Trend $1.50
Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II) $1
When I Go Down $1.50
TOTAL: $17.50

Band Members:
Matt Thiessen: Lead vocals, piano, guitar
Matt Hoopes: Guitar, backing vocals
Dave Douglas: Drums, backing vocals
Brian Pittman: Bass (has since left the band)

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

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving