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    Puddlegum 1998/Five Iron Frenzy
    Five Iron Frenzy — Our Newest Album Ever! cover

    Five Iron Frenzy

    Our Newest Album Ever!

    (1997)

    Reviewed by Nick Meurlott

    DiscogsApple MusicSpotify
    Label SaraBellum Records / 5 Minute WalkPuddlegum1998
    punkskaska punk

    This 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 more politics minded.

    The first song is even called "handbook for the sellout". On this song, they ask "Do you remember where we all came from? Do you remember what it's all about?". On "Litmus", it reads "You say preach, they say rock. You put my God inside a box.". Some might say these guys aren't giving enough glory to God in this album. I disagree. The song "Second Season", which is written and sung by a different person than all of the other songs, he says "I try to make my shoulders broad, but I am helpless without God." This album will have your heart beating, and you humming or drumming along. I highly recommend it for anyone that likes the Supertones or Insyderz. These guys are, in my opinion, the best Christian ska band ever.

    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…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…ReAL Magazine 1997Reviewed by Kevin D. HendricksOur 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…

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