This week's review is of relient K., the latest up-and-coming punk
group. These guys seem to be pretty popular, as there are lots of
site visitors searching for these guys. Well, we've finally got this
review!

RELIENT K. (2000)
by Rick Foux

The power of punk is back just in time for the new millennium with
the release of relient K's self-titled debut on Gotee records.
Drawing from musical inspirations such as MxPx, Five Iron Frenzy, and
Switchfoot, relient K's album blends pounding punk rock with cynical
yet poignant lyrics that deliver a powerful message. This enables the
teen foursome to reach teenagers where other Christian bands have
failed.

The opener is "Hello McFly," in which rK points out the usefulness of
a time machine (like that of the DeLorean from the "Back to the
Future" movies) to visit the past and correct their mistakes. The
good news is that this isn't necessary because we have a merciful God
who provides second chances. "My Girlfriend" places Marilyn Manson in
the character of antagonist and talks about a girl who was dragged
into the Gothic culture, hence the lyrics "Marilyn Manson ate my
girlfriend." Track 3, "Wake Up Call," begins with a slow, sleepy
melody and cresendos into an alarm of electric guitar mixed with an
incredibly loud drum set. The song discusses being waken up by God
when only giving him lip-service and is followed by a short,
repetitive continuation entitled "Benediction." "When You're Around"
is the next track, discussing the comforting presence of God that
gives us peace. Track 6, "Softer to Me," is a nice variation in the
album, with a dramatically eerie rhythm that doesn't drop the
original rock sound of the album. Fittingly, the chorus smoothes out
into a much slower, softer melody. relient K next presents a
brilliant cover of the theme song from the TV sitcom "Charles In
Charge." While this song has no particular message at all, there are
some gut-busting voice-overs ("Hey Charles, check this out, this is
phat!") and one very cool guitar solo. The hilarity continues
with "Staples," a song about a punk who gets what he deserves in a
car accident. Still, despite the contempt the band shows, they still
follow up with a soothing lyric, "But the good thing would be that we
would always know/he would be living with Jesus Christ in his new
home." A brief synthesized instrumental called "Anchorage" precedes
track 10, "17 Magazine," in which the band ridicules teen magazines
that attempt to define love by humanistic terms. "17 magazine"
contains some of the best guitar and drums on the whole album and has
great lyrics to boot. "Balloon Ride" follows it up stressing the
importance of praying to God when times are confusing.
Next, "Everything Will Be" reinforces the lyrics of the earlier "When
You're Around" and provides some cool effects previously
unintroduced, such as the opening carnival theme music and the "power
surge" effect created by the electric guitar in the background. The
one downside of the album has to be "Nancy Drew," track 13, which
sounds nearly exactly like "Everything Will Be" with different lyrics
minus the special effects. The song is utterly useless. Finally, "K
Car" closes the CD with a hint about how the band got their name and
how they plan to continue their ministry strongly if they see Christ
as the "driver." If you want to be officially freaked out, just let
the CD run for a while after the last song and you'll hear three
consecutive hidden tracks. The first one is a huge jumble of noise,
such as wicked out-of-place guitar riffs, synthesizer and microphone
feedback, and sound clips from TV shows. It eventually smoothes out
into some audible form of punk music, familiar to the rest of the
album, and finally ends with (of all things) an accordion solo. Even
with this weirdness included, the entire CD is definitely worth a
listen. relient K has found a way to capture the attention of more
youth and still present them with a Christ-centered message. Expect
them to become one of the next big names in Christian rock music of
this decade.

Check out relient K.'s CD:
http://cMusicWeb.com/redirect/cmm/66-1.html


AVAILABLE TUESDAY (on cMusicWeb.com and at your local store)

BEST OF BRIDE - BRIDE
Bride, after the folding of Star Song, has not released any major
label CDs, but nevertheless, here's the best of Bride.

COMING TO LIFE - THE NORMALS
Maybe these guys aren't Normal, but they're from Normal. The Normals
bring their second and more refined disc, reported to be much better
than the old one, so it's the PICK OF THE WEEK.

PROGRESS EP - PEDRO THE LION
On the fringe of Christian Music is Pedro the Lion. Fronted by David
Bazan, this music uses storytelling to challenge the listener to
think.

WATCHING OVER YOU - PHIL JOEL
On Peter Furler's InPop label, Phil Joel has found a home with his
alt/pop, singing "God is Watching Over You".


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
• A Simple Impossible Mission: FREE CD!
• And much more!

View the latest stories in full:
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AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER (on Christian MusicWeb)

ROCK: http://cMusicWeb.com/rock
Offerings: A Worship Album - Third Day [7/11]
Superhero - Scarecrow and Tinmen [7/11]

POP: http://cMusicWeb.com/pop
Hymns: A Place of Worship - 4HIM [7/25]

Click on the album titles on the genre page to order them and recieve
them on the release date.


CHRISTIAN HIT RADIO CHARTS FOR THIS WEEK
> OK, now It's official! The cheese-pop has
> definitely moved in, besides SONICFLOOd.
1. Written on My Heart - PlusOne
2. My Refuge - SONICFLOOd
3. Collide - Jars of Clay
4. I Do Believe - Steven Curtis Chapman
5. Shackles (Praise You) - Mary Mary
6. Live For You - Rachel Lampa
7. What Good - Third Day
8. Someday - LaRue
9. Greater Than - Riley Armstrong
10. I Still Have the Dream - Michael W. Smith

SOURCE: CCM Update (http://www.ccmupdate.com/)


cMUSICWEB UPDATES
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within the next couple weeks.


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