Wackiness.org Reviews Archive § Music

In days of old, when I was the age of picking my own music, I, like everyone else here, abadoned the popular stuff. However, I ended up in going down the path of the Third Wave Ska Revival, which produced nearly 10,000 bands, of which around 8 survived after the fad died. Five Iron was one of them. As they quipped on a t-shirt, "We were the future of rock in 1995." So that's how I ended up listening to them in the first place.

The End is Near is quite an album, with everything Five Iron ever tried mixed into one album. Geeky references take form in the awesome "Wizard Needs Food, Badly". This song is not up to par musically, but anything that intros with the original sound effects from Gauntlet earns points. It also manages to throw in some social commentary, lamenting the laziness of America.

To survive in the post Revival Ska world, you really need a sense of humor. "So Far, So Bad" captures the spirit of the downfall of the ska band. "They won't play this song on the radio / So far, So bad, that's how it goes/ They'll pull our records from the shelves / so far so bad, that's how it goes." Said loss of hipness is lamented on At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Guys, in which the lead singer complains about the pains of being 29 years old and still wearing the hip bandware of the day.

The album has a sort of downtrodden theme, but with the hope of someday getting back up from the ground and trying again. They also spend some time remembering times and concerts gone by.

Overall, this is a decent CD for those who go for the whole mixing of guitars and trumpets. I find it an enjoyable listen, though I've been told I am completly wrong by Justin "You need to stop listening to ska", but I don't really care what people say about it. Give it a try, maybe download a track or two before buying it, as everyone I know whose heard it has either loved or hated it.

Rating

77/100

Reviewer

Nick Petschl

Published

February 11, 2004