Customer Reviews

Mmhmm

5 star:		(197)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Relient K has gained attention and new fans recently while opening the "Noise To The World" tour for Simple Plan and Good Charlotte. This CD contains about half of the songs they played on the tour, but not older ones like "Sadie Hawkins Dance" and "Chapstick, Chapped Lips, and Things Like Chemistry."

Relient K puts together a CD full of upbeat, light pop-punk. To the casual listener, little more seems meant than songs about relationships (like "High of 75"), or lack of fulfillment ("Be My Escape", "I So Hate Consequences")

The Christian point of view quickly becomes clear. The "you" songs such as "Be My Escape" are addressed to could, if you want it to, be some girl the singer is trying to get to take him from an unfulfilling life, but it could be Jesus as well "You've told me the way, and now I'm trying to get there" "But I can't ask you to give what you already gave". "High of 75" plays on the pun between "sun" and "son", and the clouds battling for control of the sky could be good and evil.

Still, Relient K has cleverly done songs that set forth their point of view, but in a manner that all can appreciate, whatever their religious beliefs. They've joined the mainstream, but without selling out their religious beliefs.

I have to admit, it took me awhile to actually enjoy Relient K. I used to think their music was very generic and their lyrics were cheesy. But this album changed everything for me. Matt Thiessen is such a clever lyricist, using enough word plays to delight the wordsmith in me, but also making me think more deeply about my relationship with God and others.

The band sticks to their standard pop-punk riffs on this album, though I believe they use smoother speed and instrumental transitions on this album. Example: Be My Escape starts with screaming guitars and a fast beat, softens down to keyboards, vocals and light drumming during the verses, back up to rocking during the bridge and chorus, and slows right down for a touching finish. There are several other songs that vary in a like manner.

Lyrically, I really enjoyed Be My Escape (but the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair), Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet (I move you, but you just wouldn't budge, I tried to hold your hand but you'd rather hold your grudge), When I Go Down (When I go down, I'll lift my eyes to You, but I won't look too far, 'Cause You'll be there with open arms, to lift me up again...). What a beautiful way to end the album!

Musically, many songs stand out - High of 75 is probably the most original song, starting with acoustic guitar, and including a drum loop in the chorus. Other highlights include Who I am Hates Who I've Been, and Life After Death & Taxes, which combines great vocals with some cool screaming!

Relient K has made a fan out of me, and if you buy this album, it will do the same for you!

Relient K is, and always will be, misunderstood. Like that reviewer that just couldn't understand the meaning of the words that the band was trying to get across.

I'm sorry, but there's no play here... no double meanings. The album is a very specific view of certain aspects of the Christian reality. No, it's not always posies and jellybeans... the toughest part of Christianity is yourself; and THAT'S what Relient K brings forth on this, their fourth release.

The song "Let It All Out" is a song where the narrator realizes everything that God has told him: "And You said: 'I know that this will hurt... but if I don't don't break your heart, things will just get worse. If the burden seems to hard to bear, remember: the end will justify the pain it took to get us there.'" What does this mean? Simple: If we want to please God, we need to stop sinning. Sin is human nature, so, it's hard and painful to go against your very self. However, the price of sin is death. So, we have choice: we go through some tolerable pain in exchange of an eternity of joy OR we don't negate our nature in an exchange of eternal death. So, God has to "break ouor heart" otherwise "things will just get worse." It's a voluntary and rewarding trajectory because it will all be worth it when we sing in Heaven. Heaven is the "end" that "justifies the pain it took" to get there.

With phrases like "...the beauty of Grace is that it makes life not fair [...]", refering to the grace of God, this album is deep in it's meaning and fun in it's music. A must buy for any good music fan.

I'm overly obsessive over Relient K as any of my friends would know, but when I first heard this album, I was completely blown away. Not only did they go through major growth musically, but they also matured drastically as well. Each song has a deeper meaning that is completely different from the former Mood Rings, Sadie Hawkins, Pink Tux RK that everyone had known before.

1. The One I'm Wating For 9/10 - Good opener, but not the best song on the album. It's kind of hard to find it's meaning, but definitely catchy.

2. Be My Escape 10/10 - The first single on the disc. It was pretty obvious that this song would be the first single as it's probably one of the catchiest songs that can relate with everyone.

3. High of 75 9/10 - Very catchy. Even though it reminds us of the old, silly Relient K from the "Two Lefts.." CD, it does have an emotional meaning behind it dealing with emotional crisis and God's role in that crisis.

4. I So Hate Consequences 10/10 - One of my favorites in the album with its hard riffs and creative lyrics that catch everyone's eyes leading to everyone singing along.

