Relient K -- Forget and Not Slow Down

9/10

Forget and Not Slow Down is the best album Relient K have ever released.
At some point in 2008, Matt Theissen allegedly cheated on his fiancée, and she left him. Theissen decided to go out in the middle of the woods and write an album about the experience. The band would then record it by natural methods, forgoing a lot of the computerized tracking they had done in the past. The listener is rewarded with great, focused songwriting by Theissen, and electric performances by the band. New drummer, Ethan Luck, and his spring-loaded drumming style brings a new energy to the other band members' playing. The result is Forget and Not Slow Down, a great rock record, with shades of punk (mostly found in Luck's gutsy drumming), a little piano, and a ton of emotion. With that said, I've written in the past that Theissen's songs about the opposite sex creep me out a little bit. Not here. Theissen is completely honest about his own feelings and failings, but also open about his darker emotions, of his disappointment at not getting another chance. He also plays to his all-time greatest lyrical and emotional strength, conveying the idea and feeling of getting knocked down...or tripping, and getting up again, and that everything can and will be okay. When he does get romantic, the songs are bittersweet, conveying wishes he knows won't come true. Still, the final feeling of the album is one of catharsis.
Overall, Forget and Not Slow Down is a remarkable album, one with perhaps an unfortunate catalyst, but a therapeutic experience nonetheless.


2009 Mono Vs Stereo/Jive
1. Forget and Not Slow Down (featuring Tim Skipper of House of Heroes) 3:22
2. I Don't Need a Soul 3:51
3. Candlelight 3:21
4. Flare (Outro) 1:00
5. Part of It 3:20
6. (Outro) 1:35
7. Therapy (featuring Brian McSweeney of Seven Day Jesus) 3:43
8. Over It" 3:54
9. Sahara (featuring Tim Skipper of House of Heroes, Aaron Gillespie of The Almost and Matt MacDonald of The Classic Crime) 3:49
10. Oasis (Intro) 0:41
11. Savannah 4:17
12. Baby (Outro) 0:46
13. If You Believe Me (featuring Matt MacDonald of The Classic Crime) 3:20
14. This Is the End 2:17
15. (If You Want It) 3:18