smarterthan3's Full Review: The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek by Relient K
To say that Relient K is the most popular band of the teenagers that I hang around with and that attend our youth group and similar things would be an understatement. There is a good chance that if there is a party of some sort and music is availbe to be played someone around will put in this or another one of Relient K's CD without thinking twice about it. Maybe that was why, at one point, I disliked these guys so much. Maybe I was trying to be the cool one and not listen to 'kiddie' music like that. Well that was when I was 13 and now I'm 15 and continueing to remain, or strive to be more, cool. Yet here I am listening to that "kiddie" music that I hated several years ago. I'll never understand myself really.
Relient K's Sophomore album on Gotte Records,The Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek, is probably where the RK guys flex their punk muscle the most throughout most of the songs. Yet these guys always add some serious content and throw in some acoustic songs and a couple meaningful but fun songs that diversify the musical style that they are placed under. Now don't read that wrong these guys are most definately a pop-punk band but I enjoy them alot more then other bands that keep mostly the same style throughout all of their LP's. When I started coming into this review it was pretty hard to ignore my 'hatred' for these guys back then. Now a days (Should that all be together?) this isn't a must need in my CD collection but it is a extremely well done project that is very enjoyable to listen to.
Relient K:
Matt Thiessen: Vocals,Piano,Guitar
Matt Hoopes: Guitar
Brian Pittman: Bass
Dave Douglas: Drums
1.Kick-Off Here's the kick-off...
The short little song that gets the CD going starts out with Dave Douglas' determined drumming and the members of the band building up the end going "oooOOOHH" until the one or two lyrical lines come into the song which is basically telling the listener that RK hopes that people aren't sick of Relient K "and all the songs they play."
2.Pressing On You look down on me,
but you don't look down on me at all.
You smile and laugh,
and I feel the love you have for me.
Matt Thiessens guitar (At least thats the way it is in the music video) open up what is, in my opinion, Relient K's most popular song although I could be wrong on that fact. All I know is that this is the song you're most likely to hear at a place where there is music with a few of my friends who love RK. But I can't really blame them this song is an enourmously enjoyable song. Matt Hoopes puts in some nice background vocals in here. His voice sounds alot like Matt Thiessens but you can also tell a slight difference between the two. The lyrics in here are better then your average punk song although the message is pretty simple. They talk about pressing on (big suprise) and giving it all up for God,no matter what others say. A trademark Relient K song with their trademark punkishness displayed at possibly its best in the whole disc.
3.Sadie Hawkins Dance All the girls in the bathroom talking.
Who they gonna take to the Sadie Hawkins?
My ears are burning but I kept on walking.
Smile on my face and an air guitar rocking.
In most of their albums these guys try to pull off a song that applies directly to some situation that almost teen guys and girls can relate to. The whole song skips around the place with what the lyrics are talking about in the lyrics but for the most part they deal with a guy going through a day of school and wondering if anybody will ask him out to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Musically it is very similar to Pressing on during the verses but during the chorus it gets very humorous musically and lyrically. Another fun party song done well by these guys but it runs a little short at 2:57.
4.Down in Flames Christians, we're all afraid of fire.
We prefer to suck on pacifiers.
Baby pacifists, we're throwing fits.
We don't shake hands, we shake our fists.
Things get more serious here then they have been on the previous two tracks with lyrics dealing with hypocrisy in the church body and with christians in general. I really like the lyrics on here because alot of the time they are really true. Matt is a little too judgemental on this song but they don't bother me as much as they would others who act the way that Thiessen is talking about. Although, I suppose that is the point, to hit close to home to some people. The "Na,na,na,na,na's" dollowing the second verse are extremely catchy and lighten up the song alot, making it feel like Thiessen isn't bothered by what people will think of him because of the lyrics. The real highlight on this song though,lyrically, comes at the end where things get stripped down to some simple drumming and a light,but catchy, guitar chord as the backdrop for Thiessen's vocals for the bridge. In the bridge Thiessen puts somewhat of a disclaimer on the song saying that although he is blaming people in here, he is part of that problem too:Let me pause to clarify, because I'm sure you're asking, Why?
