After listening to Five Iron Frenzy's last album (Our Newest Album Ever) for the umpteenth time I thought, "They will never top this."

And while they didn't top that feat of ska-manship, they come pretty darn close in their latest release, Quantity is Job 1.

The guys (and one gal) of FIF have continued to wow and amaze their multitude of skanking fans with their original lyrics and phenomenal blend of third wave ska.

Of the songs on the EP, the best by far is "Dandelions." If this song doesn't melt your heart, you must not have one. The imagery of a little boy bringing a handful of dandelions as a gift to his mother is such a powerful way of showing how God must feel when we present our "dandelions" to him. The opening with the harmonized horns is beautiful, and the horns continue to shine throughout this song.

Another memorable tune is "Get Your Riot Gear." Reese has outdone himself on this one. The lyrics are an expose against the use of excessive force by the Denver Police Department in the riot following the 1998 Super Bowl. (In the liner notes, Reese thanks the DPD for the tear gas grenade, and even invites the listener to express his or her concerns to the department. By the way, if the song moves you, then send an email to the DPD at dpd@infodenver.denver.co.us.) It is, in my opinion, the best protest song against police brutality since Chicago's (actually, in those days they were known as the "Chicago Transit Authority") song on the Chicago riots in 1968. This song also has the coolest bass and guitar intro that sets the eerie stage for the story being told.

In addition, "My Evil Plan to Save the World," the EP's opening number, features Dennis Culp's superb trombone playing and also highlights an interesting idea behind the lyrics (read the liner notes on this one).

Of course Five Iron can't stay serious for long, and numbers like "The Untimely Death of Brad" (based on an internet rumor that Brad had died), "These Are Not My Pants," and "When I Go Out" show off their crazier style. And you can't leave out "Sweet Talkin' Woman," a fantastic tribute to the Electric Light Orchestra original. It is a lot of fun and actually sounds something like ELO (especially the BGV's)!

The few negative points of the disk had mostly to do with the lyrics of two songs. On the song "All That Is Good," Lenore's (Jeff the girl's) lyrics are meaningful, but not quite as finely honed as Reese's, while the song "One Girl Army" was too obscure for me. I'm still not quite sure what this one means.

However, overall I'd recommend doing whatever it takes to buy this album. (within reason, of course!). You won't regret it.

Note added later (in Feb. of 2003): Looking back on my comments on "One Girl Army" in this review . . . I think I must have been smoking crack at the time I wrote that because I really dig that song now.