Our Newest Album Ever!
| Our Newest Album Ever! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Five Minute Walk / SaraBellum | ||||
| Producer | Masaki Liu, Five Iron Frenzy | |||
| Five Iron Frenzy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
Alternative Press | [6] |
| YouthWorker | [7] |
| 7ball | [8] |
Our Newest Album Ever! is the second full-length studio album released by the band
Overview
Musically, the band set out to differentiate itself from other
While the album contains a number of references to
Five Iron Frenzy also set itself apart visually by avoiding the checker motif associated with ska.[8]
Lyrical content
The content of Our Newest Album Ever! continues several topical threads that the band had begun to explore on their debut album. "Banner Year" takes on the thread of historical mistreatment of
Other songs take on a more personal tone. "Blue Comb '78" relays an early memory of the vocalist, about how he lost a prized possession, as an
"Fistful of Sand" draws its inspiration from the book of Ecclesiastes,[10] echoing a representation of the futility of life without God. "Second Season" takes a similar thread, explaining that "The strongest will expire just the same... Try to make my shoulders broad, but I am helpless without God."
The band also takes on itself, examining its own success and members. In "Superpowers" the band humorously describes the trials of life on the road,
"Superpowers" is not the only music industry-themed song.[8] "Litmus" takes a swipe at the band's critics within the Christian music industry, with a message that the amount of "Godliness" cannot be resolved through clean-cut measures. "You say preach, they say rock. You put my God inside a box," the lyricist states. Another cut along the same lines is the opening track, "Handbook For The Sellout."
"Suckerpunch" is about how even "rejects" and "misfits" like nerdy teenagers are loved and accepted by God.[8] It echoes the "God is in your corner"[3] theme that is also espoused on "Banner Year."
"Oh, Canada" takes a Tongue-in-cheek look at Canada. The song makes reference to the country as "the maple leaf state," and mentions elements associated with the country including lemmings, mooses, yaks, elements of French Canadian culture, Royal Mounties, Slurpees made of Venison, and Canada-native William Shatner.[5]
The album closes with the worshipful "Every New Day."[5] One reviewer called it without a doubt the best song on the album",[4] noting in retrospect that it closed many of their shows up until the band disbanded. The song is about how daily life and daily struggles can obscure faith.[9] The song draws two lines from The Tyger, a poem by William Blake. The musical melody of the outro horn line contains similarities to the ending vocal melody from the Nerf Herder song "Golfshirt". This horn line was rewritten for the "Winners Never Quit" tour. The end of the song was reprised on "On Distant Shores", the final track of the band's last studio album, The End Is Near.
Following "Every New Day" is the hidden track, "Godzilla".
Track listing
All music composed by Scott Kerr and Dennis Culp and all lyrics written by Reese Roper, except where noted otherwise
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Handbook for the Sellout" | 3:28 | |
| 2. | "Where is Micah?" | Kerr | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Superpowers" | 3:23 | |
| 4. | "Fistful of Sand" | 4:18 | |
| 5. | "Suckerpunch" | 3:32 | |
| 6. | "Kitty Doggy" | 0:41 | |
| 7. | "Blue Comb '78" | 3:04 | |
| 8. | "Banner Year" | Kerr | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Second Season" | music & lyrics: Culp | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Litmus" | 4:05 | |
| 11. | "Oh, Canada" | M. Ortega , Culp | 3:15 |
| 12. | "Most Likely to Succeed" | music: Kerr, lyrics: Kerr, Roper | 3:57 |
| 13. | "Every New Day" | 4:13 | |
| 14. | "The Godzilla Song" (hidden track) | 2:03 | |
| Total length: | 46:52 | ||
Personnel
Five Iron Frenzy
- Keith Hoerig – bass
- Micah Ortega– guitar
- Scott Kerr – guitar, backing vocals
- Andrew Verdecchio– drums
- Dennis Culp – trombone, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Second Season"
- Leanor (Jeff the Girl) Ortega– sax
- Reese Roper – lead vocals
- Nathanael (Brad) Dunham – trumpet
Production
- Masaki Liu – engineer, mixing
- Frank Tate – executive producer
- Five Iron Frenzy – mixing
- Ken Lee – mastering
Charts
Album –
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | US 200 | 176 |
References
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Our Newest Album Ever!". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ a b Shari Lloyd; Tony LaFianza (1997). "Reviews Our Newest Album Ever!". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ a b Brinley, Aaron (1998). "Squares / Our Newest Album Ever!". Archived from the original on 2000-11-17. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ a b c Hendricks, Kevin D. "Five Iron Frenzy Our Newest Album Ever". Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Portell, Paul (2003-10-05). "Five Iron Frenzy Our Newest Album Ever!". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
- ^ Alternative Press. 12 (119): 104.
- ^ a b Houge, Ty Chap (March–April 1999). "Tools / Music / Our Newest Album Ever!". YouthWorker Journal. XIV (4): 69–70.
- ^ ISSN 1082-3980.
- ^ ISSN 1082-3980.
- ^ Musique, Sucre'. (1999). Interview with Reese Roper, from bandoppler.com. Now hosted at the Internet Archive. [1]
- ^ Hendricks, Kevin D. (2004). "Five Iron Frenzy: Our Last Article Ever". Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
