Pros: Good combination of mostly upbeat songs, some serious, some silly.
Cons: Lead singer's voice can grate on your nerves; certain songs are a bit too weird.
The Bottom Line: These guys know how to stretch the limits of ska, which helps to keep alive a dying genre. But sometimes their experimentation can be a little much.
divad23's Full Review: All the Hype That Money Can Buy by Five Iron Frenz...
Five Iron Frenzy is one of those bands that only retains a musical label just so you can get a sense of their starting point. In other words, they're a ska band because that's the average outcome of the songs they write, and hey, they have horns. A virtual wall of horns that smacks you in the face and makes the perfect accompaniment for Reese Roper's madcap vocals. If you have found yourself previously bored with ska bands like the Supertones who don't have as much musical variation (though they have been better at breaking that mold lately), but the Insyderz are a bit too rough around the edges for you, and you have at least a moderate sense of humor, you might want to give FIF a try.
The band's past records played it a little more straight in terms of ska, though there were elements of punk, hard music, and pop alike that shone through. On All the Hype That Money Can Buy, however, they bring about every musical influence to the table that remotely works. Rap, metal, reggae, even a bizarre rock opera - these are the outer layers that the band puts on over their ska undergarments. Lyrically, these tunes vary from downright silly to somewhat depressing, and yet those horns and edgy vocals are always there to keep either element from getting out of hand. Reese Roper turns out to be just as good at writing serious songs as he is at the silly ones (though he is definitely not the only notable writer on this project), and though this album has its moments where it seems a little forced or awkward, it's fun and thought-provoking enough to forgive the minor missteps.
So, let's take a quick journey through the bizarre soundscape:
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The band wastes no time in getting into it - a bouncy backdrop of rhythm and horns grabs you within the first few seconds, and then Reese begins singing, mimicking a superficial conversation that only thinly veils a number of difficult struggles that we as Christians are unwilling to talk about sometimes. This scenario seems a bit depressing for its title until you realize that God is using every scar and painful experience to craft an ingenious story of redemption. This balanced view of reality gives the song a poignant touch - if it were all about a happy "God loves me and everything's coming up roses" story like the title might imply, it would be rather insipid instead. Make sure you back up 6 or 7 seconds from the beginning of the CD so you get the all-important non-hidden track "What's Up?" The band recorded it with special care, you know.
Me Oh My
A silly title, but a lot of the lyrics are taken from the book of Isaiah. It's kind of a peppy twist on a prophetic worldview that whizzes by in about two minutes or so. "There's something happening in the sky" about sums it up.
Solidarity
One of the first radio singles from this project. I was slightly alarmed when I first heard it - the Latin-flavored percussion and festive "Hey!"s made me think "Burlap to Cashmere ripoff!" Maybe so, maybe not - but it's got a fantastic message of "Unity, not uniformity" that tries a little harder than most of the "Can't we all just get along?" songs that some bands attempt. We even get a guest spot from Randy Stonehill on this one - just to show us he's not too old-school to participate in some wacky modern rock. That really drives the unity message home. Now if we could just get them to do a song with Sandi Patty... Oh, maybe that's not such a hot idea.
The Phantom Mullet
Get ready, here comes the first silly song. No deep underlying message here - just that 80's hairdos are scary. Some great cultural references come to the surface in this one (rhyming "virus" with "Billy Ray Cyrus" is frighteningly clever). Lots of fun to sing along to, though Reese's vocals are a bit harsher here than we've heard on past albums. It's probably to fit with the metal/ska hybrid, complete with a great guitar solo and blood-curdling wail in the middle of the song that would make Stryper proud.
Ugly Day
This is possibly one of the cheeriest breakup songs you will ever hear (up there with Sarah Masen's "Kissing Tree"). It's slowed down a little bit from when they debuted it on their live CD a few months ago, to give it a slightly more reggae feel. Here's where Reese reminds us that he doesn't mind being intensely personal, even to the point of using a name as he laments being without a former girlfriend. I can relate to this one even though I've never been through a huge breakup - when things aren't right with your lovelife, it's easy to resent the happy and beautiful things around you, and they do a great job of fleshing out that feeling.
Fahrenheit
This song took guts to write. It's another autobiographical tune, this time about homophobia. Here we find Reese musing about how he loved the Flash Gordon soundtrack when he was younger, only to later turn against Queen when he found out Freddie Mercury was gay, and to feel smug when he later died of AIDS. I haven't seen many Christian bands admit to that sort of hypocrisy - FIF gets a big gold star for doing it here. The band does clearly imply that they think homosexuality is wrong (which they can't assume every single Christian agrees with) when they say "Love the sinner, hate the sin", but the line is self-directed, making it clear that the song was written to condemn homophobia.
Four Fifty-One
These two songs are smartly transitioned together, given that they comprise the title of the famous Ray Bradbury novel. This song uses the theme of that novel (burning books in a society where it is believe that reading will empower people to do evil things) as a metaphor for the "sterile Christian bubble" that we so often live in, and he very bluntly denounces that way of thinking, saying that we are getting nowhere as Christians if we avoid the rest of the world. The "rasta vocals" that popped up briefly in "Solidarity" are more prominent here, invoking that whole "unity" feel to tear down our need for safety and separation. Other than that, this pair of songs takes on a more traditional FIF ska sound.
You Probably Shouldn't Move Here
This song is almost too silly for its own good. They really pulled out all the stops in taking this one too ridiculous levels. The whole thing is half ska and half polka, and it's basically a tongue-in-cheek endorsement of Colorado (the band's home state) with some amusing jabs at California. There is also a cute, if non-sequitur, cameo of one member of The W's. The weird vocals, complete with impressions of an "old geezer", a hippie, and a chicken, plus a random noise here and there and a yodel solo (!) can get annoying after a few listens, but I'll bet it's a riot in concert.
