Description
The End is Here (stylized as The End is Near Here on the album cover) is a double album by the American ska-influenced alternative rock band Five Iron Frenzy, released by Five Minute Walk Records in April 2004, distributed in the US by ForeFront Records through Chordant Distribution Group. Disc One is a studio album that originally was self-released by the band the previous year, entitled The End is Near (it was recorded in early 2003 and sold directly by the band during their farewell tour and through their official website), while Disc Two is a live recording of the band’s final concert performance (recorded on November 22, 2003 at the Fillmore Auditorium in the bands hometown Denver, Colorado). Illustrations by Douglas TenNapel.
For Five Iron fans everywhere, The End Is Here is a must have. This album is more than a live version of Five Iron’s last show ever, more than the band sharing humorous jokes and more than songs about blue combs and new hopes. The End Is Here reaches down into the core of Five Iron Frenzy and reveals the heart of the band during their final hours. I was one of almost 4,000 fans (yes, it was sold out) who had the opportunity to experience the concert first-hand, and though I don’t think it’s possible to replicate such a highly emotional and overall amazing concert onto a compatible CD, I must say they were successful in capturing the essence of FIF during their last show ever.
One could view The End Is Here as a “Best of Five Iron Frenzy” CD. The play list is a collection of the best songs from previous albums, including everything from «Canada» and «Blue Comb ’78» to more recent songs such as «Cannonball» and «American Kryptonite». Though the song choices may make this CD great, the intensity from the band and the live crowd are what makes this album phenomenal. The energy from the fans is incredible and I’m really pleased they didn’t edit out all of the screaming for each song. For those of you who have experienced a FIF concert, you know that the fans never stop screaming and will yell and cheer for minutes at a time. At the end, the fans start chanting “Thank you, thank you” and at one point, a fan even prays aloud, thanking God for FIF and their impact on our generation and generations to come. Though the vocals are not top-quality towards the end of the album, Reese manages to reveal something more important than great vocals and the right tones–passion. Five Iron lived on passion. They loved their fans, they loved playing shows and, above all, they loved Jesus Christ. This CD successfully reveals the passion so many others fail to grasp.
Though the album is well put together and sounds great for a live performance, I was disappointed to find that the editors cut out parts of the concert I found to be very significant for Five Iron as well as their fans. For example, Reese made a heart-wrenching speech before playing «Every New Day» that explained the significance behind the song that has ended every FIF show they’ve ever played. I thought that speech showed so much of what FIF is all about and would have been perfect to leave on the CD for long time fans and new listeners alike.
Eight years of playing hundreds of shows, meeting thousands of fans, and writing unique songs with unique sounds were all embraced in one final show. The End Is Here takes the prize as one of the best albums ever produced by Five Iron Frenzy, so if you haven’t already purchased this CD, go buy it today. [Sarah Verno, The Phantom Tollbooth, 5/23/2004]
There’s no doubt that those who enjoy Five Iron Frenzy are disappointed and perhaps saddened that the end is here, as of November 29, 2003, FIF’s final concert at the Fillmore in its home town of Denver, Colorado. Okay, I’ll cut to the chase. There’s a recording of this concert, plus the final studio album (The End is Near) – previously available only in mail order from the website – put together and entitled The End is Here. It’s excellent. You can skip to the next review.
No! No! Wait! That was the best Reese Roper joke impression one can do in a written venue (Roper jokes about bands who do “their best song last,” and therefore, FIF plays its “best” song and tells the audience they can go home), and this review also comes with one homework assignment. To anyone who says, “You Christians don’t have any (or “little”) sense of humor,” please direct them to Five Iron Frenzy, and The End is Here is an excellent starting point. See? There’s a lot more to The End is Here than the end. And I’m sure that’s exactly how Five Iron wants it, so let’s talk about the record!
