Collapsible Lung - Relient K

[Yuki-Anne]

So, there's a lot of controversy about the more "worldly" lyrics in this album. I was wondering what you guys think about it. I didn't realize it even existed until yesterday, so I'm giving it a listen. I've heard a variety of interpretations to lyrics, but the majority of people are saying it's not the old Relient K we used to love, and seem very disappointed in it.

If you want to give the whole thing a listen, here's a youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi3Rfry2qkM

My first impression was that it's a little different, not as good as "Forget and Not Slow Down," which is not just one of my favorite Relient K albums, but one of my favorite albums of all time. But on further reflection, it seems to me that the "objectionable content" (some references to possible alcoholic consumption and sexual promsicuity) is not at all portrayed in a positive light. He refers to things in terms of messing up: "never meant to," "this has disaster written all over it," "oh, the trouble you got in," "I guess it's love when you're going through my phone," etc. He's not happy about these decisions. There's misery written all over these songs. This isn't your "party all the time" sex and alcoholism that we hear on the radio all the time. This is your, "I'm hurting so bad and I don't know what I'm doing anymore or what's right and wrong, though I'm pretty sure it's all wrong."

A really awesome amazon review pointed out that the album seems empty and disappointing until you listen to the last song, "Collapsible Lung":

Between the miles of open road
I lost sight of what might matter the most
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That time can’t slow down

I’m getting by with my collapsible lung
And it’s a good time 100% of the time
And I’m like a ladder with a missing rung
And it’s a slow climb headed back to the sky
And I’m feelin' backwards when I’m trying the most
And I hope haven’t heard the last words from the Holy Ghost
Cause I think that I’m supposed to be
Well on my way by now

Interestingly, this is the only song on the album that mentions anything overtly Christian (aside from a single reference to church). Seen as a whole album, what you get is a portrait of a young man who experienced something awful, got confused, lost his way (and probably a significant portion of his faith), and is finally getting back to the path he strayed from.

Sound-wise, it's a lot more pop than the rock we're used to. It's an interesting new angle for the band. Musically I don't like it as much as Forget and Not Slow Down, but it's still pretty good.

Anyway, totally did not set out to write a mini-review. Does anybody else have opinions about this album?

[Xeno]

Haven't listened to it, but I used to listen to the band back when I was in high school. Honestly their early albums didn't have many overtly Christian themes to them either aside from one or two songs. I've always found the phenomenon of people getting upset at a band for experimenting with their sound or lyrics. In this cases Relient K is clearly expected to be at one spot, they pushed a little bit and it made fans uncomfortable but I think it's good for the band to do that. Shows they're capable of more than what they've just been doing. And the fans should realize this is another one of those Christian bands/band made up of Christians things that you can't always count on to make gospel tunes.

[Yuki-Anne]

Personally, I think their sound has evolved in a great way since their early albums. I'd definitely recommend giving their last couple of albums a listen.

[Warrior4Christ]

I haven't heard the album yet, but I'm just starting to listen to it now...

Honestly their early albums didn't have many overtly Christian themes to them either aside from one or two songs.

Um, are you serious? For The Moments I Feel Faint, These Words Are Not Enough, Failure To Excommunicate, Less Is More, Maybe It's Maybeline, Forgiven, Getting Into You, I Am Understood?, just to name a few that I can recall the more overt lyrics off the top of my head (some of the albums I have but haven't listened to as much). Well, I guess it depends on the album... some had more, some had less.

I've always found the phenomenon of people getting upset at a band for experimenting with their sound or lyrics.

Did you miss some words out of this sentence?
Anyway, I don't think it's strange in some cases. Expressing their Christian faith through their lyrics was something that a bunch of listeners obviously valued (which I do myself), and then if they reduce that or lose it, then it's a change for the worse in their mind. When it's a style change, that's more subjective, and it's up to the artist to be creative and do whatever. Sometimes they pull it off well, even if you really enjoyed their previous style, and other times they might not be as appreciated by some listeners, no matter how hard they try to like the new style.

[Xeno]

I haven't heard the album yet, but I'm just starting to listen to it now...

Honestly their early albums didn't have many overtly Christian themes to them either aside from one or two songs.