I stand before you, and proudly claim to belong to what this song complains. I'm part of the problem I confess,
but I got to get this off my chest.Let's extinguish the anguish for which we're to blame.
5.Maybe it's Maybeline Our reputations were at stake,
But the guilt we could not take.
America's gone down the drain.
The president's at fault again?
With a name like "Maybe it's Maybeline" one would think that this would be another tongue-in-cheek moment from the guys who do it second-best that I have heard (John Reuben would have to be number one,although his style is somewhat different). But this has a slightly more serious tone then the title would suggest. It deals with us, as humans, always needing to pass the blame because we are scared of the consequences. At the beginning and mostly during the pre-chorus the guitars play really high notes and a tune similar to the one found on the Maybeline commercials for their products. An above-average song that doesn't do too much to help diversify the music on the disc.
6.Breakdown I think I've had enough.
I think I'm giving up.
The frenzied guitars that start out this song should sound like a bunch of trash but are very enjoyable for some reason. Musically this song is very catchy with some nice guitar work and well-timed vocals done by Matt Thiessen. Lyrically the songs continue to be serious but this song offers examples, comparing our broken down souls to a broken down car. It still has a punkish feel to it which makes it a good time though nothing incredibly special.
7.Those words are not Enough Feelings, inside my head
I don't know, but I'm thinking about you.
Although Thiessen is the main song writer out of the (at that time) quartet Matt Hoopes lets us see what he has in the song writing department and he isn't half bad at it. Lyric wise it talks about some frusturation that he has about talking to God about our problems when he already knows them and how there isn't anything new to tell him.I especially like the line "I lay my life before you, and I'm not getting up." The lyrics are good but they could have been better. Musically it fits the mood of the lyrics fairly well. It sounds like,at some points, that Matt Hoopes is singing solo instead of Thiessen but it is difficult to tell because they sound alot alike.
8.For the Moment I Feel Faint Now I'm searching for the confidence
I've lost so willingly.
Overcoming these obstacles
Is overcoming my fears.
I don't really like it too much when RK strips down there music to nothing more than a single guitar. They just don't seem as compatible in this mode,although the lyrics in the songs are usually excellent. They do pull this one off alot better then other bands and songs I've heard with an acoustic guitar as the only instrument (Chevelle's One Lonely Visitor comes to mind). The whole song reminds me of something that youth groups would sing as their finishing song for the night. And it is good for that because it does inspire you and remind you slightly of Jesus' awesome power. But for just the average listen you'll most likely be skipping this one.
9.Lion Wilson
RK goes accapella for this short 35-second interlude. It doesn't sound that bad, in fact it is pretty catchy. But in the end it's just an interlude.
10.I'm Lion-O I am the greatest Thundercat of them all...
I don't really enjoy pointless songs unless they are so irresistible musically or beat-wise that they demand to be listened to. This song doesn't equal that previous sentence mentioned except for the fact that this song is indeed very pointless. Now, don't get me wrong I'm all for a fun song here and there (as long as it fits the band) but I like to have a little something to chew on lyrically, even if it is junk food. Repition kills this one as there is only one verse and a short bridge. Hope you like hearing Lion-O over and over again because that is what you'll get listening to this song.
11.What Have you been doing Lately? Pardon me while I throw up,
I guess some people never grow up.
After the previous couple funny and pointless tracks the guys of RK bring back some hard-hitting lyrics and songs.Lyrical wise this song is really good dealing with people who claimed to have been christians but then go away to college or away from any spiritual contact and fall away from the faith. It is a good topic for a song as I think almost everyone,if not everyone, can relate to. Musically it is some harder punk (If you can picture that). The guitar line at the end seems to have been used at least 5 times throughout the course of this disc so far making it slightly repetitive without the help of vocals which also border on being too repetitive as well. It is a good song just not an amazing song.
12.May the Horse be with You We're gonna graze all of our days.
Until they take us away and turn us into glue.
Like Mr. Ed always said...May the horse be with you.
