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Two Lefts Don't Make a Right ... But Three Do (Gotee Records)

Relient K

By Kory Wilcoxson

Relient K burst onto the scene a few years ago with the kind of pop-punk sound that usually spurred CD-burning parties in Baptist church parking lots. But the kicker is Relient K is a Christian band, singing about Jesus giving them a wakeup call over warp-speed guitar licks. Suddenly, it was cool to listen to Christian music again.

Now the band has released its third album and it continues to make funny, smart music that doesn't compromise its message for the medium. The band has a knack for weaving hip pop culture references into most of their songs ("Hoopes I Did It Again," "Jefferson Aeroplane") without it sounding like name-dropping or a desperate plea for a laugh.

The album rocks from the first note of "Chapstick, Chapped Lips and Things Like Chemistry," a most awkward title for a most excellent song. The only downside of Two Lefts is that it's too long. Three or four of the 15 songs on the disc are filler and the album would have been much tighter if the band had been more judicious in selecting their songs. That doesn't diminish the quality of Two Lefts; it simply means a few more hits of the skip button to get to the good stuff.