5. The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Horse is Betting On One 7/10 - Seems a bit as a filler song, but it's fast, catchy song with lyrics that are a bit hard to understand.

6. My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend 8/10 - A catchy and funny song that remind us of the old RK that sang silly songs with a hint of a message of appreciation if not mockery towards the former suitor.

7. More Than Useless 9.5/10 - Definitely a must listen on the album considering its catchy riffs and obvious message of hopelessness and purpose in life. You'll find yourself tuning to this one for quite awhile.

8. Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet? 10/10 - This song reveals the most maturity in its tone and lyrics. The hard riffs and beats provide a darker tone, one of best songs on the album. It's also the first song written by RK showing dislike towards a person.

9. Let It All Out 6/10 - A bit of a let down compared to the rest of the album as it calms down. Seems like a 4-minute-long filler, but it does have a sense of forgiveness to continue from the last song. I tend to skip this one, but I do listen to it occasionally.

10. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been 9/10 - Witty lyrics and catchy riffs that make it a specific one to listen to. Showing regret to previous actions, it does contain a message like many of the other songs, but with a bit of the old RK tone in it.

11. Maintain Consciousness 8.5/10 - It's a funny and short RK song that tends to remind me of my brother. Nothing to hate about this song, although it seems a bit pointless.

12. This Week, The Trend 9/10 - One of my favorites because of the message behind it dealing with individuality. It's catchy and I had it stuck in my head for quite awhile.

13. Life After Death and Taxes(Failure II) 10/10 - Another one of Relient K's harder songs(first time there's been more than 1 included) that deals with afterlife. The addition of Dave's background lyrics add a certain flare to it.

14. When I Go Down 9/10 - A great way to end an album. It combines a soft, calming melody with a theme of personal regret and pain. It combines acoustic with electric showing Relient K's overall achievement and maturity.

Overall, this album is one that is definitely at the top of my CD 's. It's one that I'll never get bored of with its catchy riffs and lyrics. Christian or not, it's one everyone should have. Relient K's maturity is definitely shown and no one should miss it.

Relient K's fourth album, mmhmm, is simply excellent. On their first two albums, they were catchy, skillful, humorous, and religious. Their third album was less religiously emphasized, but still very catchy and rather entertaining. This album shows the maturity that one professional reviewer said theit third album still lacked, and it also shows that Relient K still intends to encourage belief with their music, but (still) is not doing so at the expense of their music or to the exclusion of all else. The songs on mmhmm are generally more serious and thoughtful, but their sincerity has not changed on their newest album. There is also evidence of their trademark sense of humor in songs like "My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend" and "The Only Thing Worse Than Beating A Dead Horse Is Getting On One" as well as a few others. As for the music itself, it remains energetic and catchy, and is even more skillful than ever. My personal favorites on this CD (so far, in no particular order) are "High Of 75", "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been", "The One I'm Waiting For" and "Be My Escape" but there is no song on this album which I dislike. This is an excellent investment for anyone who likes Relient K, pop-punk, or just rock music in general.

So, I was a bit skeptic about buying this album. I had read reviews on amazon and everyone was saying "Oh, Relient K grew up!" or "Relient K got rid of their silliness!" I mean, c'mon. What's Relient K without silliness, right? So I was skeptic to buy it, but me being the devoted fan, I did. I am so glad. Even though they've gotten rid of their silliness, this CD is my absolute favorite out of all of them. The lyrics are amazing, the songs are amazing, and the overall feel is, yep you guess it--amazing. I'll break down the songs one by one for all you skeptics. Pff. Just buy it.

1. The One I'm Waiting For: (5/5) Great starter song. Lyrics are very catchy, beware.
2. Be My Escape: (5/5) Great song. It'll start to get really annoying though, if you overplay it.
3. High of 75: (5/5) I just love how Relient K syncopates their drum beats and still makes it sound good. This is a good example of it. Good cheer up song.
4. I So Hate Consequences: (5/5) Bit of screaming in the beginning. If you're not used to Relient K screaming, you better get used to it. My second favorite song on the album! I love how it gets slow at the end.
5. The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse is Betting On One: (4/5) ...Kind of a random song. It's not even 1:30 long, but I guess it's good.
6. My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend: (4/5) Funny song. Kind of has the "Stacy's Mom" feel with the guitars. Could be a single.
7. More Than Useless: (5/5) They combine rock and techno in this one. Lyrics are amazing, my third favorite song.
8. Which To Bury, Us or the Hatchet: (5/5) My favorite song! Matt Theissen screams the chorus in this one; but it's not creepy screaming. It's just enough to give you goosebumps, though. That and the lyrics! :) A Must listen to.
9. Let It All Out: (5/5) Beginnings a little slow, but it picks up for the chorus. The chorus is actually pretty moving.
10. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been: (5/5) Good song. Guitars in the beginning are good. Chorus is super catchy.
11. Maintain Consciousness: (5/5) For the techno fans out there.
12. This Week The Trend: (3/5) Stupid lyrics, good beat. Or good lyrics, stupid beat. You decide.
13. Life After Death and Taxes: (2/5) Kind of a whatever song. Doesn't stand out too much.
14. When I Go Down: (3/5) The slowest song on the album. Great lyrics, though. The last note is harmonized perfectly, gives me goosebumps every time.

