Five Score and Seven Years Ago
03/07/07 09:53 AM Filed in: Media
Relient K did it again;
they released another huge record that includes 14
songs and times in at 50 minutes, 57 seconds long.
Honestly, when I heard unconfirmed rumors saying the Relient K had said in an interview with MTV, I didn't believe the rumors. Apparently, Relient K said to MTV, "We are not a Christian band. We never were a Christian band. The only reason we signed with a Christian label was so we could get popular faster." This rumor started shortly after Relient K signed with record label Capitol in 2004. However, on their latest 2007 release, Five Score And Seven Years Ago, the record is shared by both labels; Capitol (mainstream) and Gottee (Christian). So it would appear they didn't abandon their original label. Also, I would like to point out that the rumor I mentioned above was strictly word of mouth, and I searched high and low trying to prove or disprove it, and I couldn't find any evidence that Relient K ever said that in an interview with MTV or anybody. I don't believe it. The only blotch I could find on Relient K's record was that there lead singer was born in Ontario. But we won't hold that against them...
First off, the record is called Five Score And Seven Years Ago because it is their FIFTH record (score), and the band released their first effort seven years ago. So, there you have it. Quit asking.
After hearing their latest effort, I still don't. After listening to their songs, it still looks to me like they're keeping their faith and trying to proclaim God's love and righteousness through their music. If they can sign with a mainstream label to get more listeners to hear that message, I think that's AWESOME!
Five Score And Seven Years Ago marks Relient K's 5th full album release. It follows more in steps of mmhmm than their three first albums as far maturity goes. The honesty portrayed in the lyrics is one of my favorite things about the albums. This doesn't mean that they've lost their sense of humor or fun music styles; they still have all of that. The first song on the album, sung in acapella, submits that President Lincoln's death wasn't real but a conspiracy.
That gives the album a healthy start. It only goes up hill from there. The second song on the album, Come Right Out And Say It, says in the chorus, "Why don't you come right out and say it even though the words are probably gonna hurt. I'd rather have the truth than something insincere. Why don't you come right out and say it. What it is your thinking though I'm thinking it's not what I want to hear." Which just proves my point that communication between friends, family, loved ones, and well wishers in our society today is lacking. Apparently Relient K agrees.
Track 6, Forgiven, takes a look out how in God's eyes, we've all sinned equally. But we as Christians are forgiven from all of this if we simply confess it! "And you can't see past the blood on my hands to see that you've been aptly damned to fail and fail again. Because we're all guilty of the same things. We think the thoughts whether or not we see them through. And I know that I have been forgiven. And I just hope you can forgive me too."
The final song on the album, Deathbed, which is over eleven minutes long, is arguably the best. It takes the listener through the life of a man who's, you guessed it, on his death bed, dying from lung cancer. He starts from the beginning of his life talking about how his traveling-preacher-father had left him and his Mom at the age of eight. He admits that at the age of fourteen he started drinking and smoking which he accredits for his current state of health. When he was twenty-one he sings about his marriage to his pregnant wife. But after a few years she leaves him. Finally, as his life is falling apart, he turns his song to the story of how Jesus came and saved him, even after all the terrible things he had done in his life. That, I think, is a fabulous message for todays teens to here. I especially love the lyrics from the last few minutes of the song:
---
I was so scared of Jesus, but he sought me out like the cancer in my lungs it's killing me now. And I've given up hope on the days I have left. But I cling to the hope of my life in the next. Then Jesus showed up, said, "Before we go I thought that we might reminisce. See, one night in your life, when you turned out the lights, you asked for and prayed for my forgiveness. You cried wolf; the tears they soaked your fur. The blood dripped from your fangs. You said, 'What have I done?' You loved that lamb with every sinful bone. And there you wept alone. Your heart was so contrite. You said, 'Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes. Sanctify this withered heart of mine. Stay with me until my life is through. And on that day, please take me home with you.'" I can smell the death on the sheets covering me. I can't believe this is the end. I can hear you whisper to me, "It's time to leave. You'll never be lonely again." But this was my deathbed. I died there alone. When I closed my eyes tonight, You carried me home. “I am the way. Follow me and take my hand. And I am the truth. Embrace me and you'll understand. And I am the life, and for me you'll live again. For I am love.
