Revisiting Five Iron Frenzy and their Engine of a Million Plots

"Tonight, we own the skies"

Third-wave ska-punk band Five Iron Frenzy returned in 2013 after a ten-year hiatus with Engine of a Million Plots. It is an album wonderfully nostalgic, but one that is a refreshing repaving of an old road. That old road, third wave, has seen a remarkable rekindling over the past decade, most notably from their “old guard” of established acts still breathing the fire they did when they first burst on to their respective musical landscapes. In the past 10 years, we've had new records by Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Buck-O-Nine, and Mustard Plug to name a few of the more notable names.

Perhaps slightly less on the forefront than say Less Than Jake or the Bosstones were during their height of popularity, Five Iron Frenzy were always one of the more consistent acts (releasing 5 studio albums in 8 years). Their albums were always good in many ways. My most compelling recollection was their 1997 album Our Newest Album Ever!, a sprightly, homely at times, wind in your hair ska/punk album that dug deep into the core of what it was growing up during these times. I bought the album from word of mouth, picking up a copy after friends and fellow listeners told me, "you like LTJ and Reel Big Fish? Check out Five Iron Frenzy...". I have fond memories of finding their songs to be a great escape from the more blustering efforts of some of their contemporaries; their songs were always easy to get in to, with an air of hope and good vibes. If push came to shove, I'd have to pick "Blue Comb '78" as my favorite track from the album (and really, still atop my favorite FIF tracks list), but when it came to mainstream appeal, it was "Handbook for the Sellout".

When they released Engine of a Million Plots some six years ago now, it was a sign of a band continuing their remarkable track record with songs still entrenched in their love of ska, rock and punk, while being in tune with the contemporary world around them. They sang about the hardships of life, faith, and everything in between. The album’s musical output was as strong as ever; with tracks like the up-tempo “We Own The Skies”, which to me, while seeped in deep personal meaning for songwriter Reese Roper, evokes a kind of escape from life's sometimes difficult turns.

If you read the explanation of the song, along with why Roper wrote it, you will realize a certain gravity to it. Born from difficult circumstances, it is like the song is the belief that you can still feel alive when you're most vulnerable. A call or prayer as it were, to find comfort in your current circumstances.

In a way, the song is like a temporary escape; a moment of the bigger picture where you can still feel alive despite it.

The album is filled with these moments, and as I wrote in my review when it initially came out that "there is depth in the album but there is also a great feeling of warmth through it all". And that's still true today.

These days the band seem to have slowed down a little, at least when it comes to recording new material. Earlier this year, members of the band worked with MxPx to record and release a remix of the MxPx track "Heard that Sound" that now features the Five Iron Frenzy horn section. They have, however, been playing shows and have got a few lined up this coming October in Philadelphia, New York, and Denver.

Six years since its release, Engine of a Million Plots is still a fantastic record. The band had never sounded as energized as they were on that record, and every listen to it since has been as rewarding as it was the day it was released. I'm not sure when we'll get a new Five Iron Frenzy album, but if for some unlucky reason that this album ends up being their last full length, the music ended on a high.

Today just felt like a good day to talk about and write about ska, Five Iron Frenzy, and this album in particular. But like the appeal of Engine of a Million Plots, it should feel this way every day.