relient K - Collapsible Lung

[beardacus]

Also, I came across this review of the album, and I feel it's pretty spot on. I know it describes perfectly how I've come to feel about the record. 

 

I am by no means one to be considered “qualified" for the writing of any sort of review; I am just a normal person—a kid between high school and college. However, I have been listening to Relient K faithfully since the very beginning, when the only title they could think of for their first full-length album was simply their own band’s moniker. So the fact that I have been listening to Matt and Matt’s music since I began to learn to write my name is enough to allow me to merely explain my thoughts behind their newly-released album Collapsible Lung. Also, before I begin, I would like to make clear that to call any music other than that which you create yourself “bad," “awful," or any other term of the sort is extremely bigoted; music is an art, and if one accomplishes what he or she has envisioned in their music—no matter what others may think—they have achieved success and have created something good. Others are allowed, of course, not to like it, but that does not make it bad. With this in mind, whether or not I, you, or others like Relient K’s newest album, if the band members themselves like it and have accomplished with it what they sought to accomplish, it is a good and complete work of art.

I had looked forward expectantly to a new original album from Relient K ever since their incredibly beautiful, heartfelt Forget and Not Slow Down, which was released in 2009. When I saw a Facebook post from Matthew Hoopes one day in 2013 speaking of a new album entitled Collapsible Lung, I was overly excited; I was excpecting another incredibly beautiful, heartfelt album—a Forget and Not Slow Down: Part II of sorts.

After listening to the new album yesterday, I was sorely disappointed and quite distraught. This isn’t Relient K, I thought. I thought this and even said it aloud not because of the dramatic change in musical style from punk and alternative to pop—for Relient K has always been known to change their musical sound between albums, within albums, and even within individual songs—but because of the lyrics. It is true that they seem watered down and hardly creative compared with the usual Thiessen standard, but this also is not what left me distraught (though, truth be told, slightly disappointed). What bothered me greatly, upset me, even angered me was the worldliness, the lack of eternal value, the lack of a focus on Christ which had been in all the rest of their songwriting for over a decade. Not only did the creativity and poetic quality of the lyrics seem watered down, but the meaning and underlying message seemed utterly drowned. Instead of songs like Wake Up Call, Those Words Are Not Enough, For the Moments I Feel Faint, What Have You Been Doing Lately?, My Way or the Highway…, Failure to Excommunicate, Less Is More, I Am Understood?, Getting Into You, Be My Escape,I So Hate Consequences, More than Useless, Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been, Life After Death & Taxes (Failure II), When I Go Down, I Need You, Forgiven, Give Until There’s Nothing Left, Deathbed, and their Christmas songs, Collapsible Lung boasts such shallow themes as sex, one-night-stands, habitual drinking, meeting girls in bars, and more. In fact, I had never before had to worry about those around me hearing the lyrics of my music when listening to Relient K, but yesterday, while mopping the gymnasium floor at work and blasting the new album over the large speakers mounted to the ceiling, Thiessen sang the line, “Baby, you look so sexy" and caused a group of children to begin laughing heartily and their respective parents to begin glaring at me scarily. I was, in all honesty, extremely hurt and felt terribly betrayed; I had looked up to Matt Thiessen my whole life as the ideal man I wanted to be and, in fact, had even posted a photo of him as my Mancrush Monday on Instagram just a week prior. In my hurt, disappointed, and distraught state, I posted to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and had many people show that they shared my very opinion and also felt just as betrayed.

Out of a sense of denial and a stubborn desperation, I kept Collapsible Lung playing on repeat for eight straight hours. Over and over again it would play, jumping from track to track like a seemingly drunken train with no true final destination. As said by Cortney Warner of Jesus Freak Hideout, the album felt “almost too inconsistent, and at times it [could] feel more like a B-side album rather than a collective LP." The tracks seemed to have no flow and were broken and disjointed. The album was not the Forget and Not Slow Down: Part II I had been wishing for. Then, on the final track, after hearing the album play over and over again for hours without end, something clicked and everything came together for me as if I had been trying in vain to put together a puzzle without sorting the pieces into piles based upon the similar colors printed on their front. I began to sort the songs on Relient K’s new album in the same manner, and all but one track were together in the same metaphorical pile—the final track. Suddenly, everything made sense. The album was entitled Collapsible Lung for a very important reason—the very same reason the final track was in a different pile than all the previous tracks and was given the very same title as the album itself. All the songs before Collapsible Lungwere actually meant to sound empty, shallow, watered down, broken, and disjointed, and that is what, ironically, makes them all flow together and lead into the final track—the true underlying message of the entire album. Four years ago, Forget and Not Slow Down was released; it was a concept album entirely about the terrible experience Matt Thiessen had when his fiancé left him. He poured his heart into the album and it was and is a beautiful, heartfelt masterpiece. Somewhere in those four years after its release, “between the miles of open road," Matt sings on the final track of Collapsible Lungthat he “lost sight of what might matter the most" and “stumbled into the great unknown." The first ten tracks on the album display where he began to look for comfort and satisfaction after his engagement had been terribly brought to an end and also show the emptiness and brokenness in looking to such things rather than to the loving Father he had looked to for many years before. Track eleven,Collapsible Lung, is Matt’s confession—his plea to the Holy Ghost, from whom he “hope [he] han’t heard the last words." In the end, I had gone from being utterly ashamed of Relient K’s new album to being absolutely astounded by its blatant, brutal honesty and sincere beauty. In fact, it may quite honestly rank with its predecessor as my favorite of all Relient K albums. Collapsible Lung truly is theForget and Not Slow Down: Part II I had been longing for—not only musically, but lyrically and in meaning and purpose.

