Relient K’s second joint Gotee Records/Capitol release marks the band’s ascendancy to the hallowed realm of the Definitely Significant, in the company of fellow ambassadors Switchfoot and U2, or it should anyway. The writing is mature without being overly-serious, the execution sublime, and the spirit of the project is defiantly joyful. Lookout: in my earlier preview of the album I cracked the lid slightly on my deep enjoyment of “Five Score and Seven Years Ago,” but here comes a full-throated rave.
Opener “Plead the Fifth” contains the usual Relient K sense of fun, written from the perspective of a 19th century conspiracy nut fixated on Lincoln’s death, which may not sound like much fun, I grant you, but oh baby, those Beach Boy-esque harmonies soaring through the melody line are nothing short of musical ecstasy. More pleading in the next track, a tongue-twisting punk-pop request for the straight truth, “Come Right Out and Say It.” “I Need You” moves from its opening discordant guitar riffs to hammering rock beats as its lyrics plainly proclaim complete dependency. Very much in the vein of Switchfoot’s “Oh! Gravity,” Relient K has created dynamic infectious rock that will successfully cross all borders and has the capacity to satisfy and stir every audience.
I covered “Must Have Done Something Right” and the brilliant “Faking My Own Suicide” in our preview, but there are plenty of noteworthy tracks still to mention here. The thickly orchestrated “Forgiven” celebrates mercy with a wildly melodic chorus, and Thiessen’s vocals on “Give” will lift you from the daily grind. A run of power punk-pop tracks in the album’s second half highlight the pounding rhythm section, fitting as “Five Score and Seven Years Ago” marks the band’s first full-length project featuring bassist John Warne and guitarist Jon Schneck. With original guitarist Matt Hoopes and drummer Dave Douglas completing the line-up, Relient K is now a quintet with each of the members contributing vocals.
The vocals throughout are spotless, but it is the last track, that spectacular 11-minute-plus masterpiece, that grabs you by the throat with its pure tones, courtesy of guest artist Jon Foreman. This 115-track tour-de-force, “Deathbed,” is the sad tale of a wasted life, sung by a cancer patient with a sense of humor. “I can smell the death on the sheets covering me/ I can’t believe this is the end/ So many things I’d do again.” The Beatlesque changes lead through the ironies of drinking, smoking, and a loveless marriage: “If life was a highway, I was drunk at the wheel.” Somber strings and slowly entering horns build to a gloriously emotional climax, providing finally the missing answers: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Absolutely breath-taking, “Five Score and Seven Years Ago” should prove to be quite the damper on Relient K’s previously enjoyed obscurity once it releases on March 6th.
