Five Score and Seven Years Ago
Encyclopedia
Five Score and Seven Years Ago is the fifth full-length album
by the Christian rock
band Relient K
. It was released on March 6, 2007, and is the first full-length album by the band to feature bassist
John Warne
and guitarist
Jon Schneck
. It is also the first Relient K album released without longtime bassist Brian Pittman
. Pittman did leave the band before the release of the album Mmhmm
, but recorded most of the tracks with the band.
According to lead singer, Matt Thiessen, the album was created with a "Five" theme, as it is their fifth album, and for the first time Relient K has five members on an album. The "Seven Years Ago" links with the fact that their first album was created seven years prior to the release of this album, making for five albums in seven years. It also ties in with the famous line, "Four score and seven years ago", delivered by Abraham Lincoln
in the Gettysburg Address
. Lincoln is addressed in the first track, "Plead the Fifth". A poster advertising a concert for the band around the album's release depicted a cartoon Abraham Lincoln on it as well.
The cover of the album depicts the five band members staring up in the sky from a sidewalk, and they are all wearing parkas. Jon Schneck stands behind Matt Thiessen, so there are four shadows crossing the shadow of the curb, creating five in tally marks
. Capitol Records
released a promotional image about a month before the album's release, and the band's manager announced that it was not the album cover. The official cover was confirmed on the Gotee Records
website. The promo image showed five sticks made into tally marks, with seven leaves either on the sticks, or falling off them. This image was on the back of the promo insert that advertised the new Relient K fan club that came with the CD.
A special edition of Five Score and Seven Years Ago was also released, including a bonus DVD
with roughly thirty minutes of acoustic performances shot in the Capitol A Studios and including track-to-track interviews with the band. Also included is a making-of feature on the "Must Have Done Something Right" music video as well as the video itself, which was directed by Marc Webb (who produced videos for My Chemical Romance
and The All-American Rejects
). The album's cover also came with a special slip-cover that outlined the band members in orange drawings.
Five Score and Seven Years Ago debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200
, selling about 64,000 copies in its first week. As of July 11, 2007, it has sold 152,560 copies in the US.
.
The DVD also features the making of the video "Must Have Done Something Right" and the video itself.
, it had sold over 116,000 copies.
(mainstream)
Forgiven (Christian radio)
The Best Thing
(mainstream + Christian radio)
I Need You
(Christian radio)
Give Until There's Nothing Left
(Christian radio)
Devastation and Reform
(Christian radio)
bands, one of which being Jon Foreman
of Switchfoot
who sings on the song "Deathbed", an epic song of Jesus and life. Songs from the band's new album, such as "Bite My Tongue" and "Devastation and Reform," have been played by Relient K at concerts since June 2006. A single, "Forgiven," which was released for the Christian radio
market, began playing around December 1. Must Have Done Something Right
was released to iTunes on November 28, along with a non-album bonus song titled "Fallen Man," also sometimes referred to as "(Hope for Every) Fallen Man."
The Best Buy
exclusive download referenced above is an entirely new recording of "Fallen Man" and not the same as the iTunes track.
, the band was given the blessing of a pre-production period for the first time. Guitarist
Matt Hoopes
stated that this was a good thing, citing how the band members don't all live in Ohio
anymore. Matt Thiessen
and Dave Douglas
still live in Ohio, but Hoopes and Jon Schneck
live in Nashville, Tennessee
. John Warne
, meanwhile, lives in Denver, Colorado
. The pre-production period gave the band more advantages for recording the album.
While posting on the band and the recording process, a fan on CMCentral.com said, "They recorded for a couple weeks in LA with Howard Benson. This is the first time Relient K will use a different producer, as Mark Lee Townsend has recorded everything they've released up to this point. (Matt Thiessen has co-produced on a few things). They finished the album with Townsend at his studio."
The band's long-time producer
Mark Lee Townsend
also spoke of the album being recorded on his site. He produced the first track and the last track of the album, as well as "Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care". In one of his blogs, he said, "It was a great day in the studio with Relient K today. We've been working on a song for the record that is a bit of an epic in many ways with a ton of tracks and instruments. It's going to be pretty special when it all gets recorded and mixed. We are almost done with lead vocals on it and will be putting live strings on it next week, along with a few other parts that are a bit unconventional to pop punk. I'll keep you posted. The weather has been spectacular this last week and it's great for shooting hoops on breaks from the studio. Based on what I have heard from the tracks in L.A. and what we are doing here, the new album will be amazing."