---
Deathbed isn't actually about Matt Thiessen (lead singer of Relient K). From the start of the song we know our subject was born in 1941, which would make Matt over 60 years old. Matt was born in 1980.
Relient K still keeps it light with songs like Must Have Done Something Right, Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care, and Faking My Own Suicide (it's not as morbid as it sounds). So don't think they've gone all out and grown up on you :). They're still the fun band you once knew. But they've definetly matured a lot as well, for the better, I think.
The lyrics are fabulous on this disc, and Relient K doesn't hold anything back on the music either. Once again, they produce a CD that's packed with amazing and unique songs. But when the lead singer of your band also plays lead guitar, piano, bass, drums, bells, organ, trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone horn, and the vibraphone, you're bound to have a wide variety of music styles throughout between the songs. One of the best parts of this disc is the fact that you can actually tell one song apart from another! I can't stand it, although I'll still listen to it (explain how that works), when a CD has x amount of songs on it, but they all sound alike!! Relient K doesn't do that. They never really have, and that's one of my favorite things about them.
Worth the $11.99 I spent on it? Absolutely! I HIGHLY recommend you buy this CD. But if you're going to buy it, I might recommend getting the Special Edition, which includes bonus tracks on the CD AND a Special Edition DVD as well, which includes music videos and behind the scenes footage of the band recording the album. As much fun as these guys are, that would be worth the $3 more that it is... I kind of wish I had gotten it, but I don't think it comes out for another week. (Although you could order it online.)
mmhmm sold over 750,000 copies. Two Lefts Don't Make A Right, But Three Do and The Anatomy Of Tongue In Cheek both went Gold (at least 500,000 copies sold) as well. I'm wondering how many this record will sell. It wouldn't surprise me if it went Platinum (at least 1,000,000 copies sold). According to a lot of the tag-lines I've seen, it's the "most anticipated album of the year." How you judge that in the 3rd month of 2007, one may never know. We'll let the Grammy's decide at the end of the year.
Honestly, when I heard unconfirmed rumors saying the Relient K had said in an interview with MTV, I didn't believe the rumors. Apparently, Relient K said to MTV, "We are not a Christian band. We never were a Christian band. The only reason we signed with a Christian label was so we could get popular faster." This rumor started shortly after Relient K signed with record label Capitol in 2004. However, on their latest 2007 release, Five Score And Seven Years Ago, the record is shared by both labels; Capitol (mainstream) and Gottee (Christian). So it would appear they didn't abandon their original label. Also, I would like to point out that the rumor I mentioned above was strictly word of mouth, and I searched high and low trying to prove or disprove it, and I couldn't find any evidence that Relient K ever said that in an interview with MTV or anybody. I don't believe it. The only blotch I could find on Relient K's record was that there lead singer was born in Ontario. But we won't hold that against them...
First off, the record is called Five Score And Seven Years Ago because it is their FIFTH record (score), and the band released their first effort seven years ago. So, there you have it. Quit asking.
After hearing their latest effort, I still don't. After listening to their songs, it still looks to me like they're keeping their faith and trying to proclaim God's love and righteousness through their music. If they can sign with a mainstream label to get more listeners to hear that message, I think that's AWESOME!
Five Score And Seven Years Ago marks Relient K's 5th full album release. It follows more in steps of mmhmm than their three first albums as far maturity goes. The honesty portrayed in the lyrics is one of my favorite things about the albums. This doesn't mean that they've lost their sense of humor or fun music styles; they still have all of that. The first song on the album, sung in acapella, submits that President Lincoln's death wasn't real but a conspiracy.
That gives the album a healthy start. It only goes up hill from there. The second song on the album, Come Right Out And Say It, says in the chorus, "Why don't you come right out and say it even though the words are probably gonna hurt. I'd rather have the truth than something insincere. Why don't you come right out and say it. What it is your thinking though I'm thinking it's not what I want to hear." Which just proves my point that communication between friends, family, loved ones, and well wishers in our society today is lacking. Apparently Relient K agrees.
