Anthem (album)

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For the 1981 album by Toyah see Anthem (Toyah album).
Anthem
Anthem cover
Studio album by Less Than Jake
Released 2003
Recorded Piety Street Recording in New Orleans, Morning View Studios in Malibu
Genre Ska punk
Pop punk
Length 43:58
Label Sire Records
Producer(s) Rob Cavallo
Professional reviews
Less Than Jake chronology
Goodbye Blue and White
(2002)		 Anthem
(2003)		 B is for B-sides
(2004)


Anthem is an album by ska punk band Less Than Jake. Singles released from the record include "She’s Gonna Break Soon" and "The Science of Selling Yourself Short," two of Less Than Jake's most commercially successful songs. The CD packaging included a different piece of artwork for each track, most notably a piece by Shepard Fairey of Obey Giant for "The Upwards War and the Down Turned Cycle" and Chip Wass's design for "The Science of Selling Yourself Short." The latter would inspire the music video for "The Science Of Selling Yourself Short" and be immortalized as a toy in Less Than Jake drummer Vinnie's Monkey Vs. Robot collection. Anthem featured 12 new songs, in addition to a reimagining of "Look What Happened" (originally released on Borders and Boundaries) and a cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender." The Japanese version of the album includes the B-Side "A.S.A.O.K." in place of "Surrender." Considering Cheap Trick has always been a popular act in Japan, it is not known why this was done.

The name 'Anthem' could come from a line in the song The Brightest Bulb As Burned Out/Screws Fall Out.

Contents

[edit] Track Listing

  1. "Welcome to the New South" – 2:46
  2. "The Ghosts of You and Me" – 3:21
  3. "Look What Happened" – 3:06
  4. "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" – 3:07
  5. "Short Fuse Burning" – 2:19
  6. "Motown Never Sounded So Good" – 2:38
  7. "The Upwards War and the Down Turned Cycle" – 2:59
  8. "Escape From the A-Bomb House" – 3:31
  9. "Best Wishes to Your Black Lung" – 2:54
  10. "She's Gonna Break Soon" – 3:14
  11. "That's Why They Call It a Union" – 3:03
  12. "Plastic Cup Politics" – 2:17
  13. "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out/Screws Fall Out" – 4:54
  14. "Surrender" – 3:45

[edit] Themes

In addition to the standard Less Than Jake themes of alcoholism, apathy, and alienation, Anthem featured harder-hitting songs about a desperately tense home life (showcased on "Escape From the A-Bomb House" and "That's Why They Call it a Union").

[edit] Album Artwork

The CD packaging contains cover art, an original piece of artwork for each song, and one additional piece not attached to an individual song, but still present and credited in the booklet. The art direction was done by Vinnie Fiorello and Wendy Dougan, with Fiorello creating the concept for the CD booklet and Dougan designing the booklet itself.

[edit] Cover Artwork

Concept by Stephanie Allen Artwork by Erik Davison

[edit] Individual Song Artwork

  1. "Welcome to the New South" – Jeff Soto
  2. "The Ghosts of You and Me" – Steve Vance
  3. "Look What Happened" – Wendy Ann Gardner
  4. "The Science of Selling Yourself Short" – Chip Wass
  5. "Short Fuse Burning" – Florenzio Zavala
  6. "Motown Never Sounded So Good" – Kurt Halsey Fredericksen
  7. "The Upwards War and the Down Turned Cycle" – Shepard Fairy
  8. "Escape From the A-Bomb House" – David Choe
  9. "Best Wishes to Your Black Lung" – Alison Zawacki
  10. "She's Gonna Break Soon" – Mitch O'Connell
  11. "That's Why They Call It a Union" – Peter Wonsowski
  12. "Plastic Cup Politics" – Scott Sinclair
  13. "The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out" - Camille Rose Garcia "Screws Fall Out" – Speed Scott Hall
  14. "Surrender" – Jason Miracle

[edit] Additional Artwork

Shawn Hall

[edit] Trivia

  • The song Best Wishes To Your Black Lung is written about Pete Anna, who left the band to go back to Chicago after Borders & Boundaries to become a firefighter.
  • The re-recorded track "Look What Happened" appears on Anthem featuring the guest vocals by Heather from Teen Idols.
  • The song "That's Why They Call It A Union" is featured as one of the songs on Tony Hawks Underground 2.
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