Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/06/2009
Relient K's sixth studio album (and first with
Mono Vs Stereo and
Jive Records) represents the veteran
alternative CCM outfit's official entry in the insufferable/cathartic (depending on where the listener is in his/her lives) "breakup album" category. Unsurprisingly, lead singer and songwriter
Matt Thiessen's take on heartbreak is a genuinely hopeful one, a stance achieved by submitting to complete isolation in a remote Tennessee lake house during
Forget and Not Slow Down's creation.
Thiessen's penchant for machine-gun-fired torrents of both secular and non-secular self-discovery on top of impossibly catchy melodies makes for a remarkably upbeat listen, and the band's efficient, late-'90s
alternative rock delivery feels far less stale than bands with a similar feel. That's not to say that its' all
Matchbox 20 and
Foo Fighters, as
Relient K can deal out a
jangle pop (
"Candlelight") or
adult alternative pop/rock (
"Over It") gem when called for, but there's a certain fireplace familiarity to the whole affair (think
Ben Folds without the snarky bits) that makes it all go down easy, despite the obvious emotional turmoil that spawned it.
~James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
;)
Listen