Track 6, Forgiven, takes a look out how in God's eyes, we've all sinned equally. But we as Christians are forgiven from all of this if we simply confess it! "And you can't see past the blood on my hands to see that you've been aptly damned to fail and fail again. Because we're all guilty of the same things. We think the thoughts whether or not we see them through. And I know that I have been forgiven. And I just hope you can forgive me too."
The final song on the album, Deathbed, which is over eleven minutes long, is arguably the best. It takes the listener through the life of a man who's, you guessed it, on his death bed, dying from lung cancer. He starts from the beginning of his life talking about how his traveling-preacher-father had left him and his Mom at the age of eight. He admits that at the age of fourteen he started drinking and smoking which he accredits for his current state of health. When he was twenty-one he sings about his marriage to his pregnant wife. But after a few years she leaves him. Finally, as his life is falling apart, he turns his song to the story of how Jesus came and saved him, even after all the terrible things he had done in his life. That, I think, is a fabulous message for todays teens to here. I especially love the lyrics from the last few minutes of the song:
---
I was so scared of Jesus, but he sought me out like the cancer in my lungs it's killing me now. And I've given up hope on the days I have left. But I cling to the hope of my life in the next. Then Jesus showed up, said, "Before we go I thought that we might reminisce. See, one night in your life, when you turned out the lights, you asked for and prayed for my forgiveness. You cried wolf; the tears they soaked your fur. The blood dripped from your fangs. You said, 'What have I done?' You loved that lamb with every sinful bone. And there you wept alone. Your heart was so contrite. You said, 'Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes. Sanctify this withered heart of mine. Stay with me until my life is through. And on that day, please take me home with you.'" I can smell the death on the sheets covering me. I can't believe this is the end. I can hear you whisper to me, "It's time to leave. You'll never be lonely again." But this was my deathbed. I died there alone. When I closed my eyes tonight, You carried me home. “I am the way. Follow me and take my hand. And I am the truth. Embrace me and you'll understand. And I am the life, and for me you'll live again. For I am love.
---
Deathbed isn't actually about Matt Thiessen (lead singer of Relient K). From the start of the song we know our subject was born in 1941, which would make Matt over 60 years old. Matt was born in 1980.
Relient K still keeps it light with songs like Must Have Done Something Right, Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care, and Faking My Own Suicide (it's not as morbid as it sounds). So don't think they've gone all out and grown up on you :). They're still the fun band you once knew. But they've definetly matured a lot as well, for the better, I think.
The lyrics are fabulous on this disc, and Relient K doesn't hold anything back on the music either. Once again, they produce a CD that's packed with amazing and unique songs. But when the lead singer of your band also plays lead guitar, piano, bass, drums, bells, organ, trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone horn, and the vibraphone, you're bound to have a wide variety of music styles throughout between the songs. One of the best parts of this disc is the fact that you can actually tell one song apart from another! I can't stand it, although I'll still listen to it (explain how that works), when a CD has x amount of songs on it, but they all sound alike!! Relient K doesn't do that. They never really have, and that's one of my favorite things about them.
Worth the $11.99 I spent on it? Absolutely! I HIGHLY recommend you buy this CD. But if you're going to buy it, I might recommend getting the Special Edition, which includes bonus tracks on the CD AND a Special Edition DVD as well, which includes music videos and behind the scenes footage of the band recording the album. As much fun as these guys are, that would be worth the $3 more that it is... I kind of wish I had gotten it, but I don't think it comes out for another week. (Although you could order it online.)
mmhmm sold over 750,000 copies. Two Lefts Don't Make A Right, But Three Do and The Anatomy Of Tongue In Cheek both went Gold (at least 500,000 copies sold) as well. I'm wondering how many this record will sell. It wouldn't surprise me if it went Platinum (at least 1,000,000 copies sold). According to a lot of the tag-lines I've seen, it's the "most anticipated album of the year." How you judge that in the 3rd month of 2007, one may never know. We'll let the Grammy's decide at the end of the year.