Townsend also said later, "It's been a great week back in the studio with Relient K. We are working on a few album cuts and some additional acoustic versions of songs on the record. This week we got drums and bass done on the songs and will spend the next couple weeks filling out the rest of the songs. Matt is still finishing up some of the writing on a ballad we've been assembling and it's going to be an amazing track when we get done. It's one of those tracks where you just start putting it together, and it's very bare bones right now, but you know it's going to turn out really special. I heard a couple of the test mixes on some of the songs done in LA and it sounds fantastic and 'famous' IMHO."
Townsend also spoke of the epic track that he and Matt Thiessen
were working on at that point, which he said was to include many instruments and clock in at eleven minutes long. The song turned out to be "Deathbed". Townsend said, "Well, the Relient K album is pretty much done at this point. It's a fantastic piece of music from top to bottom and I'm sure the fans will love it. I'm sure they will have something posted on their MySpace or website with details and a bit of music. Poor Matt T had to work his butt off with me the last week as we added a bunch of instruments to the 11 minute epic we were working on. Matt dusted off his horn playing skills from high school and played trumpet, trombone, french horn, and baritone on the song. We clocked in at 115 tracks including live strings, horns, a bunch of mellotron
stuff, 3 different drum kits, ukulele
, sleigh bells, micromoog
and more. We had fun working on the track with all the instruments, but it was a lot of work and I think we are all glad that it is done. JR McNeely mixed it over a couple of days and it sounds amazing. I think we all are stoked about it."
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
. It was released on March 6, 2007, and is the first full-length album by the band to feature bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
John Warne
John Warne
John Warne is an American musician who has been active in the Christian rock scene since 1996. He is best known for being the bassist for the Christian rock band Relient K as well as being a founding member of the Christian punk band Ace Troubleshooter...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jon Schneck
Jonathan Schneck
Jonathan Schneck is a guitarist, banjo player, and bell player for the band Relient K. He joined the band in January 2005, shortly after the release of their fourth full-length album Mmhmm. Schneck is the band's youngest member...
. It is also the first Relient K album released without longtime bassist Brian Pittman
Brian Pittman
Brian Lee Pittman is an American musician most notable as the former bassist for the Christian rock band Relient K, of which he was a founding member...
. Pittman did leave the band before the release of the album Mmhmm
Mmhmm
Mmhmm is the fourth full-length album by Christian rock band Relient K, released in November 2004. This album is especially notable for two reasons: First, it marked their debut on Capitol; and second, it was Brian Pittman's last album with the band...
, but recorded most of the tracks with the band.
According to lead singer, Matt Thiessen, the album was created with a "Five" theme, as it is their fifth album, and for the first time Relient K has five members on an album. The "Seven Years Ago" links with the fact that their first album was created seven years prior to the release of this album, making for five albums in seven years. It also ties in with the famous line, "Four score and seven years ago", delivered by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in the Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
. Lincoln is addressed in the first track, "Plead the Fifth". A poster advertising a concert for the band around the album's release depicted a cartoon Abraham Lincoln on it as well.
The cover of the album depicts the five band members staring up in the sky from a sidewalk, and they are all wearing parkas. Jon Schneck stands behind Matt Thiessen, so there are four shadows crossing the shadow of the curb, creating five in tally marks
Tally marks
Tally marks, or hash marks, are a unary numeral system. They are a form of numeral used for counting. They allow updating written intermediate results without erasing or discarding anything written down...
. Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
released a promotional image about a month before the album's release, and the band's manager announced that it was not the album cover. The official cover was confirmed on the Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
website. The promo image showed five sticks made into tally marks, with seven leaves either on the sticks, or falling off them. This image was on the back of the promo insert that advertised the new Relient K fan club that came with the CD.
A special edition of Five Score and Seven Years Ago was also released, including a bonus DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with roughly thirty minutes of acoustic performances shot in the Capitol A Studios and including track-to-track interviews with the band. Also included is a making-of feature on the "Must Have Done Something Right" music video as well as the video itself, which was directed by Marc Webb (who produced videos for My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
and The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects are an American rock band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1999. The band consists of lead vocalist and bass guitarist Tyson Ritter, lead guitarist, Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist, Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor....
). The album's cover also came with a special slip-cover that outlined the band members in orange drawings.
Five Score and Seven Years Ago debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling about 64,000 copies in its first week. As of July 11, 2007, it has sold 152,560 copies in the US.
