Album Review: Relient K - Forget and Not Slow Down

I've always found Relient K's previous releases to be good but not outstanding. However that can not be said for their latest effort, 'Forget and Not Slow Down'. Throughout their career they've managed to again and again produce well-crafted pop-rock songs and this has plenty of them.

The opening track, 'Forget and Not Slow Down' is bouncy and upbeat with a favourable melody. It is what you want and expect from Relient K, and thankfully they produce the right results. Add to this the usual personal, thoughtful lyrics of Matthew Thiessen and you are left with a near-faultless opener.

This continues throughout with tracks like 'I Don't Need A Soul' and 'Candlelight'; which hints at the bands more indie, Death Cab For Cutie-like sound but more jangly and poppy. Whilst 'Part Of It' has a great, sing-a-long chorus line; "It's not the end of the world" that is delivered with plenty of emotion and passion by Thiessen.

A key attribute of this record is its ability to flow easily, as tracks like 'Therapy' and 'Over It' come and go without fault. The latter sees the band slowing things down at a calm pace with a jazz-like tempo.

Although 'Sahara' (featuring Tim Skipper of House of Heroes, Aaron Gillespie of Underoath and Matt MacDonald of The Classic Crime) and 'If You Believe' are not the records strongest tracks, they show the bands attempt to show a bit of variety.

'Savannah' is warm and textured with is plucked guitar strings and chorus that flows easily and wouldn't be out of place on daytime radio.

'This Is The End' brilliantly rounds off the record, as piano keys lead into a full-on fast paced drum section with Thiessen's somewhat reassuring vocals complimenting nicely and declaring "this is the end if you want it".

At 15 tracks long, 'Forget and Not Slow Down' sounds slightly intimidating but for the most part, 4 of them act as intro/outro tracks, which adds to the albums flowness and consistency. In addition to this, a more mature outlook lyrically from Thiessen, and musically from the whole band in general. This is an important factor towards what makes Relient K different from the countless pop-rock bands at present, as they are able to craft songs that are enjoyable and fun to listen to, whilst at the same time they are cleverly written and thoughtful.

It is a welcomed return for Relient K, as they are back to their best and at their most consistent.

4/5

'Forget and Not Slow Down' is available from Tuesday 6th October on Mono vs Stereo/Jive

Relient K Official Website
Relient K on MySpace

Sean Reid