MMHMM

1	The One I'm Waiting For 0:06
2	Be My Escape 3:02
3	High of '75 4:00
4	I So Hate Consequences 2:27
5	The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse Is Betting on One 4:01
6	My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend 1:13
7	More Than Useless 2:28
8	Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet 3:50
9	Let It All Out 4:11
10	Who I Am Hates Who I've Been 4:21
11	Maintain Consciousness 3:52
12	This Week the Trend 2:52
13	Life After Death & Taxes 2:59
14	When I Go Down 4:23

Barnes & Noble

Christian pop-punk band Relient K retool their feel-good pep and smart-aleck songwriting on MMHMM. The guys have grown considerably over the past four years, and while there's still some rebellious 'tude weaving through these 14 tracks, there's also a more serious, reflective message here. It's heard on songs like "Be My Escape," which interlaces pounding guitar riffs with anthemic piano-based melodies that lift up lyrics whose simplicity belies their depth. It takes a lot of maturity to see the truth behind lines such as "The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair," even more to follow such a message with a song like "High of 75," in which the singer wonders if his moods are real or just a response to seasonal affective disorder. Eschewing established CCM convention, Relient K explore issues beyond the spiritual. There are pointed observations on a variety of themes, from relationships ("I tried to hold your hand but you'd rather hold your grudge,") to politics ("paper, rock and scissors, they all have their pros and cons"). Relient K have long been a favorites among alt-rock loving Christian audiences, and MMHMM shows the love is well deserved. Lisa Zhito

All Music Guide

After moving away from their patented pop/punk approach on 2003's Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...But Three Do, spiritual rockers Relient K revert back to their proven formula of yore on MMHMM. Christian punk sounds more like an oxymoron than a subgenre, but frontman/ lyricist Matt Thiessen wins with the subtle, poppy prose ("Live your life for those that you love") heard on "The One I'm Waiting For." Elsewhere, "High of 75" is wryly, albeit overly optimistic and if there's perhaps an abundance of upbeat songcraft, {|Relient K|} aren't always shiny, happy people. The best example of this is "Which to Bury; Us or the Hatchet?," where love turns to relation-sh*t and back again in a roaring, cathartic swirl. At times the lads in Relient K come off a bit too mainstream for their own good, but you've got to give them thanks for not going straight for the jugular the way so many other Christian rockers might. John D. Luerssen