Review Summary: An emotionally charged album that has Relient K raising the bar higher for themselves than ever before.
2007’s release of
Five Score and Seven Years by Relient K was met with mixed feelings as some felt it progressed quite nicely from 2004’s
mmhmm while others felt it was a regression. One of the most interesting complaints against
Five Scores and Seven Years was here on Sputnik as one reviewer stated that the album was too happy. This criticism could be debated. When was the last time you heard of a metal album being criticized for being too morbid or angry? But that’s not the point of this review. Suffice to say, one cannot say the same about Relient K’s new album
Forget and Not Slow Down.
Fueled by a supposed called-off marriage between lead singer/lyricist/writer Matt Thiessen and his fiancé as well as a three-month solo-sojourn into the woods of Tennessee,
Forget and Not Slow Down is perhaps Relient K’s most bitter, serious, heart-broken, and ultimately hopeful recording yet.
The album starts off in typical Relient K fashion with the title track ‘Forget and Not Slow Down’ with its upbeat tempo, soaring vocal melodies, tinkling ivory keys, and well-toned guitars. The album continues treads this oh-so-familiar path with songs such as ‘I Don’t Need a Soul,’ ‘Therapy,’ ‘Part of It,’ ‘Sahara,’ and ‘Believe Me.’ Tracks such as ‘Sahara’ and ‘Believe Me’ can lay claim to being some of Relient K’s most aggressive material to date.
Yet, while Relient K have continued to base their sound in their well-worn but proven pop-punk methods, tracks such as ‘Candelight,’ ‘Over it,’ and ‘Savannah’ reveal that Relient K have expanded their sound. ‘Candlelight’ is a wondrous romp of love with its bouncing acoustic guitars and swing beat provided by new drummer Ethan Luck. ‘Over it’ is another subdued, jazzy ballad that delights the ears with its somber mood. ‘Savannah’ is an album-highlight with its interplaying plucked strings and mostly-subdued guitars providing a brilliant hazy atmosphere.
After ‘Savannah’ comes the finale where the brilliant trio of ‘If You Believe Me,’ ‘This is the End,’ and ‘(If You Want It)’ truly allow Matt Thiessen to shine. The desperation of ‘If You Believe Me’ is pulled off flawlessly, though Matt McDonald’s (The Classic Crime) guest spot certainly helps enforce it. And the combined tracks of ‘This is the End’ and ‘(If You Want It)’ are the final chapters of bitter regret, admittance, and ultimately healing for a man who has gone through his own little version of hell on Earth.
As a whole, the band plays well, writing music that is inherently simple yet surprisingly complex. The guitarists, John Schneck and Matt Hoopes, provide interesting parts that never will be considered shredding material yet never truly bore either. The bassist, John Warne, has some moments and can actually be heard most of the time in the mix. The drumming is solid as well with occasional fills placed in to keep the listener’s attention; still he’s no Brann Dailor.
But the star of the show is easily Matt Thiessen. His writing is as strong as ever as he actually turns down the wit, completely shuts off the humor, and ups the angst and emotion on
Forget and Not Slow Down. His vocal performance is also to be highly commended. He still hits his highs, but there are several instances where he sticks to a tenor range. Furthermore, there are some cases in “This Is the End,” “If You Believe Me,” and “Sahara” where he becomes a little gruffer in his delivery and actually approaches the point of yelling, though wisely restrains himself from ever doing so. These rougher moments are rare, but are used quite effectively especially when he tremblingly states, “
This may sound crazy but I want to go back home.”
If there is anything negative to say about the album is that the interlude tracks are somewhat inconsistent. Some are better than others as ‘Flare,’ ‘Outro,’ and ‘Oasis’ are all well-done, ambient, segue tracks. But, ‘Baby’ seems to trudge along just a little too slowly for the album’s sake. As a whole, they do fit in the album well, but can hinder the listening experience if you’re listening to the album on random.
In the end, this album probably hurt to write. It was undoubtedly Matt Thiessen’s most emotionally-involved effort probably causing him a lot of heart-ache and, hopefully, relief in writing it. Then again that makes sense, as even he puts it on the album, “
This is my therapy cause you won’t hear me out and that makes God the only one left to listen to me.” Well, Matt Thiessen, you aren’t alone because with
Forget and Not Slow Down there should be plenty of avid listeners hanging on to your words for a long time to come.
You can hear the album streaming here (creating an account is required):
http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?do=showdetails&l=2058
