Relient K. They released their last full-length album in…2009. So it’s high time they let something new out. So they did. It’s called Collapsible Lung. Anyone who listens to Relient K will know that they don’t change too much from album to album, it’s often the same alternative, pop and rock sound we’ve grown to love so much from Matt Thiessen and the other members. Not so with Collapsible Lung. Not one song is like another. That was a little bit of an issue for me.
The album opener, “Don’t Blink,” was a highlight for me. I had listened to “Lost Boy” when they released the lyric video, and I didn’t like it. It just didn’t sound like Relient K. And, unlike The Almost’s new songs, it hasn’t grown on me. After listening to “Don’t Blink,” I was hoping that “Lost Boy” was just one of those songs like “Good Time” from Owl City’s The Midsummer Station, but then I heard “Boomerang.” I couldn’t bring myself to like that one either, as much as I would’ve liked to.
After those two, “If I Could Take You Home” came along, and I thought maybe the album could redeem itself. Now, this isn’t to say that the album is bad, it just jumps around. Relient K was never one of those bands that jumped around, they were always putting spins on the same genre, which always made them interesting to listen to. But with songs like “Can’t Complain,” where they try a reggae vibe, it just doesn’t fit them.
The love songs of Relient K are usually so innocent. Recall “Must’ve Done Something Right?” But this album’s love songs weren’t like that. They sort of stunk, to be honest. They weren’t catchy or clever or anything like their other love songs from previous albums.
Now the last song, the title track, was the final highlight from the album. The songwriting had more of a Relient K feel than anything else on the album, which pleased me. It was a nice ending to an otherwise difficult album to listen to.
Relient K knows better than to jump around too much when they’ve stuck with the same for so long. While I do appreciate their experimentation in this album, I hope it doesn’t become the norm for Matt and the guys to give us plethoras of genres in their next album.
