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Anthem | 
| Artist: Less Than Jake
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy Used: $3.47
You Save: $10.51 (75%)
New (31) Used (17) Collectible (1) from $3.47
Rating:  146 reviews
Sales Rank: 37852
Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 48459
UPC: 093624845928
EAN: 0093624845928
ASIN: B000093U1G
Release Date: May 20, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Welcome to the New South | | • | Ghosts of Me and You | | • | Look What Happened | | • | Science of Selling Yourself Short | | • | Short Fuse Burning | | • | Motown Never Sounded So Good | | • | Upwards War and the Down Turned Cycle | | • | Escape from the A-Bomb House | | • | Best Wishes to Your Black Lung | | • | She's Gonna Break Soon | | • | That's Why They Call It a Union | | • | Plastic Cup Politics | | • | Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out | | • | Surrender [*] |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The firecrackers on the sleeve give a good idea of what to expect on this Florida ska-punk group's third major-label album after a brief sojourn back in the indie world. Horns, chugging guitars, and crashing rhythms mesh to create a high-energy racket that refuses to subside until the band has rolled out its raucous closing cover version of Cheap Trick's "Surrender." The label turbulence does little to affect its angular wit, as focus returns to the heady party vibes of the group's hugely successful major label debut, Losing Streak: pogo-driven "Best Wishes to Your Black Lungs" and "That's Why They Call It a Union" are standard-issue Less Than Jake. As with the band's other releases, the music inspires clear feelings of love and hate. --Aidin Vaziri
Album Description
Florida's Less Than Jake flies the banner of the New Punk South with its Sire debut album Anthem. The CD is enhanced with the video for 'She's Gonna Break Soon' & more plus the bonus track 'Surrender'. 2003.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 141 more reviews...
The spirit shines through June 19, 2003
JiggyT (Texas)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I've been a fan of Less Than Jake for almost two years, and they have steadily become my favorite band. I first got Hello Rockview, then Losing Streak, then Borders and Boundaries, then Pezcore, and just recently I picked up Anthem. I have never in my life bought an album without first hearing at least one song from it, but there is no other band that I trust more completely with my money than LTJ. I put it in the CD player and let it run all the way through. The first thing that struck me as different from their other albums is that the songs really do each sound like "anthems". They don't seem to sing the lyrics as much as they "proclaim" them...if that makes sense. The songs are (mostly) all heavy with guitars, fast, and energetic. There are a few exceptions, such as The Science of Selling Yourself Short and The Brightest Bulb. The most obvious difference with this album and the others is the lack of horns and ska. A few songs, like Motown and Plastic Cup Politics, have some decent ska riffs inbetween choruses. If you only liked LTJ for the ska part of their "ska punk" sound, you will be disappointed. They have definitely strayed from their old sound in this way. BUT, if you just thrive off their infectious energy and spirit, you'll be satisfied with the album as a whole, especially with songs like Welcome to the New South and Plastic Cup Politics, which are clearly classic LTJ material. I would consider New South one of their best works to date. The "single", She's Gonna Break Soon, is mediocre in LTJ standards. It's very similiar to the pop punk songs on radio and I'm sad that they are even considering trying to fit in by lowering their standards to that level. This is not to say that it's a bad song, because I still enjoy it, but it's not my beloved Less Than Jake at all. They can do better. All in all, it's a good effort, and it has it's moments. The funky LTJ spirit still shines through all the heavy guitar and polished pop punk: There's a reason I haven't taken it off repeat in my CD player yet.
 I can't let this happen... January 14, 2006
Jordan G (Arizona)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Anyone hear who rated this album poorly because of how much the music has changed is an idiot and doesn't deserve to listen to any of Less Than Jake's work. People are overlooking the fact that this is an amazing album because it doesn't have as much ska on it. Those people are the real morons. Every song on this CD is great-- some more than others. Such as Science of Selling Yourself Short. That song is probably one of the top three most amazing ska songs I've ever heard. Sure, this album has a little less ska, and a little more pop-punk, but that doesn't lessen the fact that they poured their hearts into this album, and put out a damn fine album. Definitely pick this one up. Trust me, you'll grow to love it unless you're a close-minded ass who refuses to even accept a great CD if it sounds different from the rest of a band's work.
Coming of age October 2, 2004
Eric Janosko (Rochester, NY)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Less Than Jake has grown up. Never thought I'd hear that. In fact, I'm sure a few people even dreaded this day. I am definitely a fan of the old LTJ albums and style, so when I first heard "Anthem", I was a little surprised. But not disappointed. Anthem is definitely one of their best offerings to date.
1. "Welcome to the New South" - This song really sums up everything. After hearing this, it's not a question of whether thay have matured or not; it's an obvious statement they have.
2. "Ghost of Me and You" - Very "poppy" song, but still an enjoyable one. Easy to hum along to.
3. "Look What Happened" - Now, many other people have said how good this song is. I, personally, do not care for it. It's not really a bad song, just not one of my favorites. Again, kind of poppy.
4. "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" - Slow groover about self-deprication. I absolutely love this one. The tune is catchy and the lyrics are excellent.
