Coda.fm

Two Lefts Don't Make a Right.. But Three Do

by Relient K

• Buy it at Amazon.com

Remember the guys in your school who were too smart and sarcastic for their own good? Put guitars on them with a punk-pop penchant and you’ve got Relient K, Canton, Ohio’s most famous import since the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The band’s third release is a thoroughly enjoyable romp of rambunctious buzz-saw guitars and smart-aleck lyrics churned out by singer Matthew Thiessen. Who else could get away with lines like "Let’s get emotional girls to wear mood rings/ So we’ll be tipped off when they’re ticked off" in the wildly clever "Mood Rings," or "Hoopes I did it again/ Relationships are something I can’t comprehend" from the suburban-boredom tribute "Hoopes I Did It Again." Yet, the band never loses sight of its faith in these matters, always finding God at the end of their collective ropes. The tight rhythm section of bassist Brian Pittman and drummer Dave Douglas shine again, laying a foundation upon which Thiessen and Matthew Hoopes blaze away on their 6-strings. Maybe all that time in the principal’s office did do the guys some good! --Michael Lyttle