Relient K New Album Review and Tour Dates

Relient K are back with a new EP, The Birds and the Bee Sides. The new disc has a whopping 26 tracks. 13 brand new songs (collectively known as The Nashville Tennis EP), which I have had the privilege to hear, and will review for you momentarily.

The remaining 13 tracks are made up of B-Sides and rare tracks from the band.

The cool thing about the 13 new tracks is that the songs are all written by different members of the band and each member takes a stab at lead vocals as well.

This makes for a really great refreshing sound from the band. It's a really eclectic mix of stuff. I've listened through it a few times and find myself liking it more and more.

To be honest, I'm not a fountain of knowledge when it comes to Relient K, but each CD I hear makes me enjoy them more and more. I go back to their stuff a lot with fresh ears and they just keep growing on me.

My favorite track on the new disc (of the new songs I was able to hear) is There Was No Thief. I'm a sucker for Relient K's slower songs. They're always able to hit the mark and resonate for a while with me. "Thief" is no exception. Once I get the full album on my iPod I'm sure it will get plenty of play.

That's not to say I don't enjoy the rest of the songs. To be honest, there isn't a track among them I don't like. They're all enjoyable and reflect a growing, evolving band.

Any fan of Relient K would be all over this set of songs. They're a perfect mix of old and new. They're different but are still trademark Relient K.

Lyrically, the songs are top notch. They really laid out some great words here that are complimented wonderfully with the bands music. You really get a lot of different sounds here. Punk, acoustic, even a slight hint of reggae.

I'll say for sure this disc will please fans and should bring some new listeners to the band as well.

The Birds and the Bee Sides hits stores on July 1st. Pick it up, you will certainly enjoy it.

The track listing for The Bird and the Bee Sides is as follows:

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 (Ska Version)
22. Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (Acoustic)
23. Here I Go (Demo)
24. The Stenographer (Demo)
25. Jefferson Aeroplane (Demo)
26. Hope For Every Fallen Man (Acoustic)

Relient K is hitting the road again this summer. They'll be on the Vans Warped Tour. Don't worry I have the dates for you. Check them out this summer!

RELIENT K/ VANS WARPED TOUR '08 DATES

June
20 Pomona, CA Fairplex Park
21 San Francisco, CA Pier 30/32
22 Ventura, CA Seaside Park
25 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
26 Las Cruces, NM New Mexico State University - Intramural Field
28 Salt Lake City, UT Utah State Fair
29 Denver, CO Invesco Field At Mile High

July
1 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis
2 Bonner Springs, KS Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
3 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
5 Selma, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6 Houston, TX Sam Houston Race Park
9 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Exhibition Center
10 Orlando, FL Central Florida Fairgrounds
11 St. Petersburg, FL Vinoy Park
12 Miami, FL Bicentennial Park
13 Elkton, FL St. Johns County Fairgrounds
14 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
15 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
16 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
17 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
18 Detroit, MI Comerica Park
19 Toronto, ON Downsview Park Allen Road
20 Montreal, QC Park Jean Drapeau
23 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
24 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake P.A.C.
25 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
26 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
27 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion
28 Englishtown, NJ Raceway Park
29 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion At Star Lake
30 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Amphitheatre
31 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

August
1 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
2 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
3 Shakopee, MN Canterbury Park
5 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
6 Calgary, AB Race City Speedway
8 Nampa, ID Idaho Center Amphitheatre
9 George, WA Gorge Amphitheatre
10 St. Helens, OR Columbia Meadows
13 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
14 Chula Vista, CA Coors Amphitheater
15 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
16 Marysville, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
17 Carson, CA The Home Depot Center