Less Than Jake - Anthem

For those few of you not familiar with Less Than Jake, they are ska-punk kings from the underground music hotbed known as Gainesville, Florida. Over the past 10 years, the guys have gone from releasing Pez-Core on Asian Man Records to Capitol Records, where they recorded two classic albums, Losing Streak and Hello Rockview. In 2000, the band put out Borders and Boundaries, which had a more rock n'roll feel than their previous material. In total, the band is credited with over one hundred releases (albums, vinyls, box sets, etc.) on numerous independent labels. And that should bring you up to speed on an album Less Than Jake fans have been anticipating for some time. Anthem, their Warner Bros. debut, continues where Borders and Boundaries left off. Less Than Jake has continued to push their ska influences further to the background and, on this album as a whole, the horns are not featured as prominently. The album starts out with "Welcome to the New South", which seems like a filler track and not an opener; a mediocre cut at best. "The Ghosts of You and Me", lets bassist Roger take over most of the vocal duties, which gives the song a sweeter feel and makes it one of the better songs on the album. "Look What Happened" originally appeared on Borders and Boundaries, and it's strange that the band felt it necessary to re-record it, considering the first version is so much better. "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" is a straight up ska song, with a catchy horn line and with Roger, again, handling most of the vocals; the best track by far. As expected, there's a trademark cover stuck in the mix, a rendition of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" and one of the finer song choices the band has made. Yet, the album still lacks something. The single, "She's Gonna Break Soon", is among the weakest songs of the set, and gone are the sing-a-longs and energy that make Less Than Jake's live shows great. Amongst the entire Less Than Jake catalog, I would consider this to be the least impressive album to date. Be sure to check out more than the single if you are interested in shelling out the cash for this one. [www.lessthanjake.com]