Five Score & Seven Years Ago

Relient K's fifth CD is a diverse modern rock album that's so varied at times it sounds like a mix tape. "Take the Fifth" pulses with lush, Beach Boys-y harmonies, "Forgiven" is a piano-driven tune that sounds like early U2, and the dueling guitar feedback that opens "I Need You" displays deeper punk rock heaviosity. "Faking My Own Suicide"--a great tune powered by Death Cabby vocals, ironic yet playful lyrics, and a killer classic rock organ--seems destined for a movie soundtrack. The true standout is of course "Deathbed," an intense eleven minute ode to regret co-starring Jon Foreman of Switchfoot. Relient K have not only weathered lineup changes (the bassist and guitarist are new here) and mainstream success without "selling out" and foregoing their introspective messages of faith and hope. But they've made the best album in their career in the process. --Mike McGonigal

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Relient K’s ‘Five Score and Seven Years Ago’ arrives on store shelves