Album Reviews

Christian punk-popsters Plankeye deliver their fifth album with Relocation, and it continues to build on the strengths of its predecessor, The One and Only. Luis Garcia and Eric Balmer have matured as songwriters, and are now capable of writing enough consistently good material to produce memorable full-length LPs; plus, the message is as strong as ever

~ Steve Huey

So, here we go! Well, being the huge, major Plankeye fan that I am, Relocation’s release date, June 8, could not come soon enough. (I had my trip to the Christian bookstore planned for months!) I think one of the things that makes this album so anticipated is the fact
that it is Plankeye’s first album after the departure of two main band members, Scott
Silletta (lead vocals) and Adam Ferry (drums), who both left to follow different callings.
This left Eric Balmer (guitar) and Luis Garcia (bass) to continue Plankeye’s ministry on
their own and boy did these guys step up to the challenge! First of all, this new CD,
aptly entitled Relocation, relocated both Eric and Luis to lead vocal duties while each
still continued in their original positions as guitarist and bassist. Also, still without
a permanent drummer, Plankeye enlisted the drumming talents of Frank Lenz (drummer of Fold Zandura) to play drums for the record. Several other musicians also contributed their
musical talents to Relocation. Another change for the Plankeye guys came in the
responsibility of songwriting. Both Eric and Luis penned all 11 songs on Relocation, a job
previously done in the majority by ex-lead vocalist, Scott Silletta. Well, now onto the
details of the record.

 Firstly and frankly, Relocation rocks! Yet, it is noticed that Plankeye’s sound is notably different. How, you ask? Well, I’m not really a trained music critic, so maybe that’s why it’s so hard to really explain. It could be the new voices, but I think it’s more than that. It might be the more prominent, yet still intricate guitar and bass, or the clearer vocals, or even the several quieter and more reflective moments on the album, or it could just be something else altogether. Either way, Relocation is well put together; it’s thorough, contemplative, honest, and fun!

The album opens with Eric Balmer on lead vocals in "Say Now That You’re Sorry," which was an immediate favorite of mine. The song is fast and upbeat and showcases a great amount of rockin’ guitar. I believe the song is talking about forgiveness (hence the title); not only God’s forgiveness to us, but also the need for the Church to follow His example and forgive others. Song #3, "Goodbye," is one of the more reflective moments on the album that I mentioned earlier. The song begins with simple acoustic guitar and soft vocals by Eric, which continue to build up and finalize into a honest and passionate admittance of God’s constance and love and man’s utter dependence on Him. "Goodbye" is another definite favorite. "When It Comes" (#4) is a duet between Eric and Luis and is the happy, easy-going song of the album. It’s basically a lullaby with a great beat and I believe it’s also Plankeye’s first radio single off of Relocation. The fifth song, "Call Me Liar," introduces Luis Garcia on lead vocals. His smooth and unique voice adds a lot of diversity to the album. Well, I can’t write a review on Relocation without mentioning "Break of Dawn" (#7). This song is lots of fun! It opens with a series of "woohoos," but the best part comes during a bridge where Eric
treats everyone to an awesome guitar solo, only one of the many opportunities on the record
to hear this guy show his talent on the guitar. In my opinion, "Break of Dawn" is speaking
of the promise of heaven and challenges believers to continue to move ahead and be steadfast until Christ’s return. Song #8, "Honey and Oil" is one of the most unique songs on
Relocation, displaying a very deep and prominent bass line played exceptionally by Luis. The title song (#9) entitled "You Got It" (not "Relocation") is another rocker and another
favorite. This song is very singable, especially on the chorus where you can join the guys
in the annunciation of "Re-lo-ca-tion, Re-lo-ca-tion . . .!" The album closes with the
eleventh song, "You Are For Me." The song opens with a soft drum roll and continues on in a
slow and reflective mood. The title says it all: God is for us always watching over us,
always with us. (By the way, the unmentioned songs #2, 6, and 10 on Relocation are equally
as great, but I figured I was already getting too long-winded to mention them all!)

In closing, I’d just like to say that I think Relocation is an excellent album, not only a
well-written and enjoyable record, but also one that encourages and challenges. I think
Plankeye has done a super, great job on this, their fifth album thanks guys! And again, if
you don’t have Relocation yet, please "relocate" yourself from wherever you are to your
nearest music store and obtain it!!!!

~ Lynsey Delane