Hurricanes
Here we find the band throwing in a little Spanish. It sounds a little awkward, the vowels drawn out more than they need to be, but it accentuates the somber feel of the song. This is Five Iron Frenzy's version of Lamentations, it seems - a ballad of loneliness and sad memories from the past coming back to haunt the present. It's nice to hear them attempt a ballad, and there's an engaging horn break in the middle, but this song has its share of forced moments. Certain lyrics that are spoken seem like they should have been sung, but hey, I'm not a speech tutor. It's a nice change of pace given its frantic surroundings.
Giants
I'm not sure whether I'm in a circus or a haunted house when I'm listening to this song. It kicks off with an odd, jerky rhythm accompanied by maniacal laughter, and continues with Reese bemoaning the fallacies of capitalism in a whimsical but frightening tone. There may be a bit too much going on lyrically for your average person to grasp completely (unless your average person is an economics major), but they do prove here that they're not a bunch of uneducated goofballs, even if the style of the song is a bit goofy. I was right there with them until they hit the bridge and slowed it down to half sea-shanty and half rock opera - from there it just gets a bit disturbing. I sometimes skip this track, depending on my mood. It just seems to kill the flow of the album.
I Still Like Larry
Ah, we're happy again! This is the traditional FIF "joke track", whizzing by at about 30 seconds. It's pretty much a straight-up punk number. And no, it's not about Larry-Boy from VeggieTales! It's about a friend who moved away. Though I don't see what Reese blurting out "pumpernickel" at the beginning of it has to do with anything. Then again, that's probably the point. It's fun, but not really all that funny. "When I Go Out" on their last CD was a lot more amusing - not to mention chaotic.
All the Hype
Just when you think you've got them pigeonholed, they throw a little rap at you. Don't worry, they've still got lively horns and real drums and a vocal that's about as white as you can get. But then they've got record scratches and some homey in the background tag-teaming a few of the vocal lines and yelling things like "Wassup?" I just can't figure these guys out. It definitely fits with the song, though, which is about (you guessed it) the hype often prevalent in the music business. This is basically their disclaimer that says, "Okay, so we're not the next big musical trend. We can deal with that. We're just people like you." I get a little bored with the song when the rap parts are over and the music gets a little more straight-laced, but the whole thing's worth it just for the "sonic booms".
It's Not Unusual
Yeah, you guessed right again. It's a Tom Jones cover. I have to admit, they played it fairly straight on this one - the horns and vocals pretty much follow the original. It's peppy, fun to sing along with if you remember the words, and well, as the band said when they debuted it on their live CD, "We hope you still like us." Too bad they messed it up by making the song fall apart at the end with Reese not being able to make up his mind whether to scream "Yeah!" or "Noooo!" and generally sounding like he's hurt himself. It was funny the first time.
A New Hope
The other song they allowed us to preview on their live CD. I didn't like it that much then, but it's given a fuller sound and some extra vocal support here. The music may be an awkward fit for the subject matter (it's about a cousin of one of the band members who survived the Columbine massacre - pretty heavy stuff), but it lives up to its name in the end by once again emphasizing how God makes triumph out of tragedy. It's not one of my favorites, but at least they've improved on it since they first gave it to us.
World Without End
I expected that they'd end with something a little more straightforward and praise-inspiring like "Every New Day" (still my favorite FIF song), and they did - sort of. The words in this song, and the tune, are a fitting statement of praise to God. But the verses are a little off kilter and hard to follow along with as the tempo shifts back and forth from punk to rock anthem. However, this still manages to edge out most of the songs on the CD and become on of my favorites due to its wonderfully singable chorus that fades out at the end with a youth choir and some pristine Christmas bells - sounds you wouldn't expect to hear on an FIF record. It surprisingly fits together when you think about it - celebration of an eternal God, FIF style. And that chorus will stick in your head forever, too. I thought it was weird when the CD just ended after the song faded out - what, no hidden track? But I guess we have enough silliness for one CD. Something like "These Are Not My Pants" or "Kingdom of the Dinosaurs" as found on previous albums would've pushed this CD over the edge of silly into the abyss of completely ridiculous.
All in all, I'm glad I bought this, though during the first listen I seriously pondered pawning it off to someone in a youth group somewhere. FIF is too intelligent to be constrained to young Christian punks who just want to mosh and have a few good laughs. And though I may make fun of them at times, I know they're laughing with me. Their sense of humor is random at times, like mine, but it's good for a snicker when discussing their musical quirks with friends. And when they get serious, they mean business, and they're not afraid to step on toes. They're also not afraid to try something new. I'll go out on a limb and say this is their best album yet, even if it is a bit more of a dizzying ride than the so-called Our Newest Album Ever!, which was some fairly solid ska. Let's just hope they don't experiment too much more than this the next time out - I'd rather they be known for good music than just novelty.
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: World Without End, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Solidarity, The Phantom Mullet, Four-Fifty-One
Good: Me Oh My, Ugly Day, Fahrenheit, Hurricanes, I Still Like Larry, It's Not Unusual
Decent: You Probably Shouldn't Move Here, All the Hype
Weak: A New Hope
Skippable: Giants
Band Members (as listed in the liner notes):
Andrew Verdecchio: Drums
Micah Ortega: Mean Guitar and BGV's
Sonnie Johnston: Nice pretty but sometimes mean guitar
Keith Hoerig: Fish (Bass)
Dennis Culp: Trombone and BGV's
Leanor (Jeff the Girl) Ortega: Tenor Saxophone, Latina Whoops and Yippees
Nathanel "Brad" Dunham: Trumpet
Reese Roper: Singing, Yodeling and Maniacal Laughter
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