by Graham Fyfe - a musician for Knox-St Columba Church, Lower Hutt
By Rosie Fyfe
After flirting with irony and electronica during the 1990s, 2000’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” marked U2’s return to the earnest stadium rock that has made them Ireland’s most celebrated musical export. “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” follows the same blueprint. It will appeal to long-term fans – it is grandiose, lushly produced, passionately sung, and socially conscious. Vocalist Bono is an advocate of political causes such as relieving Third World debt, and it’s no surprise that songs such as “Love and peace or else” and “Crumbs from your table” reflect such interests. Closing song “Yahweh” declares “take this heart and make it break”. While U2 break little new ground with this album, fans who adore them for their honesty and passion will be well satisfied.
Ohio’s Relient K expand their boundaries with “Mmhmm”, their fourth album. The novelty songs that helped define their earlier albums are replaced with more eclectic touches, with influences from Ben Folds and The Beach Boys. The result is more expansive than the pop-punk from which the group started; piano ballads and elaborate pop-rock sit alongside more typical material such as “Be my escape”. Overtly Christian lyrics are mixed with songs analysing relationships, filled with frontman Matt Thiessen’s trademark plays on words. “Mmhmm” is Relient K’s first release through a mainstream distributor in America, and they are a group poised for recognition beyond the Christian music scene.