Yes, yes, humor is an excellent and integral part of FIF, but so is high-energy ska music, impeccably sharp performances, and varied and well-balanced sets of lyrics. With All the Hype and Electric Boogaloo, I was concerned that the band didn’t have quite the same glue it did with Upbeats and Beatdowns or our newest album ever!, but I smiled from the first note of «Cannonball» and didn’t quit through the duration of both CDs. Not only is this project a must for anyone who loves Five Iron Frenzy, The End is Here is for anyone who has ever HEARD of Five Iron Frenzy. I will easily put it right up there with my aforementioned favorite albums, and as much as I enjoy Proof That the Youth Are Revolting this live recording is the answer to a FIF fan’s dream concert that, on the heels of the release of the studio The End is Near, includes all your FIF favorites (whatever’s missing is included in a nine-minute medley).
Let me switch to second person for a sec. Okay, you’re a diehard FIF fan and already have The End is Near, and since you’re a diehard fan, you know you need that CD again, because of all the bonuses! I’ll bet FIF put just about everything from the Fillmore concert on both CDs. Both CDs? Five Iron is well known for “the hidden track.” After the bonus track of the studio side, there is approximately 30 minutes of dialog, jokes, quips, thanks and goodbyes from the band’s final concert. There’s plenty of the same on “the hidden track” of the live The End is Near.
The End is Near studio portion runs at a fast and frenetic pace, with the slowest entries, «Wizard Needs Food, Badly» and «Farewell to Arms», which walk at about the speed of «Second Season» from our newest album ever!, and reggae-flavored «See the Flames Begin to Crawl». There are instant classics here, namely aforementioned «Cannonball» and «See the Flames», as well as a re-writing of «Every New Day», called «On Distant Shores». Detractors of FIF often note that the band’s lyrics – most written by Roper – are autobiographical (most visible in «At Least I’m Not Like All Those Other Old Guys», «So Far, So Bad», and «That’s How the Story Ends»), but Roper explains during the live portion of the recording that FIF wraps things up. Finally, there are sharp yet not biting lyrics on this studio project (compare «Farewell to Arms» to «Four-Fifty-One» from All the Hype That Money Can Buy).
The packaging is excellent – and fun – as well. The studio End is Near portion has full libretto, credits, and really spiffy Ten Napel artwork (including the “death” and “resurrection” of the FIF monster bunny). The live End is Here pull-out poster does not have liner notes; one side is photos of the band, and the other side is photos of the audience.
Over its eight years, FIF kept its character, identity and purpose intact and never really swayed off course. Get your skanking shoes out for The End is Here (both CDs), and enjoy! FIF ends this project aptly, with «Every New Day», the audience singing «Amazing Grace». Finally, Roper says, “This might seem stupid, but it’s snowing outside, so I’m gonna sing this song” – «Silent Night», with the audience chiming in. Fitting, beautiful and wonderful. “Game over”? [Olin Jenkins, The Phantom Tollbooth, May 26, 2004]
Five Iron Frenzy – The End is Near (independent, 2003)
Five Iron Frenzy’s illustrious musical existence has always been littered with rumours that the band were to split up. Now, eight years after their genesis, the band are conducting their farewell tour and ‘The End Is Near’ is their final studio album. It’s impossible to do the album justice in a short review as it is quintessential of everything FIF have stood for. Reese Roper has long established himself as one of the most creative and idiomatic singers and songwriters in the industry and ‘The End…’ showcases him at his best. There’s a vitriolic attack on capitalism («American Kryptonite»); a ruthless onslaught on media spin («Anchors Away») and savage swipes at the music industry («So Far, So Bad»). The light-hearted «Wizard Needs Food, Badly» is a track for all those men who just want to play with big boys’ toys. The aptly named «That’s How The Story Ends» serves to bring a sense of closure with references to tracks such as «Where Is Micah?», «The Untimely Death Of Brad» and «These Are Not My Pants» as well as a farewell to favourites such as Combat Chuck, Kitty Doggy and