Everywhere I turn, I hear people say, "Ska's not cool anymore, it was just a fad . . . except for Five Iron Frenzy, they're good!" How confused people can be! All the Hype That Money Can Buy proves that no matter what the "flavor of the month" is in Christian music, a good band will always come out on top. Five Iron has succeeded in putting together another album that excels in silliness, heart-felt angst, praise to The Almighty Savior, and political hand-slapping underwritten by musicians who take their instrumental gifts seriously.
There are many highlights to All The Hype..., the first of which is the amount of different genres of music FIF hits; Metal (The Phantom Mullet); a bit of Goth (Giants); Ska with some scratching (All The Hype); Lounge Lizard-esque (It's Not Unusual); Latin-influenced; and, of course straight ahead ska (Me Oh My). The second highlight is the many guest appearances: Randy Stonehill, Justin McRoberts, former FIF-member Scott Kerr, and Val Hellman and Brett Barker of The W's to name a few.
The third highlight, for me, is the honesty in the lyrics. Five Iron Frenzy is known for being straight forward with their words and this album is a great example of that. "Fahrenheit" speaks of a prejudice felt towards Freddie Mercury and one would conclude all those that have died of the AIDS virus. "Ugly Day" is a peppy song for the saddened heart of lead singer, Reese Roper. It speaks of the torn relationship between his former fiance and himself. "Hurricanes" paints the portrait of a lonely soul yearning for Christ and His comfort. "A New Hope" identifies with the students who had to return to Columbine High School, which is located near the band's hometown of Denver. This incident is very close to FIF as lead guitarist, Micah Ortega's sister, Amy, was one of many students trapped during the horrific assault. Let's not forget the silly songs like "You Probably Shouldn't Move Here" that playfully speaks of the why you would and shouldn't live in Colorado; and "The Phantom Mullet" which, well, fossilizes that strange phenomenon of the 80's occasionally known as hockey hair, the Mullet and the pop culture that surrounded it at the time.
The final touch on this album is the song "World Without End," which contains lyrics that carries on the tradition of ending a FIF album with a prayerful, praiseworthy song. "In the soundless awe and wonder / words fall short to hope again / How beautiful / how vast your love is / new forever / world without an end."
Hey, Five Iron, you did it again . . . I am sure many will be pleased with this latest offering!
Other coverage for this album
The Rebel Base 2001Reviewed by Mark BakerHave you ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going against you, and the world has teamed up to make you miserable? I know I have. One day recently for me was like this. I happened to pop in Five Iron's CD, All the Hype That Money Can Buy. It cracked right though that bad mood and made me sing along! Everybody now: "Cuttin' it short in the front, I want that for me! Growing it…ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Kevin D. Hendricks"This album is the first step towards world peace," says bass player Keith Hoerig. And with typical Five Iron Frenzy style comes their third full length studio release, All The Hype That Money Can Buy. It's being billed as more rock, but the band stays true to their ska roots and manages to stray stylistically--enough to keep things interesting. Five Iron has earned the reputation for being…Bandoppler 2000Reviewed by Earl CampbellIt has been billed as a "more rock" record, but while there are instances of basic rock nuance to be found on FIF's latest offering, All The Hype That Money Can Buy, they are mostly there for sardonic effect—especially on "The Phantom Mullet," a brilliant piece of stadium satire. Other than that and a few other minor samples, this album unapologetically rebukes the popular notion that "Ska is…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianI found this album kind of hard to review. Some of the songs sound similar to their older stuff (rock/ska/punk), yet other songs are just different (reggae, rasta, rap). The songs I enjoyed on this release were the songs that sounded similar to their other stuff. Songs such as, "The Greatest Story Ever Told", "Me Oh My", "The Phantom Mullet", and "Fahrenheit". Some of the other songs such as…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Jim ShadyI have been a fan of FIF for about 4 years now. Actually, it would be more correct to say that I am a sideline fan, meaning that I am anxious to hear what they come up with next but I am not about to go see them in concert. Ever since their first album Upbeats on the Beat Downs, I have not been overly impressed. Sure they put out one or two good songs per album but I can compare them to any of…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ChrisI have never been much of a fan of Five Iron Frenzy, it's always seemed to me that they are a bunch of talented musicians who COULD be a very, very good band, but never quite hit the mark. This, like the other FIF stuff I've heard, has some really good serious material, and some totally silly stuff. I call it silly, and not humor, because none of it even got a chuckle out of me. I guess I am just…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerIt takes an awful lot of guts to release a song against homophobia on a Christian label: I was in eighth grade I said he was a queer I thought he had it coming He died of AIDS that year My liberty As if Christ's death meant nothing to me (From "Fahrenheit") It takes even more to follow that up with a song condemning Christian escapism and isolationism: The radio is preaching the candy coated goo…Similar sounding releases
1999The O.C. SupertonesChase the Sun
Bunch of BelieversIt's a Ska Ska Ska Ska World
2001The DingeesThe Crucial Conspiracy
2004PepperIn With The Old
1999The ChinkeesPeace Through Music
2002ApologetiXGrace PeriodMore from Five Iron Frenzy
1997Our Newest Album Ever!
2003The End Is Here
1996Upbeats and Beatdowns
2003Cheeses...
1999Proof That the Youth are Revolting
1998Quantity Is Job 1