Relient K is always pretty god with pop culture references and the songs that include them. The ones included in here are the old TV horse Mr. Ed and the Star Wars movies. This is another pointless song, but this one doesn't annoy me as much as "Lion-O" did because they use a slightly different feel to the music. It's still fun with clever lyrics that make it worth repeated listens.
13.My Way Or The Highway... Which hand holds your soul?
Do you want to guess one?
"Should I start this song off with a question?" Thiessen asks us immediatelyy after the song starts. But if you think that this is going to be another clever lyrical showcase you've got the wrong song. The lyrical content on here is pretty heavy as it deals with the only way to Heaven is God and all the other ways lead to hell. Yep,right there. These guys don't sugar coat it for their listeners. Whether it detracts or adds to the song I would have to say it adds to it but that may be just because of my background. I grew up in a Christian home and I don't know what my reaction would be outside of that situation if I heard this song. I have to admit I probably would be pretty ticked off and never listen to these guys again. So I suppose if the audience that this song was being aimed to, it wouldn't be too hot. But I personally extremely enjoy this song.
14.Breakfast at Timpani’s
A short lived interlude that does little to increase my like for this album, but doesn't do anything that would add to my hate for it. It is really empty and pointless unless you hate that old movie Breakfast at Tiffany's which is the butt of the joke on here.
15.The Rest is up To You This speech is merely words.
It's even worse because it rhymes
I guess the point of this song is that the choice of salvation is up to the individual and it doesn't matter what Matt says he can't convince them to choose his choice just because he tells them to (Gave my advice.Done all I can, but it's your life). It is good for the first two verses but the last verse gets too slow for its own good and doesn't fit that well with the rest of the music in this song.
16.Failure to Excommunicate It's the principle,it's the issue,
That your principal would dismiss you.
Because you don't fit into that all-American Box.
That coffin created for creative thought.
This would have to be my favorite song on the disc. I like it when Relient K goes into a more minor key music wise and Thiessen goes a little deeper with his vocals than he usually does. The main lyrical point in here is Matt encouraging a fellow believer who is down emotionally because of the hate that the world is showing him because of his beliefs. Musically it is harder and darker then these guys most stuff but they pull it off well without looking like a bnd that needed one hard song on the disc.
17.Less is More Jesus, I pray, know what I'm trying to say
Jesus, I plead, please purify me
I get this funny picture any time when the only instrument in a song by these guys is the piano. I imagine Thiessen alone at a piano playing by himslef and really feeling the music he is listening to. """ Anyway to continue the lone piano is the only instrument used for the first 45 seconds then some drums and effects come in as background for the vocals. Also during the chorus the rest of the guys in the band continue to go "Doo-doo" which actually works well. The lone piano comes back again for about a minute at the end of the song and the song finishes with that instrument set.
Hidden Track:Skittles and Combos
So I guess it is somewhat of a tradition for Relient K albums to have hidden tracks included after the last song. This one isn't anything incredibly special although I guess Die-Hard fans will be over-joyed to hear it. The amount of reverb used in the song ruin it alot and make it so annoying and distracting.
This is definately the most fun you'll get out of a Relient K disc. Whether you want fun songs or some deeper songs this album has its fair share of both,although the more fun songs are in more abundance on here out of all of their releases. For a more serious Relient K and an overall better album check out their newest release Mmhmm.
Track Listing:
1.Kick-Off-6
2.Pressing On-9
3.Sadie Hawkins Dance-9
4.Down in Flames-9
5.Maybe it's Maybeline-8.5
6.BreakDown-8
7.Those Words are not Enough8.5
8.For the Moment I feel Faint-7.5
9.Lion Wilson-5.5
10.I'm Lion-O-6.5
11.What have you been Doing Lately?-8.5
12.May the Horse be with You-7.5
13.My Way or the Highway...-8.5
14.Breakfast at Timpani’s-2
15.The Rest is up to You-8
16.Failure to Excommunicate-9
17.Less is More-7.5
18.Skittles and Combos-2
Overall 8 out of 10
4 out of 5 Stars
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