Um, are you serious? For The Moments I Feel Faint, These Words Are Not Enough, Failure To Excommunicate, Less Is More, Maybe It's Maybeline, Forgiven, Getting Into You, I Am Understood?, just to name a few that I can recall the more overt lyrics off the top of my head (some of the albums I have but haven't listened to as much). Well, I guess it depends on the album... some had more, some had less.

To my defense I haven't listened to them in years. Literally five or six years since the last time I've listened to anything of theirs. So perhaps the songs were more Christian than I'm remembering, I just don't recall thinking that many songs were that religious back when I did listen to the band.

That isn't to say that none of their songs were, or that the songs that were weren't very obvious in what they were talking about.

I've always found the phenomenon of people getting upset at a band for experimenting with their sound or lyrics.

Did you miss some words out of this sentence?
Anyway, I don't think it's strange in some cases. Expressing their Christian faith through their lyrics was something that a bunch of listeners obviously valued (which I do myself), and then if they reduce that or lose it, then it's a change for the worse in their mind. When it's a style change, that's more subjective, and it's up to the artist to be creative and do whatever. Sometimes they pull it off well, even if you really enjoyed their previous style, and other times they might not be as appreciated by some listeners, no matter how hard they try to like the new style.

I did miss a few words, not really sure what's been up with my posting over the last few months. Anyway the sentence should read
"'I've always found the phenomenon of people getting upset at a band for experimenting with their sound or lyrics to be pretty hilarious."

An example of what you're talking about, entirely unrelated to this band, is what Paramore did with their most recently album. I really don't like anything I've heard off it and so I just haven't bothered with them anymore. I'm not mad at them for evolving their sound, and I know they can't stay in one place forever because that would kill the band, I just choose to listen to the older stuff of theirs that I like and ignore the new stuff.

[Warrior4Christ]

The album that I found with the most Christian themed songs off the top of my head was Anatomy of Tongue in Cheek. So maybe the other ones aren't quite as much, but I was under the impression that it's usually more than two. I knew you weren't talking about the obviousness of the songs that were.

Continuing on that tangent, I actually like most of the new Paramore album. I did skip Brand New Eyes for no particular reason, so I did expect a different sound from Riot. But yes, I do know what you mean about awesome previous albums and then newer releases being a disappointment because they changed their sound to be worse in your ears.

[armeck]

I saw them in concert recently. The album stand alone does have lyrics are a bit more... shallow than their other music, but when I heard it with the rest of their songs being played it really felt like the same relient k. All of their music has been about growing up and the lyrics on this album are just another aspect of that

[spark300c]

I'm not mad at them for evolving their sound

I dislike there evolving their sound because it sound depressing now and reason is that they are luke warm. to make a really good up beat pop punk song takes the hope that god only can give. I could tell that relent k was moving into this style since two left do not make right but three do.

[Xeno]

I'm not mad at them for evolving their sound

I dislike there evolving their sound because it sound depressing now and reason is that they are luke warm. to make a really good up beat pop punk song takes the hope that god only can give. I could tell that relent k was moving into this style since two left do not make right but three do.

1. Woah, grave dig.
2. There are literally hundreds of Pop Punk bands with "up beat" songs that aren't Christian. Some of them are 5 Seconds of Summer, AFI, All-American Rejects, American Hi-Fi, Avril Lavigne (yeah, surprising), Blink-182, Bowling for Soup, Cartel, The Donnas, Good Charlotte, Jimmy Eat World, Mayday Parade, New Found Glory, No Doubt, The Offspring, Paramore, Panic! at the Disco, Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, The Vandals, Weezer, Yellowcard, and You Me at Six. Notice, I didn't say any of these bands are necessarily good, but they are pop punk bands with up beat songs.
3. It's a little pretentious of you to just decide the reason their sound changed because of something spiritual. Unless they told you that themselves then it's not really your place to make that call.

[SisterHipster]

I'll have to look, but I do recall reading something (and not sure where) that I believe the singer was supposed to be engaged and it was broken off, which would equate to why the music sounds like it is. I personally didn't like a lot of the songs on their newest like I did on their very first album. It seemed very off lyrically.