Relient K
Two Lefts Dont Make a Right But Three Do


4.5
superb

Review

by danstalcup USER (12 Reviews)
February 8th, 2009 | 36 replies


Release Date: 2003 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Any sort of music concerned with morality ends up coming across as preachy, artificial, or condescending. Unless it's Relient K, especially in their best album.

Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do is by far the best album Relient K has recorded and -- based on the constant thickening of sound that has come with each release after this -- will likely remain so. Despite its simple execution and easy-to-hate genre, Two Lefts is a modern classic.

The band gracefully toes the line between silliness and knock-out poignancy. For all the wordplay and cuteness, the music is surprisingly eloquent and has a greater sense of morality and conscience than 99% of music released in the past decade. A lot of web-sites refer to the band as "Christian." This is true, but it puts an unnecessary stigma on the group and the album. Two Lefts isn't an attempt to convert anyone, like Jesus Freak or Going Public. The words "Jesus" and "God" and "church" aren't used in any of the lyrics. The album -- like the band --is Christ-like with its love and non-judgmental, proactive spirit.

Moments of the album pour on the tongue-in-cheek wordplay to an extent that you'd believe that this is all fun and games. Don't be fooled. Even the songs that discuss cell phones and pink tuxedos and mood rings are about something bigger. Just because this is light pop-rock doesn't mean it's stupid music. There are metaphors abound. Every song on the album, whether directly or through metaphor, is about something thoughtful and serious. That's part of the charm of this album: It tells stories and teaches lessons through tiny objects as much as sweeping gestures.

Musically, the album is taut and dynamic and bursting full of ideas. We hear the band playing with rhythm in new ways. They slow down and speed up more than ever before, to great effect. Thiessen and crew tinker with different timbres, too. Whether we're being hit with lightning-quick power chords, a gentle acoustic ballad, a pop sheen, a modern rock change-up to the vocals, or the jangly finale, Jefferson Aeroplane, this is the best RK would ever sound. Without sacrificing its immediacy, the band implements some quirks.

The songs themselves are diverse and great. The numbers bounce back and forth between the more direct songs (Forward Motion) to more playful tracks (In Love With The '80s). Most of the tracks stand out in some way. It's a rare album to listen to all the way through. Even the weaker songs -- e.g. Trademark -- have moments that shine.

The first five tracks are probably the most memorable, if not the best. Chapped Lips, Chapstick, and Things Like Chemistry is a bit odd but devilishly catchy and a great opening song that uses some pop culture references to great effect. Mood Rings is a corny idea, but Relient K really nails it. Listen to the song a few times, and you'll realize the song is more about emotional honesty than whiny girls.

In Love With the '80s (Pink Tux) ups the camp, but does so warmly. Even as it pumps out nostalgia -- homaging the pop production of some of the 1980's classics like "Take on Me" -- the song is even more about letting go of worry and living life boldly. College Kids and Hoopes I Did it Again (despite the latter's terrible pun for a title) avoid the cliche of romanticizing the high school and college years, and instead skewer their destructive social scenes.

Perhaps the best singing performance comes in I Am Understood? as lead singer Thiessen drops his snotty vocals for something grittier, and it makes me wish he would do it more often. He's even better in Getting Into You, the cornerstone of the album and a stone-cold killer of an acoustic ballad. It's not as purely melodic as something like Good Riddance or Wonderwall, but it's elegant and it works; plus, it summarizes the compassionate tone of the whole album.

Relient K here continues the tradition of ending its albums strongly. Gibberish is almost novelty but its message rings true. From End to End is on the other end of the spectrum: an attempt at a tour-de-force. Like Softer to Me and Less is More on previous albums, the band pulls it off pretty well.

Jefferson Aeroplane, the finale, is often forgotten but turns a simple pop culture reference into a genuinely thoughtful song. The last lyric is one of my favorites on the whole album:

"I'll go and hope the new me shows so everybody knows
that I've found myself able to fly away
Without magic feathers or Jefferson Aeroplanes
I've got with me all that i need"


Ultimately, the album's ability to transform little images into big ideas, to take the format of pop-punk but turn it into some of the most thoughtful pop music you'll hear, and to do so with a great collection of finely-crafted, creative songs pushes it close to Classic territory for me. It's so rare to find a great album genuinely concerned with morality. That Relient K takes this approach, downplays the focus on it, and isn't condescending or judgmental once through the album is impressive.

