Sounds like … sunny ska (Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones), horn-heavy rock (Supertones) and satirical skits (Tenacious D)At a glance … FIF's double-disc swansong includes a live CD of greatest hits and their final studio effort, with one bonus track. Track ListingDisc One—Live- Intro
- The Old West
- Handbook for the Sellout
- O Meets 15
- Cannonball
- Blue Comb '78
- At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys
- You Probably Shouldn't Move Here
- Canada
- When I Go Out
- See the Flames Begin to Crawl
- Vultures
- You Can't Handle This
- American Kryptonite
- The Phantom Mullet
- Medley
- New Hope
- World Without End
- Every New Day
Disc Two—The End Is Near- Cannonball
- At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys
- So Far, So Bad
- New Year's Eve
- American Kryptonite
- It Was Beautiful
- Wizard Needs Food, Badly
- Farewell to Arms
- See the Flames Begin to Crawl
- Anchor's Away
- Something Like Laughter
- That's How the Story Ends
- On Distant Shores
- The Cross of St. Andrew
Christian music's most beloved ska-core band hung up its golf clubs for good at the end of 2003, but Five Iron Frenzy fans still have reason to rejoice: The End Is Here, a double disc set capturing over two hours of music live and in the studio, has followers jumping for joy.
The first disc, titled Live, features a full-length concert recorded on 2003's "Winners Never Quit" farewell tour. The project is quite different from their previous live effort, Proof That the Youth Are Revolting; the new disc capturing many of the group's later hits, plus revamped versions of golden oldies—including the moshing mania of "Handbook for the Sellout," the comical "Canada," the several-snippet "Medley" and the life-affirming finale "Every New Day." Newer material—like the hysterical "The Phantom Mullet," the squashy ska pop of "At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys" and the boisterous vocal sputtering of "Cannonball"—catches followers up to speed with the band's more recent doings.
Disc two features The End Is Near, the band's final studio album, previously sold only at FIF concerts—click here to read our more thorough review of the disc. Though the set listing and mixing is exactly the same, bonus track "The Cross of St. Andrew" is one more skantified nugget for fans, while the supplementary 32-page book and fold-out poster are added perks.
Whether you're a diehard or a casual fan, you can't go wrong with this collection. For the former, it's one final essential memento, and for the latter, it's comprehensive enough to make up for skipped albums from the past. Rest in peace, FIF. You'll be missed.
