27 Albums That Shaped the First 27 Years of My Life, #4: Relient K - Mmhmm

As I quickly approach my 27th birthday (an age, coincidentally, that many musicians met their own mortality), I have been thinking about the role that music has played in my life. I have not played an instrument for nearly sixteen years and have never been in a band, but I would still consider myself an audiophile. The 26000 songs on my hard drive would agree with me as well.

Because of all those things, I thought it would be as good a time as any to compile my list of the 27 albums that most shaped these first 27 years of my life. Starting Friday January 31, I will be posting one album from the list every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until we reach #1 just before my birthday.

Let me make one thing abundantly clear: I am not saying that these are the 27 greatest albums of all time. I am not so arrogant to believe that my personal opinion is the definitive voice on music. I like what I like. Hopefully you will be able to unearth some gems from my list. If not, that is alright. These songs and albums are important to me regardless of anyone’s opinions of them.



#4: Relient K – Mmhmm
Release Date: November 2, 2004
When I first heard the album: December 2004

Why I loved it then: Pretend it’s 2004. Relient K at this point was unquestionably awesome, yet their inherent goofiness had you wondering whether or not they could actually break through and make it big. We’re not talking big within the Christian music industry. We’re talking big within the entire world of music. If you’re Relient K, what do you do to break through this glass ceiling without losing the essence of what made you great in the first place? If you guessed “Take a more serious tone in both lyrics and musicality while putting the piano to good use”, step right up and claim your prize. Relient K did exactly that, and it worked. Everything I loved about Relient K was still there, only so much better. If Mmhmm was a girl, I would have taken her to prom in 2005. It dealt with life’s struggles both internally and externally in a much more mature way. As someone who needed to be a little more mature (especially in the realm of my dealings with the fairer sex), this was the exact album I needed at this point in my life.

Why I still love it now: This was the third of the three albums that served as the soundtrack to my senior year of high school (along with Hawk Nelson’s Letters to the President and FM Static’s What Are You Waiting For?). There might only be a few albums in your life that make such an immediate emotional impact. I vividly recall the first time I heard this album. It was Christmas night of 2004, which is still the best Christmas I have ever had (and one of the final days of the greatest year of my life to date). I remember laying in my bed with the lights out listening to this album. With each song, I was moved more and more until “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been” completely blew my mind and stole my heart. Nearly ten years later, I still adore this album. I’ve used a line from “Let It All Out” as my e-mail signature for the past nine years. If anything, it serves as a reminder of how great Relient K once was and still could be. While I respect Five Score and Seven Years Ago and appreciate the more serene nature of Forget and Not Slow Down (but don’t even get me started on Collapsible Lung), this was Relient K’s magnum opus. Even if they never put out another piece of work that comes close to matching this album, Relient K will always hold a special place in my heart because they created something so mesmerizing.

Lingering Lyric: “And you said I know that this will hurt/ But if I don't break your heart then things will just get worse/ If the burden seems too much to bear, remember/ The end will justify the pain it took to get us there”
Top Tracks: The One I’m Waiting For, Be My Escape, High of 75, I So Hate Consequences, More Than Useless, Let It All Out, Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been, Maintain Consciousness, This Week the Trend

Previous Entries
27. Avalon - In a Different Light
26. The Dangerous Summer - Golden Record
25. Just Surrender - If These Streets Could Talk
24. The Lumineers - The Lumineers
23. Relient K - Two Lefts Don't Make a Right... But Three Do
22. Better Luck Next Time - Third Time's a Charm
21. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
20. ZOEgirl - Life
19. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
18. Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market
17. Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
16. Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness
15. We the Kings - We the Kings
14. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
13. New Found Glory - Nothing Gold Can Stay
12. The Graduate - Anhedonia
11. Hawk Nelson - Letter to the President
10. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
9. A Day to Remember - Common Courtesy
8. Anberlin - New Surrender
7. New Found Glory - Coming Home
6. FM Static - What Are You Waiting For?
5. Yellowcard - Paper Walls