TWO LEFTS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT…BUT THREE DO

C-

Gotee Records

Relient K’s new CD Two Lefts Don’t Make a Right… But Three Do relies on many of pop- punk’s most tired clichés. What separates them from the pack is their unending devotion to lyrical puns that aren’t clever or funny. The aptly titled CD prepares you for the not-quite clever, but incredibly cloying lyrical style of Relient K.

In the style of fellow pop-punk poster boys New Found Glory and Good Charlotte, Relient K combines rapid-fire lyrical bursts, pop hooks, and a let’s-have-fun-punk-attitude. Unfortunately, with lyrics such as “And when I’m home, I think I’ll go eat cereal and stare out the window / I’ll make the calls / you cover your ears / Niagra Falls / still flows on New Year’s,” Relient K proves to be too simplistic, and their hooks are never memorable.

At least Good Charlotte has the ability to burrow one of their songs into your head until you’re humming it in your sleep. Relient K aspire to the same heights, but are never as successful as they think they are.

In fact, the biggest drawback to the album is the wink-wink confidence they have in their talent. They rely heavily on puns, exhibited by song titles such as “Jefferson Aero Plane” and “Hoopes, I did it Again,” and stereotypical jokes, like the song “In Love with the 80s,” with its reference to Tears for Fears and wearing a pink tux to the prom.

Relient K is typical disposable pop-punk dreck, but at least their songs are not good enough to stick in your head.

– Sean Corp