Relient K
Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right
Gotee
What can I say? I could sit here and slag this band for being unoriginal, generic, corny and lacking an ounce of talent in their collective bodies, but what would be the point? Relient K is on the verge of being the next MxPx – I’m willing to bet these guys will be a lot bigger than MxPx ever was. I swear, I’m not kidding; the kids are eating these guys up like there’s no tomorrow, and it seems like there’s nothing out there to stop these guys from taking over the world.
To be honest, I never really liked this band all that much, until the day that I sold the only cd I owned by them on eBay. It was about a year ago, and I was getting rid of some old cds I never listened to, including Relient K’s All Work and No Play. I put it up, thinking I’d get a dollar or two. To my grateful surprise, the auction ended at $88.00. It turns out that the disc was their very rare debut. Funny story, eh?
The stuff on that album may be really bad, poorly produced, early Green Day-style pop punk, but Relient K have since refined their chops considerably. The recording quality of Two Lefts• is absolutely stellar, with each individual instrument sounding like it was given its own personal recording studio. The guitars are crisp, driving and aggressive, as is the bass. The drums could be a bit louder, but they are still a force to reckoned with, as they pound and punch with real kick. The melodic hooks these guys come up with are so sharp that I have several small cuts inside my ears.
The vocals and lyrics are where the band loses me. The singer’s voice is so annoying; I seriously want to slit my wrists when I hear him. He’s got that terrible whiney voice style that the guitar player from Blink 182 and the fools in Sum 41 use. It’s so stupid and nasal! God, take me now! I swear, too many people have been stroking this guy, telling him how cool his voice is. He’s probably never going to change, but it sucks so bad, that it’s almost incomprehensible.
Now, the lyrics• oh, the lyrics• let’s see, there’s a song called “In Love with the ’80s,” which references Tears For Fears, mustaches and other 1980s clichés. There’s the song about being in high school and having a cell phone lost while on the Batman ride. The lyrics are pretty much pointless blather that attempt to be ironic and funny, but fall short time after time. However, I do enjoy “Hoopes, I did it Again,” as it pays homage to the city where I live, Canton, OH (I actually live in the snootier part of Canton, called North Canton). They reference local things, like the Movies 4, that will have the local punks peeing in their pants with glee. I guess it’s pretty cool for them to sing about Canton, as most people (Macy Gray) from this area tend to ignore their Midwestern roots.
Most Relient K fans bought this the day it came out. These guys are going to sell a buttload of records, regardless of what I write. Their songs are incredible catchy, poppy and this band is truly unstoppable. Inside the Christian community, Relient K can do no wrong, and will never do any wrong. Keep your eyes open for these guys to be in charge of the country within the year.
Gotee Records: http://www.gotee.com/ • Relient K: http://www.relientk.com
