REVIEWS:
When I did these reviews, I in no way anticipated the high amount of reader commentary, though I suppose that's what happens when you include a strongly worded put-down of diehard Relient K fans in one of the reviews. Well, let me try to do some damage control. Relient K is a Christian pop-punk band - they replace the vulgarity of Blink 182 with either corny pop-culture references (a la Nancy Drew) or a spiritual message, typically one that is extremely obvious and, in my opinion, tritely presented.
I am a Christian, and unashamedly so. For heaven's sake, I'm a Theology major! I plan to TEACH CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AT A UNIVERSITY FOR MOST OF MY NATURAL LIFE. Perhaps that's why I'm biased against Relient K. I don't at all doubt their faith and I fully support the fact that they're opting to write and sing about it. My complaint is that they're, well, just not all that great at saying what they want to say without falling into the great pitfall of Christian music - saying the same thing as everyone else in the least sophisticated way possible.
An example to better illustrate my point - Michelangelo's Pieta versus my lousy watercolor of the same scene. Which is better? Well, from a point of view of spiritual expression and explication of a scriptural lesson, they may be equal. However, on the level of artistic analysis, there's no contest - Michelangelo blows me away! THAT is the standard I'm using for rating Relient K - an artistic quality, rather than a spiritual viability, scale.
If you are a person who has been touched and moved by Relient K, more power to you - I'm pleased that they have been used by God to move and/or entertain you. However, I'm taking an artistic look at them, and when I compare them to Bach or Paul Simon or, to be much more contemporary, All Star United (a fantastic Christian band who all you Relient K fans should check out!!!), they leave something to be desired.
--Kevin Baker
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COMMENTS
Hey! I used to actually own a Reliant K. Pretty shitty car, though it did live up to its name "Reliant".
hey i dont know what you are talkin about kevin baker. reliant k is one of the best christian bands out there right now. if you thought their first cd sucked, then why did you keep buying the second and third? ya know you say that their songs about christ suck, but hey, NEWS FLASH! they are a Christian band! so dont tell me that they suck because reliant K rocks my socks off and their best songs are the ones about christ.
reliant k rocks!!!!!!!!!!
reliant k rocks!!!!!!!!!!
i love reliant k ! i actually saw em back it november ... it was an awesome experience not to mention a pretty flippin awesome show! Thats all i hafta say and if i ever met em id jump on em ! hehe lol adios
seems to me that KB's assertions about the depth of the lyrics are pretty solidly confirmed by the reader comments on these albums. and yes, I did happen to see them live, and no, I can't disagree with his opinion of the band.
But then, better this than Blink 182 or the latest pablum to break MTV2.
Reliant-k is one of the only bands that i listen to because of the rightousness i see in them
thay are really being a real light to this lost world and hey need to be incouraged and commended not torn down
Jon Burke
Hi,
I love Reliant K.... Their fun. You don't have squash creativity just because you're a "Christian Band" They relate to young kids. If they get thru.. Isn't that the way it works. Reach them thur a method that they relate to. I'm 55 and I love their lyrics. I love " mood rings" It's fun, it's silly, but really, you've got to admit that they have a niche that is lighthearted and fun. Christian music has come so far. If you want to reach a certain age group, you have to relate in a way that they want to hear. Kudos to Reliant K.... Oh, by the way, my daughter, a college student who listens to non-christian music was hard pressed to figure out who she was listening to.. She made several guesses and nope! She was impressed. Reach one at a time... Save one at a time...
I JUST WANT TO SAY, THAT I LOVE RELIANT K!! WOO U GUYS ROCK THE SOCKS OFF ME!!! yeaaHHH!!
curiousity has stricken me as i read this rating blog. why are you writing about Relient K if you are not a diehard fan? i suppose our opinions on why we would take the time to write about a band are completely different. in any case, Relient K requires a certain type of mood for me to listen to them. I like them, don't get me wrong, but i have to be pretty chipper and upbeat to desire their music filling my hears. That goes for all bands. Have a great day!
Sounds to me like someone has “Band” envy!
It’s tuff when you don’t make the cut…when your not good enough to do it yourself.
But hey if you cant play music and are in denial of “Reliant K wannabe stardom”, I guess the next best thing to do, is what critics do naturally…
Critisize what they weren’t good enough to do!
