Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Iron Frenzy amazes me once again, November 22, 2001
I'll admit, my review may be a bit biased. I've been a fan since their 1996 release "Upbeats and Beatdowns" and have faithfully bought each of their subsequent albums within their first week of mass release. That said, I will now share my thoughts.Whenever "All the Hype that Money Can Buy" came out last year, I had to listen to it a few times before I really began to like it. Even then, I felt like I was convincing myself to like the album. I have since memorized most of the songs on the album and I still listen to it fairly regularly, but only after listening to "Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo" did I actually realize how disappointed I was with "All the Hype". Not because "Hype" was such a bad album, but because "Boogaloo" is such an AWESOME album. There is not a song on this album that I don't like. While I do somewhat long for the old-fashioned FIF humor of tracks like "When I Go Out" and "Kitty Doggy" and I wish that there were some humorous bonus track tacked onto the end, I don't feel like I've been let down at all. Here's some highlights: Track 1: Pre-Ex Girlfriend
When I saw Five Iron live (about a month before this album's release), Reese introduced this song by saying that it's about how "women treat men like objects" and such. Since that was a concert, I couldn't really understand a word of the song (I only knew the title of it because I managed to get on stage fast enough to grab a set list, *grin*), so I had to wait until I got this album to get what it was talking about. The part where it's just an instrumental break with Reese approaching some girl is pure hilarity. (Reese: "Oh, um, hi... I um... I was across the room, and I looked over, and I saw you, and... um... I was wondering if... maybe you wanted to, uh, go... do something") Track 2: Far, Far Away
A true masterpiece. Hearing this song on the radio is what got me really fired up for this album's release (aside from the fact that it's Five Iron). It's inspired by a song called "Come the Day" by the Seekers that Reese's mom used to sing to him as a lullaby. A beautiful song, both musically and lyrically. Track 3: You Can't Handle This
It appears the guy from "Suckerpunch" on "Our Newest Album Ever" is back and he has obtained a superiority complex... hilarity ensues. Track 6: The Day We Killed
Reese seems to be revisiting the grounds he walked when he wrote "Banner Year" on "Our Newest Album Ever". This one is quite a bit darker than "Banner Year," however, and instead of being a generally bitter statement about how we treated the Indians in days past, this one outright attacks the passive attitude that people of today approach this subject. This song is heart-rending and somewhat painful to listen to. I love it. Track 11: Car
Dedicated to the memory of Carlos Ortega, the brother of the band's tenor sax player (Leanor "Jeff the Girl" Ortega). Great song, and Jeff proves for the second time (the other being "All That is Good") that she is just as able to write moving lyrics as Reese is. Track 12: Eulogy
I'm still trying to sort out the meaning behind these lyrics, so I'm not too clear on what this song is trying to say yet. Even so, the music behind this song manages to provoke an emotional reaction from me every time I listen to it. It's melancholy, rather downtrodden, and still uplifting at the same time. It's a beautiful thing. Overall, a wonderful album. The tracks I have not commented on here are also wonderful songs, I just haven't had the opportunity to really take them in yet. The ones I have here are my favorites so far, and I hope that they're useful to you in your decision whether to buy this album. Obviously, I recommend you do.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not the same as their earlier CDs... but rocks all the same!, April 11, 2004
If you're looking for ska, then don't look here. True, the horns and lyrics and amazing musical talent of FIF is still in this CD, but it is much, MUCH more rock based then ska. Only number 8, Plan B, sounds at all like their earlier songs. So, if you only want ska, go for an earlier FIF album, but if you want a little more of a "rock-with-horns" feel, then this album rules.My favorite songs are numbers 2,3,5,9,12; and the only song (the only FIF song so far) that I don't like is number 11, Car. 2. Far, Far Away. This is based on an old song that Reese's mom used to sing to him. This song is seriously awesome. There are biblical references in it alot, and the lyrics are good, but what just blows me away about it is the blending of the music. My favorite part is the second verse where the rythym guitar really kicks in and there are some keyboards. "And Peter was a liar, a traitor just like me. And Judas was a hypocrit, and Paul a Pharisee. When truth can be so distant, and hope evades our reach, Peter swam across the water and found it on the beach." 3. You Can't Handle This. This is an empowerment song to anybody who has ever considered themself to be in anyway a nerd. Just listen to it and you will know what I mean. This is typical Reese Roper lyrics all the way. "And Leonard Nemoy can't stand up to this. And Captain James T. Kirk bows beneath my fist. And I am awesome. Awesome! I am the AWESOMEST!" 5. Spartan. The feelings evoked by this song are best summed up by a quote from my brother: "Man, if I was atheist, that song would make me Christian." Words don't do it justice. This is by far my favorite song on the album. "Jesus, save me, from myself tonight." 9. Blue Mix. This song is a knock on the recording industry, and how it has become all about money. It's a good song, much more on the harder, more rock type sound that pervades this album. The guitar parts are very coo, and there is an awesome bridge near the end of the song with a guitar/drum solo that I love. "Sure you say one thing but your actions tell the truth on you!" 12. Eulogy. There is some speculation as to what this song is about, but I personally think it is a tribute to all those who died at Pearl Harbor. It's a good song, kind of like a history lesson mixed with a prayer. A great way to end the CD. "If Jesus Christ is true, then I am mostly lies. If Jesus Christ is love, then I have failed to try. If Jesus Christ is life, then please just let me die. Let this die!" All in all, a wonderful CD. All the songs are good, just be warned that this is a pretty new sound for FIF before you buy. But I like it just as much as the old FIF sound. Best of both worlds! And if you like this CD, definitely check out their 2-disc final album, The End is Here, available April 20, 2004.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Return, December 9, 2001
It was after 1995 when I first heard about a relatively unknown band based out of Colorado called Five Iron Frenzy who made the trip to Cornerstone and played on the unsigned stage to woo fans. From there I had to find out what the buzz was when Seven Minute Walk released a new music cd that had "A Flower Song" and "Third World Think Tank" on it. I had never heard such good Christian ska, Supertones were not the same. Since the first cd I haven't been as enthusiastic with the releases by FIF until I heard a track, Far Far Away, from this new cd.Without a doubt this is either the very best or the second best album released by FIF. There are both amazing praise songs, humourous joke songs, and biting social commentary tracks on this album. All of it is laid out in such a way that it flows from one song to the next in the perfect manner. Musically, it seems that they are still experiementing with styles but staying just as focused on third wave ska as ever before. There are a few songs that begin with quasi-hard hitting guitar parts. This is particularly noticable in the songs "Juggernaut" and "The Day We Killed". The horns are often played muted or slightly off to make them less abrasive. They are still peppy enough to be able to skank to them very easily. There are many tracks that will be awesome to hear live just because of the horns alone. Lyrically it seems that they have refined the writing to make it have a more perfected hit. With lines like "freedom like a song the weak shall be made strong. I may sink before I swim, but I'm not giving in to you." Or, the more laid back boast, "beneath my icy stare I've got a retainer" in the self-depreciating song about the greatness of geeks, "You Can't Handle This". All told, this album is one of the better releases albums by FIF. I also believe it will be included on my top albums of 2001 list. It is enjoyable, creative, and makes you feel happy to be alive and able to enjoy music.
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album Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo 
