CD: "Anthem" by Less Than Jake; Sire Records

Release: May 20, 2003

Style: Punk

My take: Less Than Jake is a pop-influenced punk band from Gainesville, Fla. Since forming in 1992, the group has etched its place in skate-punk history with numerous label changes, countless hours on the road and multiple appearances on the Vans Warped Tour, the punk rocker equivalent of metalheads' Ozzfest.

The band's eighth album, "Anthem," is its best to date. Less Than Jake put its ska roots on the back burner in favor of hooky melodies, crunchy guitars and big-time label production. Rob Cavallo, the producer behind Green Day's breakthrough "Dookie," worked his magic here as well, making the songs ready-for-radio while never compromising their musical or lyrical strength. Musically, the band has never been poppier, in contrast to the lyrics, which range from downtrodden and cynical to nostalgic and apologetic.

The album's general feeling is encompassed best on "The Science of Selling Yourself Short," the life story of the self-deprecating, hard-partying teenager. It captures the conflict between wanting to get better and the refusal to change lifestyles, especially with the lines "So I sit and wait and wonder/I'm overdosed on apathy/and burned out on sympathy."

"Plastic Cup Politics" depicts alcohol as everything from a protective mask to a source of courage. "She's Gonna Break Soon" is in the same vein, chronicling the life of a party scene-queen on the fast track to self-destruction with her fake friends in tow.

Of course, not all the songs are about wasted youth. "Motown Never Sounded So Good" is a nostalgic look at better times when the storyteller was younger and the changes since adulthood. Similar to this is "The Upwards War and the Down Turned Cycle," but instead of looking back, it looks ahead, centering on the desire for a new life, the fear of actually moving on and how people around you go through the same thing but deal with it differently.

The best track is "Look What Happened," which expresses boredom with a town the storyteller is so familiar with, he knows where all the neon signs and sidewalk cracks are. A nice treat at the album's end is the hidden bonus song: a six-minute cover of Cheap Trick's "Surrender," the all-time classic teen anthem.

"Anthem" truly lives up to its title. There's not a bad song on it and a hefty majority of listeners will find a track about some aspect of their lives. The songs about using substances are reflective and portentous, as though the composer is saying he's made mistakes so the listener doesn't have to. In contrast, the more expressive songs successfully relate to the audience's problems without making the music sound too whiny.

It's a collection of songs that bands currently in the mainstream punk scene wish they could record — fast, powerful, earnest, hooky and, most of all, fun. Ditch whatever punk's on the radio and pick this up, especially if you're a Less Than Jake fan.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College and editor of the college newspaper, Ka 'Ohana.