Track listing
All songs written by Matt ThiessenMatt Thiessen
Matthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
.
- "Pleading the Fifth" a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
– 1:13 - "Come Right Out and Say It" – 3:00
- "I Need YouI Need You (Relient K song)"I Need You" is the second Christian radio single off Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, and it was released around July 2007. The song quickly made it onto ChristianRock.Net's weekly Top 30. It also hit No. 1 on Radio and Records Christian Rock chart. The band also made the...
" – 3:18 - "The Best ThingThe Best Thing"The Best Thing" is the second single off Relient K's fifth studio album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. The band's manager announced it on their messageboard on March 17, 2007 along with Capitol announcing it on several websites . The song was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April...
" – 3:28 - "Forgiven" – 4:05
- "Must Have Done Something RightMust Have Done Something Right"Must Have Done Something Right" is the lead single off Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. The song was officially released to radio in January 2007, along with the music video, which was shot in December 2006 and released on February 6, 2007. The song was released to iTunes...
" – 3:19 - "Give Until There's Nothing LeftGive Until There's Nothing Left"Give Until There's Nothing Left" is the third single from Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. It was released to Christian radio around July 2007, was played as a Top 40 single to a station in Saginaw, MI in early August. The song being a slower one, it was released for...
" – 3:27 - "Devastation and ReformDevastation and Reform"Devastation and Reform" is the sixth total single from Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, and the fourth Christian radio single. It was released to Christian radio around January 2008. The song was one fans hoped would be a mainstream single, and while that is still possible,...
" – 3:41 - "I'm Taking You with Me" – 3:28
- "Faking My Own Suicide" – 3:23
- "Crayons Can Melt on Us for All I Care" – 0:12
- "Bite My Tongue" – 3:30
- "Up and Up" – 4:03
- "Deathbed" featuring Jon ForemanJon ForemanJonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
of SwitchfootSwitchfootSwitchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
– 11:05
Wal-Mart Downloads
- "Up and Up (Acoustic Version)"
- "Devastation and Reform (Video) [This is now available on iTunes in High-Quality iTunes Plus]"
DVD bonus tracks
The deluxe edition of the album features a DVD with six acoustic bonus tracks, recorded at the Capitol Studios.- "I So Hate ConsequencesI So Hate Consequences"I So Hate Consequences" is the second Christian radio-only single off the Christian rock band Relient K's fourth album, Mmhmm. The song appears on ChristianRock.Net as well. The song is heavily Christian based, mentioning God and redemption all throughout the song.The band played the song for...
" (includes a piano-only chorus of "Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II)Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II)"Life After Death and Taxes " is a song by Relient K, from their fourth album Mmhmm. It was released as a Christian radio single in late 2006....
") - "Who I Am Hates Who I've BeenWho I Am Hates Who I've Been"Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" is the second single by the Christian rock band Relient K, from their 2004 album Mmhmm. An acoustic version, originally recorded for Apathetic EP, is included on the B-side, was included on the 2008 "The Bird and the Bee Sides" album. The music video entered TRL's Top...
" - "Faking My Own Suicide"
- "Sloop John BSloop John B"Sloop John B" is the seventh track on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album and was also a single which was released in 1966 on Capitol Records. It was originally a traditional West Indies folk song, "The John B. Sails," taken from a collection by Carl Sandburg . Alan Lomax made a field recording of...
" (Beach Boys cover) - "Give Until There's Nothing LeftGive Until There's Nothing Left"Give Until There's Nothing Left" is the third single from Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. It was released to Christian radio around July 2007, was played as a Top 40 single to a station in Saginaw, MI in early August. The song being a slower one, it was released for...
" - "Devastation and Reform"
The DVD also features the making of the video "Must Have Done Something Right" and the video itself.
Sales of the Album
Five Score and Seven Years Ago has shown to be quite a force on nationwide charts. In its four full weeks of being on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, it had sold over 116,000 copies.
| Week | Charting Position for Week | Sales for Week |
|---|---|---|
| March 6, 2007 | #6 | 64,000 |
| March 13, 2007 | #23 | 24,387 |
| March 20, 2007 | #31 | 17,648 |
| March 27, 2007 | #39 | 10,884 |
Singles
Must Have Done Something RightMust Have Done Something Right
"Must Have Done Something Right" is the lead single off Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. The song was officially released to radio in January 2007, along with the music video, which was shot in December 2006 and released on February 6, 2007. The song was released to iTunes...