Sorry bud…keep being a critique…although I must say, your really not that good at it! But then again, you are a “Christian” critique!
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
The only reason I'm rating this one as high as I am is because I DO enjoy it. However, I also derive pleasure from....uh, nevermind. Music. And reading. Of course; what ELSE would I possibly enjoy being a 17 year old guy??? But yes, I do derive some level of pleasure and satisfaction (HA!) from this cd. BUT, it's also generic, preachy, trite, and not always fun and catchy. Since I'm sure that basically NOBODY else out there in the fun-filled land of the Web Reviewing Community knows who these guys are, I'll tell ya. They're Christian. They're Christian pop-punk.
Oh, stop retching you little dillweed----it's not THAT bad. OK, their 2nd cd may be, but this one is still in the basic realm of half-decency. The best songs on here are not the ones dealing with Jesus directly. Those ones are banal and preachy. Give me the Book of Psalms. Or heck, modern praise and worship even-----just spare me from 3rd grade level Sunday School-isms. These are the songs that are Christian equivalents of Blink 182's naughty highschooler themed songs----they appeal only to the emotionally and spiritually immature from a lyrical point of view. Nope, the best ones have something else to them. I'm choosing to ignore the sucky parts and......
Instead, I'm going to be Oswald the Optimist and only discuss the songs worth talking about. You see, Relient K also makes a lot of pop culture references, which makes for some smiles and laughs. Then of course you put on the classic rock station and enjoy hearing the same songs over and over again because hey, it's radio and that's how the game is played. Oh and to clarify....most of the songs have some sort of message to them. It's just that sometimes, they just get obnoxious. Yeah, I'm a Christian and I am unashamed of that. However, I can also write about it a little more intelligently. OK, rant over.
Winners? Well, relatively speaking? Hello McFly is amusing, My Girlfriend is funny kind-of, Wake Up Call is bearable, When You're Around is catchy, Softer To Me is darker sounding, Charles In Charge is humorous in a really dorky way, Nancy Drew (my favorite on the album) is a minor pop-punk gem, and K Car (the actual song; not the hidden track attached to it) is pretty cool. Everything else bites. Even THOSE songs aren't much to write home about. But hey, I can live with that.
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COMMENTS
OMG! you ppl who dont like reliant K are CRAZY! they are the BEST! Esspically the second cd! But i Love this one too! The songs aren't that preachy...and they are a friggen CHRISTain band of course it is going to talk about CHRIST!!! But anyways.....I just got the cd today and i love it!! I have been listening to my friends for like forever and i finally got both of their albums!!! Reliant K is DEFF one of the Best!!
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
I find it ironic that the only words in the first track on this cd are "Here's the kickoff. Hope you're not sick of Relient K or all the songs we play, 'cause then you'll want to throw our CD away." HA! I must be a masochist because I actually enjoy some of the music on here.....but I'm ahead of myself. On this one, everybody's favorite Christian pop-punk quartet does the exact same thing again. With one KEY difference---the kitsch that made about half the first cd bearable has been swapped for lesser moments of kitschiness at best, and moments of absolute stupidity at worst. This worst category includes May The Horse Be With You, which not only possesses no moments of humor, but also possesses very little in the department of melody. This may be the worst song in my personal collection truth be told.
Fortunately, all is NOT lost....there are some ok-to-good songs here. Sadie Hawkins Dance is amusing...plus, it's nice to see a total dork win. Gives me hope :P Maybe It's Maybelline, while being absolutely stupid, does feature good harmonies....say, that really is Relient K's best feature. They've got some AWESOME harmonies for a pop-punk band that offers the listener very little else. But back to Maybe It's Maybelline. The lyrics are incredibly bad, but somehow the harmonies elevate it from "bad" to "one of three songs GOOD enough by Relient K standards to mention." The third one is Breakdown, which is my personal favorite on this one. The lyrics are so-so, but man, the harmonies.....it's probably my favorite Relient K song.
I wish I could tell you that the other songs are good, but they all range from unmemorable to unmentionable if you follow here. Not what I'm looking for when I need more than background music for a really fun evening I had once up at the school gym when a bunch of us got together and chilled and ate and Leah and I played basketball and that was fun and it was like one of the best evenings I had and she got nailed in the NOSE by a kickball later on and we all laughed and.......this moment of adolescence brought to you by.........TRANSAMERICO!
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