Track Listing

1. Mmhmm
2. The One I'm Waiting For
3. Be My Escape
4. High Of 75
5. I So Hate Consequences
6. The Only Thing Worse Than Beating A Dead Horse Is Betting On One
7. My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend
8. More Than Useless
9. Which To Bury; Us Or The Hatchet?
10. Let It All Out
11. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been
12. Maintain Consciousness
13. This Week The Trend
14. Life After Death And Taxes (Failure II)
15. When I Go Down

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38663 in Music
• Released on: 2004-11-02
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Import
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Christian Punks Get Creative
I'm a typical British indie kid to most people who know me- a huge fan of The Libertines, The Futureheads, The Smiths et al. But like a lot of other indie kids, I indulge in guilty pleasures. Guilty pop-punk pleasures. I turn to Relient K for my necessary 'silly music' every now and then.

But Relient K aren't just silly. Sure, they write songs like "My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend", a throaway gloat to their new love's old flame, but again and again in this album they hit us with religious lyrics, packed full of morals and pleas of forgiveness. These four twenty-somethings are christians, and they're not afraid to let mainstream America, their main audience, know it. In "Be My Escape", honey-voiced Matthew Thiessen, or 'Matty T' to his fans, sings "I know to live, you must give your life away"- a reference to Christ dying on the cross for us to live. A highlight of the album, 'Be My Escape' is a craftily structured song, with a loud, guitar-driven chorus evolving into a delicate piano-led verse and a chorus merging the two melodies. The song is reminiscent of slightly less religious punks Alkaline Trio.

These cherubs can get angry too, however. In "Which To Bury, Us Or The Hatchet?", Thiessen delivers a loud, throaty performance in the chorus, something never revealed in Relient K's songs previously. Angrily, Matty T sings, "No, I don't hate you/Don't wanna fight you"- even when they're angsty, they churn out christian morals! Can these guys do no wrong?

The direction changes several times in the album. "Maintain Conciousness" is not dissimilar to pop-punk peers Blink-182, with its stomping verse and full-throttle singalong chorus. "This Week The Trend" is a playful bash at fashions and fads which dominate teen lives in the 21st century. And "The One I'm Waiting For" is an ode to a girl that 'everybody wants, but nobody wants her to know that'.

Through all this guitar-driven rock, though, one becomes reminiscent of the acoustic lullabies previously delivered through songs such as "Getting Into You" on previous album "Two Lefts Don't Make A Right... But Three Do". On previous albums these acoustic gems have been highlights, tear-stirring anthems with production stripped back and the band's real talent showing through. Relient K deliver suddenly and tremendously with "When I Go Down", a 6 and-a-half minute acoustic ballad, featuring the lyrics "And I just pray my problems go away if they're ignored, but that's not the way it works". Tuneful? Completely. Beautiful? Wonderfully. Heart-wrenchingly tear-jerking? Absolutely.

As the album draws to a close on "Apathetic Way To Be", you've been taken on a soul-searching journey, a rollercoaster ride of fun and been given a high dose of teenage hormones. Relient K deserve to be as big as Green Day... without the swear-words.

Best album I have!
I had never heard of Relient K before seeing their video for "Be my escape" on tv. It is such an awesome song. Perfectly balanced and I have it on repeat constantly! I bought the album not knowing what to expect but it didn't dissapoint! It is full of feel good punk rock songs about the one and only great thing in life - GOD! i love how sly it is in worship and a lot of my non-christian friends are now hooked on the catchy lyrics, cool riffs and a gorgeous voice.

Such the best album!
Since I got this album for Christmas, I've played it over and over... and over! The music is rocky, but not overly so, the lyrics have christian meanings, but not in-your-face, loads of my non-christian friends are getting into relient k. All my favourite Relient k songs are on this album (I So Hate Consequences, My Girl's Ex-boyfriend, Who I Am Hates Wo I've Been etc.) well I've run out of things to say, except if you;re thinkingof buying this album, think no more! lol. What's next on my list? Switchfoot, I love 'I Dare You To Move'. Anyway...