(mainstream)
Forgiven (Christian radio)
The Best Thing
The Best Thing
"The Best Thing" is the second single off Relient K's fifth studio album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. The band's manager announced it on their messageboard on March 17, 2007 along with Capitol announcing it on several websites . The song was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April...
(mainstream + Christian radio)
I Need You
I Need You (Relient K song)
"I Need You" is the second Christian radio single off Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, and it was released around July 2007. The song quickly made it onto ChristianRock.Net's weekly Top 30. It also hit No. 1 on Radio and Records Christian Rock chart. The band also made the...
(Christian radio)
Give Until There's Nothing Left
Give Until There's Nothing Left
"Give Until There's Nothing Left" is the third single from Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. It was released to Christian radio around July 2007, was played as a Top 40 single to a station in Saginaw, MI in early August. The song being a slower one, it was released for...
(Christian radio)
Devastation and Reform
Devastation and Reform
"Devastation and Reform" is the sixth total single from Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago, and the fourth Christian radio single. It was released to Christian radio around January 2008. The song was one fans hoped would be a mainstream single, and while that is still possible,...
(Christian radio)
Song details
As with previous Relient K albums, this album has various guest singers from other Christian rockChristian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
bands, one of which being Jon Foreman
Jon Foreman
Jonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
of Switchfoot
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman , Tim Foreman , Chad Butler , Jerome Fontamillas , and Drew Shirley .After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream...
who sings on the song "Deathbed", an epic song of Jesus and life. Songs from the band's new album, such as "Bite My Tongue" and "Devastation and Reform," have been played by Relient K at concerts since June 2006. A single, "Forgiven," which was released for the Christian radio
Christian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
market, began playing around December 1. Must Have Done Something Right
Must Have Done Something Right
"Must Have Done Something Right" is the lead single off Relient K's fifth album, Five Score and Seven Years Ago. The song was officially released to radio in January 2007, along with the music video, which was shot in December 2006 and released on February 6, 2007. The song was released to iTunes...
was released to iTunes on November 28, along with a non-album bonus song titled "Fallen Man," also sometimes referred to as "(Hope for Every) Fallen Man."
The Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
exclusive download referenced above is an entirely new recording of "Fallen Man" and not the same as the iTunes track.
Production
Due to being signed with Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, the band was given the blessing of a pre-production period for the first time. Guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Matt Hoopes
Matt Hoopes
Matthew Ryan Hoopes is the lead guitarist of Relient K, a Christian rock band that was formed in 1998. Hoopes has played guitar and performed backing vocals for Relient K for twelve years. Hoopes has slowly developed into the band's lead guitarist over the years, despite Matt Thiessen playing lead...
stated that this was a good thing, citing how the band members don't all live in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
anymore. Matt Thiessen
Matt Thiessen
Matthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
and Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas (drummer)
Dave Douglas is a musician, most widely known for being in the Christian music industry as the former drummer of the Christian rock band Relient K. Douglas joined the band after their former drummer, Stephen Cushman, departed in late 2000. Douglas had been playing the drums and doing background...
still live in Ohio, but Hoopes and Jon Schneck
Jonathan Schneck
Jonathan Schneck is a guitarist, banjo player, and bell player for the band Relient K. He joined the band in January 2005, shortly after the release of their fourth full-length album Mmhmm. Schneck is the band's youngest member...
live in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. John Warne
John Warne
John Warne is an American musician who has been active in the Christian rock scene since 1996. He is best known for being the bassist for the Christian rock band Relient K as well as being a founding member of the Christian punk band Ace Troubleshooter...
, meanwhile, lives in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The pre-production period gave the band more advantages for recording the album.
While posting on the band and the recording process, a fan on CMCentral.com said, "They recorded for a couple weeks in LA with Howard Benson. This is the first time Relient K will use a different producer, as Mark Lee Townsend has recorded everything they've released up to this point. (Matt Thiessen has co-produced on a few things). They finished the album with Townsend at his studio."
The band's long-time producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Mark Lee Townsend
Mark Lee Townsend
Mark Lee Townsend is known best as guitarist for the Christian rock band dc Talk, playing with them from 1996 until their hiatus in 2001. Mark's career started as a member/singer/guitarist/songwriter for the 80's Pop/Christian band Bash 'N The Code from 1986 through 1991. In between dc Talk tours,...
also spoke of the album being recorded on his site. He produced the first track and the last track of the album, as well as "Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care". In one of his blogs, he said, "It was a great day in the studio with Relient K today. We've been working on a song for the record that is a bit of an epic in many ways with a ton of tracks and instruments. It's going to be pretty special when it all gets recorded and mixed. We are almost done with lead vocals on it and will be putting live strings on it next week, along with a few other parts that are a bit unconventional to pop punk. I'll keep you posted. The weather has been spectacular this last week and it's great for shooting hoops on breaks from the studio. Based on what I have heard from the tracks in L.A. and what we are doing here, the new album will be amazing."
