My Favorite Albums Vol. 1 Five Iron Frenzy - The End is Here

I remember the first time I heard Five Iron Frenzy.  It was in 1998, maybe 1999.  I was in the Family Christian bookstore, and they had a variety of CD's you could sample stacked beside a few CD players in the store.  Looking through the stack of discs, I saw this disc art:

I opened the jewel case, inserted the disc, and pressed play.  I quickly fell in love with Five Iron.  Catchy, funny, geniuine lyrics and top notch ska-rock music.

Today's post however, is not about my first run in with FIF, but my favorite album of theirs, The End is Here.  As the title implies, this was the last album the band recorded before they amicably parted ways in 2003, and it's sad the band split, because they were at the top of their game on this disc.  They had ditched the pure ska sound at this point, moving into an amzing horn-tinged rock-n-roll.  The lyrics were as funny and clever as they had ever been.  It was a great send off for fans.

However, it's also a great introduction to the band.  This release was actually a 2 disc set, including a live recording of their final concert.  That disc essentially serves as a greatest hits for the band, including fan favorites, some in whole, some in an awesome singalong medley.


Cannonball opens the disc in fine form, but the laughs start in At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys. A favorite track of mine, pointing out how kind of silly it can be to be older and still be into a scene.  How can you wear ties and be punk?  The tongue in cheek delivery and self-derision work well.  

Track 3 is New Years Eve.  Anyone who has ever had that experience of making resolutions, and knowing they won't be able to keep them can connect.  It's one of my favorite songs, both on the album, and in general.  Fantastic lyrics, and the emotion they're delivered with is great.  "I'm tire

Wizard Needs Food, Badly is a standout track.  Nerds love the obvious shoutout to Gauntlet, but beyond that, it's a fantastic track about relationships.  Men want to be wild and free, women want them domesticated.  This can be stifiling.  We men need to feed our wizards, and live this out.

FIF fans get a big nod in That's How the Story Ends.  Over their many albums, there were fan favorite song that the band ended up kind of hating.  Some of these jokey, throwaway tracks would be shouted for at concerts, much to the chagrin of Reese Roper and company.  I'll admit I'm guilty of yelling "Godzilla!" when I first saw them.  This track ties all of them together in one neat little bow.  Micah's "death," the mystery of the pants, and the return of that blue comb that Reese lost back in 1978.      

The album ends with On Distant Shores.  Wow... the opening horns are enough to choke me up a bit.  Take a look/listen.  The final transition into the chorus of Every New Day just... well when they play it on the live album and you hear the the exhilaration of this being the last song they're playing, the swelling voices of the crowd... It's an incredibly moving song, and an amazing farewell.

So go, pick up the album and give it a listen.