Less Than Jake

Item: Anthem
Author: Andy Hewitt

Anthem

(2003)

Reviewed by Andy Hewitt

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Spotify YouTube Music

Label Warner Bros. RecordsDecapolisJuly 2003

pop punk punk ska punk

It's been 2 1/2 years since Less Than Jake has released a full-length album. This time around Less Than Jake brings back to the plate what we have seen through the past, along with a little dash of this and a little dash of that throughout "Anthem" their debut on Warner Brothers Records.

Throughout "Anthem", it seems apparent to me that Less Than Jake have moved to more of a, dare I say it, pop-punk. This will leave fans that are stuck on the likes of "Hello Rockview" down, because this album also proves to have a lot less of a ska sound going on. While the brass is still incorporated into the mix, it seems to be more of a background effect that's much more toned down.

There is hope for those "Hello Rockview" fans though. The brass is brought back into the picture more on songs like "Look What Happened", and "Plastic Cup Politics". These songs really bring back the band's ska roots along with those memories (it has been 2 and 1/2 years after all) of the release "Hello Rockview".

After reading a number of bad reviews that some critics were giving this album, I really didn't know what to expect. What I came away with is a great, well-rounded album, which can be a tough treasure to find with some of the garbage that is out there today. Overall, "Anthem" is a great release for those Less Than Jake fans that remain to enjoy. You can't expect to get all the aspects of their last release out of it, but you can find a very upbeat and fun CD that you will find yourself listening to over and over.

B-