Relient K: The Bird And The Beesides (2008)

  

1. Where Do I Go From Here
2. The Scene and Herd
3. At Least We Made It This Far
4. The Last, The Lost, The Least
5. The Lining Is Silver
6. There Was No Thief
7. No Reaction
8. Curl Up and Die
9. You'll Always Be My Best Friend
10. There Was Another Time In My Life
11. Beaming
12. I Just Want You to Know
13. Bee Your Man
14. Up and Up (Acoustic)
15. Wit's All Been Done Before
16. The Vinyl Countdown
17. For the Band
18. Nothing Without You
19. A Penny Loafer Saved is a Penny Loafer Earned
20. Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying
21. Five Iron Frenzy is Either Dead or Dying (Wannabe Ska Version)
22. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (Acoustic)
23. Here I Go (Acoustic)
24. The Stenographer (Demo)
25. Jefferson Aeroplane (Demo)
26. Hope for Every Fallen Man (Acoustic)
27. Where Do I Go (Acoustic) 

As its title suggests, The Bird and the Beesides is essentially a mixed bag of would-B-sides (sorry, had to do it), outtakes, demos, and acoustic remakes of previously-released material.  Culled from the band's many EPs over the previous seven years, it's actually a compilation of two seperate releases: The Bird and the Bee Sides EP proper, which comprises the second half of the album, and the similiarly-punned Nashville Tennis EP.  As a body of work, it's a mish-mash by design, being comprised of tracks going back to '02, but all the usual bells and whistles are present: dorky puns, sweet hummable melodies, choirboy harmonies, and a modicum of angst.  

If there's something out of the ordinary, it's the proliferation of ballads and softer-sounding songs.  There's a few rockers thrown in there, like the single, "The Last, The Lost, The Least"--penned and sung by bassist John Warne--as well as "The Vinyl Countdown" and "The Scene and the Herd."  But the most interesting tracks are these acoustic guitar and keyboard-driven confessionals, letting Thiessen and the others get a little deeper than the fast numbers would allow.  

The Nashville songs are more of a piece, of course, being recorded in one time (2008) and space (The Music City).  The theme is loosely based around the young adult relationship angst of the last few albums, but written in the context of the travelling musician and the sacrifices of plying his trade.  "Where Do I Go From Here" starts the record off on a reflective note, asking "Where do I stand/Where can I find myself again" during a phone call home.  "At Least We Made it This Far" builds on the "taking stock of life's journey" vibe, with an optimistic view to the future.  There's a lot of synthesizers in this part, adding a slightly-cheesy mildness to the proceedings--again, probably intentional.  

There seems to be a lack of strong hooks in the songs, as if the guys are scaling back the pop sensibilities in favor of mood and atmospherics.  The biggest ear-catcher for me was the relatively downbeat "There Was Another Time in My Life," with an inter-verse "Ba-da-ba-ba" that livens up an otherwise draggy 3/4 ballad.  They also take the Nashville theme literally with quite a few country stylistics and flourishes.  

The Bird EP is less remarkable, although the aforementioned rockers lift it up, especially the autobiographical "For The Band," shouting out to fans who've been to all their shows.  They even pay homage to compadres Five Iron Frenzy, who were breaking up at the time (although they've since reformed).  The acoustic "Who I Am" Hates Who I've Been" is probably the most interesting of the relics on this side.  Overall, nothing too out-of-character for the K, but something from a different angle that the usual pop punk pleasures.