Hear They Grow: Relient K Branches out with "Forget and Not Slow Down"
Relient K
HEAR THEY GROW...
Led by Matt Thiessen, the once-and-future snarky Ohio christian punk rock outfit completes another revolution sewn upon people, places, and things, bursting with new direction, tried-and-true ways and means of a Sadie Hawkins dance, required elements of style, and respect for the classics you'd hear with your driving permit behind the wheel, way back when mom & dad were riding shotgun, and a little too happy to have their CD in the stereo.
Thiessen, 29, is damn good at sounding 19; Laying down a tracks like "Candlelight" with a careful kind of intimate prowess, flowing seamlessly to a serenade of the soul via intermezzos, keeping with the successful production style of their previous efforts.
Listen closely for a glimpse into the subtly progressive insights both thematically and lyrically: It's clear Thiessen's been thinking on things, integrating heart of the previous closing tracks of "Mhmm" and "Five Score and Seven Years Ago", diverting from soothing-but-at-times-irritating seven minute finales of reprise, still keeping a polished nod to faith, heartache, and teen angst. (The Christian Rock recipe for those bible-toting boys with the cymbal-crazy drummer and embarrassingly out of tune guitars in the basement next door.)
Six or so albums in, and able to keep it together, the boys continually remind listeners that they're perfectly capable of trying new waters to make a splash and get their feet wet before wading through success on the airwaves and iTunes, giving fans return on investment like some kind of musical mutual fund, cranking out some much needed change you can believe in.
And with enough to appeal for atheists to altar boys in a time when most established bands either can't assimilate with new kids on the punk rock block, or have too much spark, wowing then fizzling like fireworks, Relient K delivers as they transcend what you want them to be, just as you start to wonder what they're dreaming up now.
