Description
Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo is the fourth full-length studio album by the American ska-influenced alternative rock band Five Iron Frenzy, released on 5 Minute Walk Records in November 2001, distributed by ForeFront Records in the US through Chordant Distribution Group. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Masaki Liu at One Way Studios in Concord, California; assisted by Micah Ortega, Bret Barker, and Bob Schiveley. Produced by Masaki and the band.
Five Iron Frenzy is Reese Roper on lead vocals, Nathanael “Brad” Dunham on trumpet, Dennis Culp on trombone, Leanor (Jeff the Girl) Ortega on saxophone, Micah Ortega and Sonnie Johnston on guitars, Keith Hoerig on bass, and Andrew Verdecchio on drums. Additional vocalists and musicians featured on the album: Bret Barker, Aaron James, Michael Jon Leonardi, Justin McRoberts, Mary Joan Thyken, and Mindy Verdecchio .
I’ve been waiting for this one for over two albums now! While I enjoyed the live Proof That the Youth Are Revolting and FIF’s return to the studio with All the Hype That Money Can Buy, something was missing from the last studio project (including heavy cynicism, e.g. «Four-Fifty-One»), and that’s the zany trademark quality of Five Iron Frenzy. From the first moments of «Pre-Ex-Girlfriend» from Electric Boogaloo, I was laughing again.
Welcome back, guys (and Lenore “The Girl” Ortega)!
What I’ve loved about FIF since Upbeats and Beatdowns is what makes Five Iron Frenzy: an uncanny knack for making merry, crazy music that somehow manages to convey the wonderful message of Jesus Christ. One of the latter gems from this band is «Dandelions», from quantity is job 1, and this project’s gem is the radio-friendly single, «Far, Far Away», as Reese Roper explains, is inspired by «Come the Day» by the Seekers, the lullaby his mother sang to him when he was a baby. What a breath of fresh air!
With exception of the tone of much of the band’s last studio project (which I personally felt was too harsh), FIF has always touched on cynicism but has handled it in a palatable manner, in the form of Christian accountability and responsibility. Two songs which handle this theme are the aforementioned single, «Blue Mix», and «Vultures». And give a listen to «Eulogy». FIF deals with the harsh reality of life.
What’s different here – and it’s a back-to-the-basics quality – is that FIF undergirds these excellent lyrics with the zany, wild music that’s its unique stamp!
Of course, as the O.C. Supertones have done, FIF’s music quality is pretty much “rock with horns” now. Ska? What’s that? Yes, there’s still enough of it to whet the appetite of the ranks of the skanktified. «Plan B» even borders on swing-ska. «Eulogy»’s mix is classic FIF, reminiscent of «Every New Day» or «My Evil Plan to Save the World». Every track on this project is tightly and impeccably recorded and, pardon the pun, with plenty of upbeats and beatdowns.
My only beef is a big one – a definite detraction – the length of Electric Boogaloo. It’s less than 40 minutes long (and doesn’t have a hidden track). The bottom line is this: if you enjoy FIF, Electric Boogaloo is a must-have project, but for the uninitiated, I recommend our newest album ever or quantity is job 1. Nevertheless, Five Iron Frenzy is definitely on the right track with a very solid offering. [Olin Jenkins, The Phantom Tollbooth, January 13, 2002]
Electric Boogaloo is Five Iron Frenzy’s fourth full length studio album and presents the band with a distinctly new sound. The horns are still there, but the ska has toned down and what has developed is a sound which is both fresh and alive. The poppy-punk opening track «Pre-Ex Girlfriend» gets the album off to a good start, and along with «You Can’t Handle This» provides the trademark humour of the band. What follows is a combination of songs brimful of challenging lyrical content. ‘Electric Boogaloo’ is full of diversity and the lyrical content. All in all, ‘Electric Boogaloo’ is full of diversity and the lyrical content and structure of the songs resemble Brave Saint Saturn (a FIF side project) with wandering verses and catchy choruses. This album is indeed a transitional one for this band, but boasts maturity and I believe they will succeed in this step forward. [Amy Coonagh, Cross Rhythms, May 2002]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/five-iron-frenzy-2-electric-boogaloo/867558487)
CD tracklist:
01. Pre-Ex-Girlfriend
02. Far, Far Away
03. You Can’t Handle This
04. Farsighted
05. Spartan
06. The Day We Killed
07. Juggernaut
08. Plan B
09. Blue Mix
10. Vultures
11. Car
12. Eulogy
Note: Re-issued on 12-inch vinyl LP by SMLXL Vinyl in 2018 (pressed on both black vinyl and Clear with Black and Yellow Splatter limited to 300 units).
[youtube_sc url=”” playlist=”gBd0EEdFtjc,J-CXIMsJEAY,064qbCvFh-E,mpAA-3Wnpy8,2y3PCLZp7H4,34Y-YYLDilQ,QouULCMVyQ4,WpytO86iQmQ,vbQ9s1VP7D4,ZrO0Oxo42_c,Hl5uRiai22Y,7uuh6ToYZok” title=”Five Iron Frenzy, Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo – Pre-Ex-Girlfriend + Far, Far Away + You Can’t Handle This + Farsighted + Spartan + The Day We Killed + Juggernaut + Plan B + Blue Mix + Vultures + Car + Eulogy” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.