Townsend also said later, "It's been a great week back in the studio with Relient K. We are working on a few album cuts and some additional acoustic versions of songs on the record. This week we got drums and bass done on the songs and will spend the next couple weeks filling out the rest of the songs. Matt is still finishing up some of the writing on a ballad we've been assembling and it's going to be an amazing track when we get done. It's one of those tracks where you just start putting it together, and it's very bare bones right now, but you know it's going to turn out really special. I heard a couple of the test mixes on some of the songs done in LA and it sounds fantastic and 'famous' IMHO."
Townsend also spoke of the epic track that he and Matt Thiessen
Matt Thiessen
Matthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
were working on at that point, which he said was to include many instruments and clock in at eleven minutes long. The song turned out to be "Deathbed". Townsend said, "Well, the Relient K album is pretty much done at this point. It's a fantastic piece of music from top to bottom and I'm sure the fans will love it. I'm sure they will have something posted on their MySpace or website with details and a bit of music. Poor Matt T had to work his butt off with me the last week as we added a bunch of instruments to the 11 minute epic we were working on. Matt dusted off his horn playing skills from high school and played trumpet, trombone, french horn, and baritone on the song. We clocked in at 115 tracks including live strings, horns, a bunch of mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
stuff, 3 different drum kits, ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
, sleigh bells, micromoog
Micromoog
The Micromoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer produced by Moog Music from 1975 to 1979.The Micromoog was designed by Robert Moog and Jim Scott as a scaled-down, cheaper alternative to the Minimoog. It was designed to tap into a market of musicians who wanted an introduction to synthesis, but...
and more. We had fun working on the track with all the instruments, but it was a lot of work and I think we are all glad that it is done. JR McNeely mixed it over a couple of days and it sounds amazing. I think we all are stoked about it."
Band
- Matt ThiessenMatt ThiessenMatthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
- lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, french horn, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, baritone hornBaritone hornThe baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, toy pianoToy pianoThe toy piano, also known as the kinderklavier , is a small piano-like musical instrument. The present form of the toy piano was invented in Philadelphia by a 17-year-old German immigrant named Albert Schoenhut. He worked as a repairman at Wanamaker's department store, repairing broken glass...
, penny whistle - Matt HoopesMatt HoopesMatthew Ryan Hoopes is the lead guitarist of Relient K, a Christian rock band that was formed in 1998. Hoopes has played guitar and performed backing vocals for Relient K for twelve years. Hoopes has slowly developed into the band's lead guitarist over the years, despite Matt Thiessen playing lead...
- guitar, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Dave Douglas - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals - John WarneJohn WarneJohn Warne is an American musician who has been active in the Christian rock scene since 1996. He is best known for being the bassist for the Christian rock band Relient K as well as being a founding member of the Christian punk band Ace Troubleshooter...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Jon SchneckJonathan SchneckJonathan Schneck is a guitarist, banjo player, and bell player for the band Relient K. He joined the band in January 2005, shortly after the release of their fourth full-length album Mmhmm. Schneck is the band's youngest member...
- guitar, bellsBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
, backing vocals
Other Personnel
- Ethan LuckEthan LuckEthan John Luck is a guitarist, photographer, and drummer who has played in many bands, most prominently, the ska band The O.C. Supertones....
- moon drums on "Deathbed" - Jon ForemanJon ForemanJonathan Mark Foreman is the lead singer, lead guitarist, main songwriter and co-founder of the alternative rock band Switchfoot. He started Switchfoot in 1996 with drummer Chad Butler and bassist Tim Foreman ....
- extra vocals on "Deathbed" - Howard BensonHoward BensonHoward Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
- producer (music), harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Mark Lee TownsendMark Lee TownsendMark Lee Townsend is known best as guitarist for the Christian rock band dc Talk, playing with them from 1996 until their hiatus in 2001. Mark's career started as a member/singer/guitarist/songwriter for the 80's Pop/Christian band Bash 'N The Code from 1986 through 1991. In between dc Talk tours,...
- producer (music)