Buy this album, you won't be disappointed. Just remember one guy wrote ALL of these songs on the album. Now is that talent, or is that talent? Give it up for Matt Theissen!

Don't get me wrong, I found a lot of Relient K's earlier music fun to listen to but I think this is the album that helped them stand out from many other cookie cutter Christian Bands out there. Their lyrics have improved greatly from the more juvenial themes on the previous albums. I believe this is the way Christian Music should be... not over preachy and dealing with life issues from a Christian perspective. I do enjoy worship albums that sing about God but it is nice to also have groups like Relient K that deal with the day to day things we all go through. It is also nice that this album is accessable to a wider audience then just the Christian subculture. I think the youth of today need more artists like Relient K as role models to counter what the music industry has been puting out in recent years. Also if you like this check out the "Apathetic EP" it follows the same style plus includes accustic versions of some of their hits.

I am not the typical fan that loves everything Relient K does, and in fact I never bought "Two Lefts" because I thought it was somewhat subpar compared to their first two releases. I was therefore skeptical about buying "MmmHmm". I happened to get this album in a box from YLO, a youth leader materials program I signed up for, and it sat in that box for about three weeks.

One day I finally decided to listen to this, and at first I was disappointed. Where was the silly anthem of the album? There was not one! However, a few days later I gave it a second chance and listened to the lyrics. I was totally blown away! I once thought that Relient K were somewhat immature in lyric writing, but this album demonstrates a level of spiritual maturity in the band.

While the silliness of the album is close to non-existent, I would venture to say that this is Relient K's finest work. They seem to have matured both musically and spiritually, and the once "3 chord punk" style has turned into a punk artform. There is no better punk band out there, Christian or non-Christian.

As fan of lyrics, I am always looking for some one that gives me great listening music as well as well though out lyrics. I am tired of the mindless dance pop, rehash rap and life less profanity that seems to pass for music now a days. I have to admit when I heard of this group I though it would be like some of the awful Christian rock that exists out there(don't get me wrong I'm not against Christian rock, just badly written unimaginative lyrics). I was pleasantly surprised that Reliant K seem to have brought back some of the energy of the 80's punk style. With great puns sprinkled throughout the song that make you think and laugh when you get the meaning. They also, seem to take themselves a bit less serious that the average angst ridden band and seem to really enjoy what they do. If you want to rock out to some driving guitars and drum (with a few added instruments) in you car our home give this one a try, but make sure you read the lyrics.

To everyone who says Relient K "sold out" and are not a "Christian band", I ask have to ask "how so?" While they may not come right out and proclaim the messages of the gospel, they don't lead listeners astray from solid Christian morals and hopes. Be My Escape (" I know to live you must give your life away", "I'm giving up on doing this alone now, Cause I've failed and I'm ready to be shown how, He's told me the way and I'm trying to get there"), I So Hate Consequences ("When I got tired of running from you I stopped right there to catch my breath, There your words they caught my ears, You said, "I miss you son. Come home", And my sins, they watched me leave"", "God all this time I needed you, I needed you"), More Than Useless ("And when I think that I can't do this, You promise me that I'll get through this"), Let It All Out ("If the burden seems too much to bear, Remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there"), Life After Death and Taxes ("Never forget there's life after death"), and When I Go Down ("I confess I'll blame all this on my selfishness yet you love me
and that consumes me") are just a few examples of underlying Christian tones in their songs on this cd.

Musically, and lyrically (Christian vs. Non-Christian battle aside), this cd has been taken up a few notches over their previous releases. No longer is this band singing of more immature "issues" of life. They have finally hit the nail on the head with songs that many youth of all ages can appreciate and relate to. The combination and variety of multiple guitars, staying away from just straight power-chord songs, and the integration of the keyboard takes this album to a new music level.

Stylistically, this album can be classified as mainstream pop-punk, similiar to popular seculat bands like New Found Glory, Simple Plan, and The All-American Rejects. It's very upbeat and flowing, with a different sound and tune to each song.

I was never a fan of the "old" Relient K, but with this new sounding, more mature album, I am hooked. I definitely suggest getting your hands on this album.