the blue comb. «It Was Beautiful» is a sincere song of praise and thanks to God as the band remember the past eight years together. Musically, the band combine elements of rock, punk, ska and metal, whilst «See The Flames Begining To Crawl» features the rasta vocal and groove that the band experimented with on ‘All The Hype That Money Can Buy’. By far the brightest jewel on the album is the painfully honest closing track «On Distant Shores» which recognises the band’s struggles and seems to encompass everything that FIF (and Brave Saint Saturn) write about. The song borrows its closing lines from what is undeniably one of FIF’s most powerful songs, «Every New Day». Clearly, a lot of thought and detail has been put into this project as it combines the best musical elements of previous releases with challenging, poignant and, in typical Five Iron style, humorous lyrics. You could almost buy the record, which comes in a jewel case and cardboard sleeve, for Douglas Ten Napel’s artwork alone. Rumours are bound to be rife as Ten Napel’s seemingly dead-and-buried Five Iron Bunny Monster nudges its box open. Suggestion, perhaps, that this is not FIF’s final chapter, though I prefer to think that this is just an ironic prod at the rumours which seem to have been an inherent part of FIF’s career. The album can be bought exclusively from www.themobilemessage.org [Aleem Hossain, Cross Rhythms, November 2003]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-end-is-here/715705639)
2CD tracklist:
Disc One – The End Is Near
1-01. Cannonball
1-02. At Least I’m Not Like All Those Other Old Guys
1-03. So Far, So Bad
1-04. New Years Eve
1-05. American Kryptonite
1-06. It Was Beautiful
1-07. Wizard Needs Food, Badly
1-08. Farewell To Arms
1-09. See The Flames Begin To Crawl
1-10. Anchors Away
1-11. Something Like Laughter
1-12. That’s How The Story Ends
1-13. On Distant Shores
Bonus Tracks:
1-14.1 The Cross Of St. Andrew – 2:39
1-14.2 Live Outtakes – 26:34
1-14.3 Untitled – 1:37
Disc Two – Bonus Live Album: The End is Here
2-01. Intro
2-02. Old West
2-03. Handbook For The Sellout
2-04. 0 Meets 15
2-05. Cannonball
2-06. Blue Comb ’78
2-07. At Least I’m Not Like All Those Other Old Guys
2-08. You Probably Shouldn’t Move Here
2-09. Canada
2-10. When I Go Out
2-11. See The Flames Begin To Crawl
2-12. Vultures
2-13. You Can’t Handle This
2-14. Kryptonite
2-15. The Phantom Mullet
2-16. Medley
2-17. New Hope
2-18. World Without End
2-19. Every New Day
Note: An exclusive inclusion on the double-disc set is the extra studio track “The Cross of Saint Andrew” which was not included on the earlier self-released version of the studio album (the track features the studio recording “The Cross of Saint Andrew”, as well as Live Outtakes). Included in the live performance of their final show is a medley of Five Iron Frenzy performing selections from popular songs they were unable to perform in their entirety during the show (featured as track 16 on disc two). The medley is broken down as follows:[0:00 – 2:20] – “A Flowery Song” (Upbeats and Beatdowns) / [2:20 – 2:52] – “Suckerpunch” (Our Newest Album Ever!) / [2:52 – 4:00] – “One Girl Army” (Quantity Is Job 1) / [4:00 – 4:36] – “My Evil Plan To Save The World” (Quantity Is Job 1) / [4:36 – 5:20] – “Sometimes When We Touch” (Dan Hill’s Longer Fuse) / [5:20 – 5:56] – “Pre-Ex Girlfriend” (Electric Boogaloo) / [5:56 – 6:31] – “Combat Chuck” (Upbeats and Beatdowns) / [6:31 – 7:08] – “Dandelions” (Quantity Is Job 1) / [7:08 – 7:31] – “Superpowers” (Our Newest Album Ever!) / [7:31 – 8:05] – “Cool Enough For You” (Upbeats and Beatdowns)
Both versions of the CD (the single disc and the double disc) were packaged with a cardboard slipcover over the standard CD jewel case, which was bundled with a high-quality 15-page booklet containing band photographs, artwork by TenNapel, lyrics and words of farewell to the fans. Inside the front lid of the jewel case of the earlier self-released version was a simple one-sheet reproduction of the cover, while inside the front lid of the double-disc set was a fold-out poster featuring a collage of photographs from the band’s farewell performance.
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[youtube_sc url=”UPru3nUMfL4″ title=”Five Iron Frenzy – Every new day (last show)” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
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