Our Newest Album Ever is probably Five Iron's best album ever. It's leaps and bounds above Upbeats and Beatdowns, and is definitely a sophomore release to be proud of.
This time around Five Iron spent a lot more time in the studio, and it really shows. The album sounds cleaner and the arrangements are more complex. Upbeats and Beatdowns felt rushed at times, but for their newest album ever, they took the time to get things right.
"Superpowers" lampoons the band itself and almost sounds like a cry for help from the endless touring. The life of a rock star ain't all it's cracked up to be. The song is a definite proclamation of why FIF does what they do, "I wanted to be famous, now I want to take it back. Don't want to rock the mic, don't want to meet the pope, I just want to share with you, how we got this peace and hope."
"Fistful of Sand" is pulled straight from Ecclesiastes, with a little hardcore punch. "Suckerpunch" is the song for the underdog, which is really all of us. "Banner Year" remembers the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and wonders what happened to integrity. "Where is Micah?" is a fun song that makes fun of guitar player Micah for always missing shows. The truth is that he's rarely missed a show, if at all, but he has missed plenty of practices. Being such a stellar guitar player, Micah found that he learned material before everyone else and got bored. So he decided to stay home after he learned the new songs. Apparently the rest of the band decided to get back at him.
"Blue Comb '78" is probably one of the best songs on the album. It speaks of a comb that lead singer and primary lyricist Reese Roper received from his parents when he was little, before they got divorced. He lost the comb that same day (his sister threw it out the window), and in this song it serves as a symbol of his lost youth.
"Every New Day" is without a doubt the best song on the album, and probably Five Iron's best song. For years it's been the final concert song. It's a cry out to God to make every day a new day: "Dear Father, I need you, your strength my heart to mend. I want to fly higher, every new day again ... The struggles go on, the wisdom I lack, the burdens keep piling up on my back. So hard to breathe, to take the next step. The mountain is high, I wait in the depths. Yearning for grace, and hoping for peace. Dear God ... Increase. Healing hands of God have mercy on our unclean souls once again. Jesus Christ, light of the world burning bright within our hearts forever. Freedom means love without a condition, a beginning or an end. Here's my heart, let it be forever Yours, only You can make every new day seem so new."
Other coverage for this album
7ball #16Reviewed by Bruce A. BrownSka, because of its infectious rhythms and relentlessly cheery horn charts, is often characterized as simply fun, "good time music." Whether you're referring to mainstream or Christian ska, musicians loping about in ill-fitting, vintage suits are somewhat hard to take seriously. One group which seems to have broken away from that stereotype is Five Iron Frenzy. Sure, there's no shortage of…The Lighthouse Unsorted 1998Reviewed by Karen M. VaseySka music, with its catchy guitar hooks and blaring horns, has produced another stellar album. Five Iron Frenzy's sophomore release, Our Newest Album Ever!, provides an extra-large helping of what FIF fans have come to expect and new fans to the genre should enjoy as well. Our Newest Album Ever! provides the same happy-go-lucky sounds of the first album, but with a much more polished sound. The…Puddlegum 1998Reviewed by Nick MeurlottThis ska-pop-core's sophmore release shows their maturity both musically and spiritually. I like these guys style. They don't sound monotonous, despite a few intros, and they aren't afraid to have a hardcore section on "Fistful of Sand". They have obvious punk influences, and they glorify God. They have a more "anti sellout" tone on this album than their previous, Upbeats and Beatdowns, which is…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Tony LaFianzaThe "Ska Against Racism" tour will kick off this spring with a collection of popular ska bands travelling around the country. It promises to be a well-attended festival with a long list of big-name bands. On the tour, the band Five Iron Frenzy is the lone representative of the growing pool of Christian ska as one of the hottest groups this year with their sophomore record, Our Newest Album Ever!.…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Shari LloydWhat can you say about a band that has the good taste to have TenNapel of Neverhood fame design their cover? They sure better have something good to go with it. Five Iron Frenzy has always been a fun, energetic band and Our Newest Album Ever!, their second album, seems to carry on that tradition. The music is similar to the first album, Upbeats and Beatdowns -- Five Iron Frenzy considers…Similar sounding releases
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