Backlog: Relient k - Not just for youth groups

Relient k (along with Audio Adrenaline, Jars of Clay, the Beatles, and now possibly Ben Folds) is one of my favorite bands. And, unfortunately, I have long thought that they have had to endure the misdirected scorn from some music snobs who dislike some music simply because of the type of people who listen to it.

I can't say that I totally can blame them. If a ninth grader came to me and started raving about this cool band that she listens to in youth group, and "ohmigosh they are soooo hot!" 9 out of 10 times I'd tune them out. And yes, rk does have fans like that. However, 1 out of the 10 times (or maybe more than 10) there is some music worth listening to. Relient k is one of the 1's.

I first read about rk in some teen magazine. Later, I heard some of their music at, you guessed it, youth group, and I liked it enough to buy their second (and, at the time, latest) album, The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek. And yes, there IS a reason that youth groups like them, particularly their old music. Many of their songs are silly, and almost all of them are ridiculously catchy. And some of their early work (like "Breakdown," "Trademark," and much of the music from their debut) isn't really great quality. But even in the debut, some of Matt Thiessen's lyrical creativity was hinted at, and Relient k continued to improve album after album.

Then they made Mmhmm, their fourth album. Musically, it rocked at precisely the right moments to rock and it slowed down and coasted at the precise moments it needed to coast. Thiessen's voice shined, and the songs melded together to form a coherent whole, while all sounding distinct from each other. Lyrically, Thiessen has (so far) never been better, writing clever and poignant lines to reveal a deeply personal and relatable album.

After Mmhmm, they followed it up with an EP and, this February, they released Five Score and Seven Years Ago. While lyrically not as strong as Mmhmm, it did have several strong points, and while they do not sound as comfortable as they did in Mmhmm, they have produced their most musically diverse album yet. Starting with an accapella Beach Boys tribute and ending with an 11 minute, 115 track song to cap the album off, the result is an album that, while not as golden as Mmhmm, is still satisfying.

Why then, does rk still suffer the youth band stigma? Well, part of it is that youth groups still love them. Even though their lyrics are much more meaningful than almost every other pop, punk, or pop/punk band, Relient k still often plays in a pop/punk style. And while they are now popular in the mainstream, they were popular enough before Mmhmm came out that they still need to throw some "Christian era" hits at the most devoted fans (I've seen them five times. I've heard "Sadie Hawkins Dance" and "Chapped Stick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry" all five times.)

The other reason that I think that Relient k is still shunned by many music snobs is because, once upon a time, the snobs heard one or two songs by Relient k and hated them and have since hated the band for all eternity. I wonder if the amount of people turned off to the band because of "Sadie Hawkins" is proportional to the amount turned on to them by the same song. I wouldn't be surprised.And, here's where I'll lose some of you: I like "Sadie Hawkins Dance" and "17 Magazine" and "Nancy Drew" and "Maybe It's Maybelline." They are fun, and many of them are witty in their own way. Not everything about "youth group" is bad y'know. You probably enjoyed it while you were there.

That wraps up the main bulk of what I wanted to write. But I'll leave you with ten songs of Relient k that you should listen to before you blow them off. Do with it what you will.

10. Hello McFly--self titled. This is the best song from Relient k's debut, back when their music was littered with old pop culture references. The lyrics aren't amazing or anything, but they are fun and clever.

9. For the Moments I Feel Faint--Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek. Worshipful song with evocative acoustic guitar, violins, and good vocals by lead singer Thiessen.

8. My Way or the Highway--Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek. Maybe I'm the only one who likes this song, but I like it, perhaps simply for the fact that the end is cool and the beginning contains the line "Add a cello here to add a sad impression".

7. Jefferson Aeroplane--Two Lefts Don't Make a Right, but Three Do. Still not really sure what this song is about, but it sounds great. If you can find it, listen to the demo on The Creepy EP. It's even better when done with an acoustic guitar.

6. Plead the Fifth--Five Score and Seven Years Ago. A short little song about the Lincoln assassination, done completely in accapella. Thiessen's favorite band is the Beach Boys, and you can tell here as they use their voices as the instruments.

5. I Am Understood?--Two Lefts Don't Make a Right, but Three Do. I've always thought that the lyrics to this song are beautiful. There's a small bit of poorly executed screamo at the end of the song, but other than that it is a wonderfully written song to a God who comprehends us all and still loves us anyway.

4. I So Hate Consequences--Mmhmm. Yeah, silly title, but a passionate, rocked out song about running from God.

3. Apathetic Way to Be--The Apathetic EP. Every single time I listen to this song, I like it more. This song really is Relient k's wittiest song ever, making fun both of people who care about nothing and people who care about everything.

2. Life After Death and Taxes--Mmhmm. RK's best concert song, with some of my favorite lines of any of their music. "This is how I choose to live, as if I'm jumping off a cliff, Knowing that you'll save me."

1. Deathbed--Five Score and Seven Years Ago. This is that huuuuge song that I referenced earlier on. This song is a powerful story of redemption, and, coincidentally, has John Foreman guest singing what are his most (only?) spiritual lines since before The Beautiful Letdown.