via http://stephenshutters.tumblr.com/post/54525347408/collapsiblelungreview

 

[cwhitmuzik]

"I had never before had to worry about those around me hearing the lyrics of my music when listening to Relient K, but yesterday, while mopping the gymnasium floor at work and blasting the new album over the large speakers mounted to the ceiling, Thiessen sang the line, “Baby, you look so sexy" and caused a group of children to begin laughing heartily and their respective parents to begin glaring at me scarily."

 

Oh wow those kids are totally scarred for life from that line oh no it's not like top 40 radio doesn't display worse things far more often!

Kidzbop probably says worse things than that.

[mmhmm]

This album was (temporarily) #1 on the iTunes charts and the vinyl pressing sold far more than they were expecting.  Those two things may, unfortunately, add up to the opposite message many of you are hoping the band will receive about this album--that is, they should not make another pop album.  Instead, this may be one of their most successful albums to date and could signal a change in direction for the band, should they make $ at it.  Just a thought. 

 

Edit: then again, with 15K sold in the first week, maybe not nearly their most successful. 

[steviex2shoes]

I almost ordered this record just because its Relient K, but I just can't get behind this record.  They use to be a somewhat goofy band lyrically when they started but there was still some integrity to those lyrics through out the albums as a whole.  But with this album I feel as though they've lost a lot of that integrity that made them a legitimately enjoyable band which is a bummer, but hopefully this is just a phase.

[beardacus]

This album was (temporarily) #1 on the iTunes charts and the vinyl pressing sold far more than they were expecting.  Those two things may, unfortunately, add up to the opposite message many of you are hoping the band will receive about this album--that is, they should not make another pop album.  Instead, this may be one of their most successful albums to date and could signal a change in direction for the band, should they make $ at it.  Just a thought. 

 

Edit: then again, with 15K sold in the first week, maybe not nearly their most successful. 

 

There are many factors that come into play, regarding their (initial) sales of the record during the weeks leading up, and the week of the release of Collapsible Lung on iTunes. Factors such as preorders, but primarily the lack of major (competitive) artists' releases on July 2nd, to battle for the top spot. If you look at the list of major artists that released records, Relient K was the biggest and most recognizable name to have a release and I'm betting that helped propel their sales a little further then it should have. 

 

When it comes to the vinyl sales, it's vinyl. As we all know it's still a huge thing in the mainstream these days, and all the kids, who wanna be cool and frame them, buy up all the copies that were available, and sell it out. I'm sure the sales were also influenced by fans who are worried if they don't buy a copy now, they'll regret it, and have to resort to eBay prices later. 

 

But you're ultimately right; if sales seemly continue to rack up for this record, they may think it's time to shift their sound to a more poppy and less talented sound for the quick buck. 

[noalarmplanet]

I find it amusing that Christians are all butt-hurt about this album for a different reason than I am. I want to see Matt pull a Bazan but not like this will all the pop and shit. That Jason Mraz sounding song is seriously so bad, I mean not even "Eww, panic at the disco, let's dance anyway" bad just awful turn the song now bad. 

 

Relient K and conversely Five Iron Frenzy are for me these relics of my youth that I still hold on to for whatever reason. I grew up on this "Scene" before sinning and discovering Blink 182 and Led Zeppelin. (Weird Combo for a 5th grader?) 

[chutterhanban]

just went and relistened to that collapsible lung song that the guy up top raved about in the review. ugh. in no way does this save the record. even with the "redeeming" lyrics, it still sounds like some weird band that has a one-hit wonder for 3 weeks and is never heard from again (except not that good). I can't stand when bands I love release stuff this far from what I want because I make myself listen to it to stay caught up on the discography.

