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| Anthem | 
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| Artist: Less Than Jake
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy Used: $2.41
You Save: $11.57 (83%)
New (36) Used (25) from $2.41
Avg. Customer Rating:  149 reviews
Sales Rank: 15032
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 | | • | The Ghosts of Me and You | | • | Look What Happened | | • | The Science of Selling Yourself Short | | • | Short Fuse Burning | | • | Motown Never Sounded So Good | | • | The 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 | | • | The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out | | • | Surrender - Less Than Jake, Nielsen, Richard A. |
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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 144 more reviews...
 They've done much much better... March 24, 2006
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
Ok, First of all... this message goes out to all the reviewers who say that I'm stupid or wrong for rating Anthem less than 5 stars. A review is an opinion and I will rate based on MY opinion. If you don't agree with me, then so be it. All you judgemental naysayers can just ignore my review and go buy this CD and listen to it all day long. You can love it, marry it, sleep with it, and cook it dinner. Good for you. Thats Your opinion.
As far as my opinion goes... THIS ALBUM WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT.
I first started listening to Less Than Jake when they released Losing Streak, dead set in the middle of the late 90's ska revival. I loved em. I love the ska/punk sound in general. I love the upbeat songs, skankin' guitars, and the horns all rolled into happy little 3 minute packages that barrage your eardrums with fun. I thought Losing streak was a really good album. Then Hello Rockview was released. That album convinced me that Less Than Jake was one of the best ska/punk bands anywhere because I was crazy about every single track on the disk and I couldn't have asked for more. Next out was Borders and Boundaries, which was ALMOST as good as Hello Rockview, but not quite. I still enjoyed it immensely.
and then came ...Anthem...
I bought the CD almost immediately after its release date expecting another fantastic album.
WOW. I couldn't believe the disappointment I'd bought, and it was a doozy!
The very first thing I noticed, and it may well be the one thing that upset me most, was the fact that they rerecorded one of the best songs from Borders and Boundaries, Look What Happened. In the rerecorded version, they removed the entire horn intro and made the song more of a punk song, removing much of the horn parts, or making them barely audible over the other instruments. That annoyed me right from the start. So after the initial shock and annoyance, I listened to the album once though as I do with most new CDs. I found about half of the tracks to be rather lousy. The songs weren't interesting or catchy and they seemed difficult to sing or hum along with for lack of an interesting melody (I'm a sucker for a good melody). Much of the horn sound for which Less Than Jake had become heavily assiciated with was either missing altogether, or barely audible over the other instruments. After a few more listens through the CD... and 3 years later, I STILL find that I only like about half of the songs on the CD... and that may be a generous estimate. I admit that one or two have grown on me since, but a truly good album shouldn't have to grow ion you.
I did eventually burn myself a custom copy of Anthem using only the tracks that I like and the GOOD version of Look What Happened from the Borders and Boundaries album (YES, I already owned both of the CDs!) and now I can enjoy my copy of Anthem without all the garbage tracks.
My Final Thought:
My opinion is that Anthem is a big disappointment from previous Less Than Jake CDs. If you're considering this album, I strongly suggest you listen to the sound clips and base your decision on them. I also mention that if you were a big fan of earlier Less Than Jake albums, you may well be disappointed with this one.
...But hey, thats just my opinion...
The spirit shines through June 19, 2003
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.
 Look What Happened... December 2, 2003
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
...to Less Than Jake. Anybody who was a fan of less than jake before this piece of turd came out knows that this is not the energetic ska group we have come to know and love. Gone are the horn section and the fun that was included with each release prior to this one. To the longtime fans, get your copy of Losing Streak out of its case and into your cd player as quickly as possible, and stay away from this debacle. And as youre listening to Johnny Quest, try not to think about the fact that Less Than Jake really did sell out.
 Best LTJ album yet May 25, 2003
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.
Coming of age October 2, 2004
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.
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