Any album can go for the epic and pretentious and dramatic. Thankfully, Relient K doesn't. Instead of swinging for the fences with every song -- mediocre-and-pretentious is an easier sell than great-and-simple -- Two Lefts revels in its restraint as pop music and ends up as a magnum opus of insightful, layered music.

Note: I've rewritten this review several times, and changed the rating number, so some of the comments might not make sense.



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user ratings (308)
3.5
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


Just because this is light pop-rock doesn't mean it's stupid music.

Oh really now?
Any album can be epic.

lol
Too many little paragraphs, and it seems like a lazy TBT.

Tits McGee
February 8th 2009


1874 Comments


WHAT!?

A five? A five?


Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


Yes, a five.

danstalcup
February 8th 2009


27 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

@Zippermouth



I hate it when reviews just count up through the tracks, but sometimes I like going through the whole album so I just do it by track in paragraphs. What felt lazy about it?



Re: "Any album can be epic."



I don't mean epic as good, I mean epic as in overly dramatic and intense.

NOTINTHEFACE
February 8th 2009


2142 Comments


i used to think this was like, the best album ever too. And then I started listening to better music.
Seriously, though. Your review is really... shall i say... cheesy? You use first person way too much and your first paragraph is just pure cheese. Give an intro and just move on without trying to immediately justify your rating. Let the rest of your review do that. Even though this isn't technically a track-by-track, it reads like one. Next time, take all these bite-sized pieces of information about each track and condense them into two or three paragraphs. And once again, please stop trying to justify your rating throughout the review. It really hurts your case.
About the album... I think it's probably RK's best (tied with mmhmm probably) but it's no "epic". For definition of epic, listen to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" or some similarly pretentious album. Quality pop-punk, yes, but nothing that hasn't been done before. And one thing I do agree with you on: Thiessen's lyrics are indeed great, even approaching genius at some points.

ninjuice
February 8th 2009


6760 Comments


^ He's got some quality advice here. Album is great, but MmmHmm still remains their best and nothing RK have done even come close to "classic."
Come to think of it, I have yet to encounter a pop punk album that deserves that title.

danstalcup
February 8th 2009


27 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

@NOTINTHEFACE



@ninjuice



Thanks for the advice -- I just went through and revised the review, cutting out a serious

amount of the "cheese" and shrinking the track-by-track section.



FACE, I think you misinterpreted me -- my point was RK doesn't try to make a

pretentious epic, and that's why I like it so much.



And thanks again for the constructive criticism.



...yeah, since I reworked the intro, some of these comments are no longer applicable,

haha.This Message Edited On 02.08.09This Message Edited On 02.08.09

roofi
February 8th 2009


959 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

your illustrations always point out just what's wrong with me



it's chap stick and chapped lips and things like chemistry

Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


What felt lazy about it?

Well it seemed like you went through the album track by track but you only mentioned the tracks you liked, and you just sorta ignored all the other crap.



Metalstyles
February 8th 2009


8576 Comments


He gave the album a 5. I guess he likes all the tracks

NOTINTHEFACE
February 8th 2009


2142 Comments


MUCH better. :-D
"my point was RK doesn't try to make a
pretentious epic, and that's why I like it so much."
Well, in that case I agree completely.


Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


He gave the album a 5. I guess he likes all the tracks

Then why didn't he talk about them


Metalstyles
February 8th 2009


8576 Comments


well...................... thats a good question:D

Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


Ha, I win again.

Metalstyles
February 8th 2009


8576 Comments


No, not AGAIN, only this time

Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


I beat you on Chuck. You got nothing on me.

Metalstyles
February 8th 2009


8576 Comments


you didn`t beat me on chuck. You just generalized the genre

danstalcup
February 8th 2009


27 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

@Zippermouth

I'm confused -- you're saying I should go through every track (which I actually had when you read it), but others thought it was too long and clunky the way it was. I tend to agree with the other people. I just usually prefer reviews that don't count through each track, and so I tried to summarize in paragraphs. Guess it ended up not being great the way it was.

Let me know if you or anyone else has any more advice.

Zippermouth
February 8th 2009


1305 Comments


I don't give good advice, I just annoy people.
I have a headache, I'm sore and I'm really tired, what do you want from me!

danstalcup
February 8th 2009


27 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

haha you're a good man zipper



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