Relient K The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek (2001) Gotee

The album that put Christian pop-punk band Relient K on the map, The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek gives just what their fans want: spirited, uplifting pop songs with punchy guitars and sing-along anthems. But is that a good thing?

While this is a decent effort from the band, there's no use fighting the fact that this is the same stuff we've had over and over from band after band: catchy songs about 80's girls performed by pretty boys in Chuck Taylor's.

But even though I know that, I'm still able to fully enjoy Midtown and Sugarcult, but not Relient K. Probably because RK offers absolutely nothing new, and actually ruins the formula that "works" for every Simple Plan out there. RK can't seem to stop with uninspired vocals and annoying repetition within all their songs.

The album includes a whopping seventeen tracks, but it still feels so empty when you get to the end. The only truly good songs on this album are "Pressing On", "I'm Lion-O", "Breakdown", and "May the Horse Be With You". Other than that, I couldn't care less about the other songs. It's just boring repitition. But I give them credit for being a positive influence on today's youth and having more integrity than blink-182.

(Eddie)