Review Summary: Not bad, but certainly not great. Too many tracks are kept under 3 minutes, and a lot under 2 that could have been so much more. Definitely listen to The Last, the Lost, the Least / There Was Another Time in My Life though. Best tracks off of the album.
Most people don't realize that The Nashville Tennis EP is actually the first 13 tracks of The Bird & the Bee Sides. Considering it was only released on 1 disc, I get that though. And it looks like with those puns-for-titles we're back to old, fun-loving, pop-punk Relient K? Well no.
The Nashville Tennis EP is a pretty diverse album when it comes to the music. You have ska (No Reaction) and country (Bee Your Man) roots that give you a a fresh take on Relient K. The best thing off of this album though is the fact you get to hear the other 4 band members take the helm on lead vocals. Sure, ex-drummer Dave Douglas and even guitarist Matt Hoopes have done co-leads with Matt Thiessen before but now you get to hear other band members' talents.
The album starts with a cool banjo arpeggio which lets you reminisce to that banjo solo in Which to Bury off of Mmhmm. Immediately though, it explodes into upbeat snare hits and loud guitars with lyrics about how someone doesn't know how to face up to their own problems. The song is a pretty fun song to hear with some nice "woah's in the background towards the end" and good harmonies throughout. Then, we're led to The Scene and Herd which is about Relient K's line-up change with newest drummer Ethan Luck and the state of music as a whole. The bass line on this song in the verses is probably my favorite out of all the Relient K discography, beating that of Hello McFly. I'm mixed on the song though because it just feels sort of forced and awkward compared to other songs they've come out with in general. I'm not sure if it's just me that thinks that, but hey it is what it is.
At Least We Made It This Far starts off with the corniest lyrics off of this album: "I'm so tired of the phone, baby / I don't like the tone / the way we say I love you." This song also has mixed feelings because the lyrics aren't memorable enough, but I totally dig the music. For some reason, this record just has an acoustic feel to it. At Least We Made It This Far has a pretty chill drum beat with some acoustic piano, guitar and I'm pretty sure a mandolin thrown in. It's good, but just not catchy like other songs in their catalog.
Finally, we get to hear John Warne (bassist) take over lead vocals. The Last, the Lost, the Least might as well be the best song on Nashville Tennis because of it's sweet guitar melody and it even goes back to Relient K's days of Christian inspiration. John sings about everyone being made in God's image and how helping others reflects God's way which is cool to hear after the long period of Relient K not referencing their true beliefs. I'm not exactly a die-hard Christian, but it's nice for a change of topic for this album. Did I mention John's vocals? They have a faint sound of Mark Hoppus that creates a different tone because of the edginess in his voice. Great vocals + cool edgy pop-punk = one of the best Relient K songs ever written.
The other band members do a pretty good job, although every song one of them sings is pretty short. Ethan Luck's (drummer) No Reaction, Matt Hoopes' You'll Always Be My Best Friend and Jon Schneck's (guitarist/banjo/bells) Bee Your Man all clock in at under 2 minutes. Each one is so different from the others with the ska-esque guitars of No Reaction versus the acoustic pop feel of You'll Always Be MY Best Friend and the closing track Bee You Man's country sound. Bee You Man sort of returns to the jokes of Relient K's past, but falls flat while Jon talks about how freedom and Taco Bell make America great. It just isn't very entertaining to listen to since most of the song is stereotypical country with Jon speaking over it except for the end where you have some weird squeaky voices talking about what you'll hear on The Birds & the Bee Sides.
Bee Your Man definitely doesn't reflect on the other tracks though. No Reaction is literally about not knowing what to write about and even talks about reggae music which is ironic since there is a ska/reggae feel during it. Also, that bass line is right behind The Scene and Herd in being the best they've ever produced. You'll Always Be goes along with the following song There Was Another Time in My Life since they both talk about someone special who made their life better. Both standout among the rest because of vocal parts and the lyrics can speak to everyone: someone has changed your life, whether it's through friendship or love. There Was Another Time is a piano driven ballad with some nice dissonance in the chords with a lot of ride cymbal taps to give it a sort of laid back vibe, while maintaining the catchiness to the melody. The way it's presented is odd though because while the lyrics are upbeat and heartfelt, the music is somewhat depressing because of the minor key it's played in. It adds some nice contrast to the album.
There Was No Thief is an updated version of The Thief off of the Apathetic EP. New key, new verse, new instrumentation. I loved The Thief so when I listened to this, I was afraid it would destroy the original but it manages to add a little more pizzazz and flavor to it. The drums and guitar give The Thief a mellow feel like There Was Another Time, but this song is about going out and looking for someone instead of them coming to you. Those along with some added piano/bell/guitar echoes really spice up the original score, plus the vocals in the background are cool I guess.
Beaming is a Star Trek reference, and Curl Up and Die / The Lining Is Silver are sort of just there. These 3 tracks don't really give the album anything, almost as if they're there to just be there. The background voices in Beaming are the only redeeming quality but even those aren't enough to stop them from being average tracks.
Sorry for the long-ish review, just wanted to get all of my thoughts out. The album isn't bad, but it definitely isn't their best. Even if there are some amazing tracks (The Last, the Lost, the Least / There Was Another Time / You'll Always Be), it still can't get above a 3 really. It's almost as if this was a filler album that was supposed to hold us til 2009's Forget and Not Slow Down.
Relient K - The Nashville Tennis EP 3/5