5. "Short-Fuse Burning" - Quick guitar work on this one. Faster than the previous few songs. Not a bad offering.
6. "Motown Never Sounded So Good" - I had actually heard this song before I got the CD, and I must say I enjoy it. Again, a little more pop-like than a lot of their other classics, but a good song nonetheless.
7. "The Upwards War and Down Turned Cycle" - Another song that really shows you LTJ has grown up. Hell, the song is ABOUT growing up.
8. "Escape From the A-Bomb House" - Didn't like this one at first, but it really grew on me. Solemn number about getting in arguments with your parents and leaving home.
9. "Best Wishes to Your Black Lung" - More lke what you've come to expect from the guys. A faster, horn-laden song that is very catchy.
10. "She's Gonna Break Soon" - Actually released as a single and a video. It even got played on MTV, I'm pretty sure. I really didn't like this one as it was very repetitive. It didn't really live up to the better songs of the album
11. "That's Why They Call It a Union" - Another song close to the classic style. Not bad, but not one of my favorites either.
12. "Plastic-Cup Politics" - Fun little song about drinking. Definitely one of my favorties. Very good lyrics and a catchy tune.
13. "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned/Screws Fall Out" - Wow...I LOVE this one. Actually, it's one of my favorite songs of all time. It's really two songs connected together, which is blatantly obvious when you listen to it. Starts out almost ballad-like with a slower tempo, quieter volume, and almost acoustic sound. The song continues until you come to the bridge between the two; then BAM! A full kick in to a fast, raucous blast of a song. I've actually seen people jump from the change in sheer volume. Absolutely AWESOME song.
14. "Surrender" - Finishing out the disc is a cover, a thing LTJ fans are used to. This one is a little different, though, as it seems more of a tribute-like take on it rather than their normal cover offerings. Excellent song to begin with by Cheap Trick, and the LTJ is a near-perfect covering. Strong ending to the disc.
All-in-all, a fun, but reflective disc. It actually makes you think a little, no matter what age you are. I thought I'd dread the day LTJ matured, but after hearing this, I'm almost glad it came.
Best LTJ album yet May 25, 2003
Joseph H. Dorne (Gainesville, FL USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have long been a fan of Less Than Jake (hello, I'm from Gainesville) and have enjoyed watching them grow. I was a little skeptical about how this album would turn out, being that "She's Gonna Break Soon" was on TRL and the band was overpromoting the album a tad via fanclub emails and such, but I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to it for the first time. Less Than Jake isn't even close to selling out in any way, shape, or form. This album is incredible! It has the same energetic, happy spirit of "Hello, Rockview", which was also an amazing album. The band has finally started to branch out a little more with both their sound and lyrics, completely doing away with repetitive drinking songs and unncessesary "F" words in random places. The lyrics are very contemplative and expressive, and the album flows very well from song to song. Personally, I thought "Losing Streak" sounded like virtually the same song tracked 16 times. It was extremely repetitive, and this album completely dispells that habit by incorporating different sounds into each song and balancing the mix of skanking, jumping, relaxing, and just plain moshpit fuel. The album is very energetic in a lot of parts, and the reggae tendencies of "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" is a refreshing newsflash that the band is still reinventing themselves. "Short Fuse Burning" is evidence of the aforementioned moshpit fuel formula. Chris' Van Halen-esque guitar riff mixed with the insanely fast tempo makes for a steady whiplash-inducing headbang and a big smile across the face. Oh, and don't worry about the whole Warner Bros. thing. This album is proof to the world that fame does not necessarily equal selling out and crossing into Blink-182 Land. After all, the band has been living on rice and beans for the last 10 years. Let's let them have the attention and recognition they deserve. Only complaint: not enough horns on this album.
Less Than Jake's "Anthem" is their best yet April 26, 2004
Douglas A. Pearce (Buffalo, New York)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
For those Less Than Jake fans that were hoping to keep this band the best kept secret in the strange genre today known as rock, well, you have another thing coming. With "Anthem", Chris, Roger, and the rest of the gang display the powerful rifts and harmonious lyrics that make the band great. My favorite tracks are "The Science of Selling Yourself Short", "Short Fuse Burning", and the second effort of "Look What Happened". Being a LTJ fan for more than 6 years now, I'd have to rate this as their most complete album, and yes, even more complete than "Losing Streak". Although many purists might be upset with the band trying to find their niche in the mainstream, one must not forget that music is a business and the overall objective of any band, including Less Than Jake, is to reach their fans and get their music out there. By signing with Sire the band has taken a major step forward in terms of record distribution and exposure. I've seen the band on five occasions and the last time spoke with Roger about the music business. Although he was weary about the true LTJ fans throwing the term "sell out" around, he and the rest of the band were immensely happy with "Anthem", and rightfully so. As fans we should enjoy Less Than Jake's lastest effort and let the band worry about the business end. After all, their message is still the same as it ever was. In closing, I'd recommend "Anthem" to any Less Than Jake fan. The band has really pushed this album as their best effort yet and hopefully, with a little luck and Sire representing them, LTJ will finally get the coverage and respect they so truly deserve.
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