[cwhitmuzik]

The opener is a very solid track but that's pretty much it.

[popscratch]

I really don't understand all the hate for the "secular" lyrics. These lyrics are in no way my favorite by them, but I don't think they deserve to be criticized the way they are by their Christian fan base.

 

I mean if they want to right a fun album that's not Christian based, then they should be able to do just that. I don't remember them ever saying "This album's gonna be about Jesus and how much we love him".

 

I think Matt can write much better songs by himself, but I don't think that all of these songs are just terrible. I really enjoyed Boomerang, If I Could Take You Home, PTL, and Disaster. On the other hand, I think Can't Complain is one of (if not THE) worst songs they've ever recorded.

 

All I really hope for for the next record is that Matt writes the songs by himself and not with ten thousand co-writers. 

[chutterhanban]

Last 2 posts ARE SPOT ON

Edit: I lied. First post about don't blink being the only good song is spot on but then the part about hoping he doesn't write with a bunch of nonsense pop stars again is also spot on.

Spot on. What a stupid phrase lol

[noalarmplanet]

http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/chart-alert/1569253/joe-and-relient-k-heading-for-top-10-on-billboard-200-albums

 

Satan wins. You can all go home now.

[bopalin]

Is anyone looking to sell there copy of Collapsible Lung. If so please send me a PM thanks.

[mmhmm]

Got my copy today. No insert. CD in a generic sleeve. Partial album credits on the back - so many session players on this album. Whatever.

I hate this album more every time I listen to it. It is fun to go on their Facebook page and see all the teenage fans who are bummed that the lyrics talk about bars and so they're not a Christian band anymore

 

I feel this comment is pretty inaccurate.  To clarify, if you look at the album credits there is only one track - Can't Complain - which lists session players--and there's three of them playing guitar, bass and drums.  I'm not sure where you got the idea this was an album full of session players but it's clearly not.  

 

That being said, it would be nice if the album credits were more thorough.  For instance, there's no mention of who wrote the songs at all, which is surprising.  Also, my theory is that this album started out as something different than what it turned out to be, hence the not-so-friendly departure of their drummer and the (temporary?) departure of their bassist and 2nd guitarist for the current tour.  Almost as though they didn't want to be attached to it.  

[noalarmplanet]

Let's do this album a favor and just never speak of it again. It didn't happen as far as I am concerned. 

[twentytwo]

In other news went into Mckay's Cds and Books here in Nashville today and saw a sealed copy of Mmhmm on vinyl sitting on the shelf for 14.99. Was just about to pick it up and take it to the register when a guy standing next to it said that's mine. A day lay and a buck short but I have plenty of gems in my collection...

[cwhitmuzik]

What a bummer.

[twentytwo]

What a bummer.

I actually had to do a double take to realize what it was because I was like why would an album that goes for a 100 dollars on the bay be sitting on the self for $14.99. 

[mmhmm]

In other news went into Mckay's Cds and Books here in Nashville today and saw a sealed copy of Mmhmm on vinyl sitting on the shelf for 14.99. Was just about to pick it up and take it to the register when a guy standing next to it said that's mine. A day lay and a buck short but I have plenty of gems in my collection...

 

Wow.  And bummer.

[noalarmplanet]

A day lay and a buck short but I have plenty of gems in my collection...

I need you to write a report...

[twentytwo]

For the record this is now sold out on there website. It was available up until this weekend and right when I went to buy it was out of stock..

[chutterhanban]

For the record this is now sold out on there website. It was available up until this weekend and right when I went to buy it was out of stock..

 

how can a record that never happened be sold out?

[noalarmplanet]

how can a record that never happened be sold out?

It has been a while since Forget and Not Slow Down...

[twentytwo]

It has been a while since Forget and Not Slow Down...

 

I admit Collapsible Lung is by no means their best album but by no means is it any worse than 50% of the pop punk crap that is out these days. Personally Forget and Not Slow Down is my favorite and I know that would not be popular opinion.

[cwhitmuzik]

FANSD is hands down their best, like there really isn't any competition there. It's their most mature, best songwriting, really just the perfect fall record.

[chutterhanban]

I admit Collapsible Lung is by no means their best album but by no means is it any worse than 50% of the pop punk crap that is out these days. Personally Forget and Not Slow Down is my favorite and I know that would not be popular opinion.

 

yeah it would be.

see?

 

FANSD is hands down their best, like there really isn't any competition there. It's their most mature, best songwriting, really just the perfect fall record.

yup