Customer Reviews

Anchors Aweigh

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

while i think everything the souls have done is great, they suprised me with this one by writing songs that seem to be more "crafted" than "spit out" this time around. and that's a good thing. the ususal underdog themes are here, but with a bit of a feel that indicates that the guys aren't as knee-jerk as they used to be. i'm sure countless reviewers before me have already mentioned the "maturity" present here, and they would be right. this record needed to be made, and i think time will only show how poignant it is. it's one that, 5 years down the line, people will re-discover, like jawbreaker's "dear you". and wonder how they didn't see it as a classic right off the bat. well, because they didn't yet have some of the necessary experiences yet, that's why.
i could break this record down track by track, but the truth is, every song has such a thorough, unique feel to it, they're all keepers. i venture to say that this is arguably the souls' best record, but i am swayed by the fact that it speaks more to fans that are 30 instead of 17 this time around, and i am closer to the former. every record of theirs is special, but this one just has a quality that resonates with me more than ever right now. feeling older or out of touch a bit, maybe? not sure if the souls still do it for ya like they used to, years back? pick this one up and you'll find that they've still got it, and they'll still convince you that you do, too.

Like many of the reviewers here, I am a long time Bouncing Souls fan. Their latest album is a definite change from earlier works, but not drastically. It is very similiar to "Summer Vacation", perhaps a bit more laid back. Essentially the biggest change for the band has been a new drummer and a natural progression in Greg's vocals. Their new drummer is obviously much more technically proficient, and the production of the drums on this album and the last is drastically better than previous works. The other big change is that Greg can actually sing now, and you can tell. He trys to do more vocally, and suceeds.

So basically this is a record with a slicker, more professional sound from an older, professional punk bank. Personally I like it and recommend it. And yes they still put on a great live show. Lastly, if for some crazy reason you don't own any Bouncing Souls albums, you really should start with "Manical Laughter" which is their best work IMO.

This album is from the heart.Theres almost too much heart.This cd made me think about who I am.Theres honesty and sad songs.But mostly this cd is hopeful.VERY TOUCHING.The lyrics are amazing like for example ''A shield from the pain or a trap that keeps it all in they tried to break me down i HAD TO BREAK AWAY WOKE UP FROM THAT NIGHTMARE TO START ANOTHER DAY'' those lyrics I just said are so hopeful.It made me think about honesty and how to make myself feel better instead of worse.Talking and listening to people is what saves peoples lifes.

If you are considering the purchase of this album, don't hestitate. It sucks that you do not own it already, but Souls fans are willing to forgive (under conventional circumstances). Anyway, the tracks on Anchors Away not only have the classic amazing Souls lyrics and hooks, but this is the best sounding Souls record yet.

 I'm thoroughly impressed with this CD . It's nice to see an older band put out a new CD that can hold it's own when compared to "the old classics". When I got it I popped it in and could feel from the first bass plukings off Apartment 5F that it was the Souls, it just had that bouncy rhythm, signature vocals, make you want to chant feel. It got me pumped and ready for the rest. Was I excited? Hell Yeah! Then we hit song two, Kids and Heroes, more killer vocals. On and on it
went till I finally finished, I was amazed I made it through the whole thing with out collapsing from over excitement! All the new stuff was great. I was very impressed.

The one thing that I really noticed was the new drummer. As an earlier reviewer stated he's much different, more precise and different style. He's not bad, just different more aggressive. It changes the Soul's sound a bit, but all in all doesn't really take away that much. Change is a thing of life!
Many people don't like to accept it, but change is what makes life tolerable instead of boring and repetitive.

Stand outs would be Apartment 5F, Sing Along for Ever, Inside Out, Better Days, Night Train, and the title track.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're a Soul's fan defiantly get it! Its great. If you're just getting in to them this is NOT a bad starting point regardless of what others say, but you might want to start with some earlier stuff.

Pay for this cd. It is amazing. The Bouncing souls are known for their nostalgic 3 chord verses and upbeat sing-along choruses. This album will follow those rules and still sound fresh. My favorite is 'Night Train' with their Bassist on lead vocals and the Greg backing up with high accents. It sounds good, along with the 15 other songs all with their own mood. The bonus track starts to sound like an acoustic version of '87'. Highlites have got to be Anchors Aweigh, Born Free, simple Man, Night Train, and Im from there. Actually they're all hits.

i'm a huge fan of the souls, i've seen them twice and have all of their cd's...i was really dissapointed in this one though. musicly, its superior to the rest of their cds but 90% of the songs sound exactly the same i mean most of them open with a power chord guitar riff and greg screaming at the top of his lungs, this is ok...but not if you're gonna do it for every song and not if you're going to call yourself a punk rock band. they are punk but this cd doesn't reflect it, they used one formula too many times and didn't exress themselves the way they're entitiled to as punk rockers

I'm an old school guy. The Ramones are the best band. I love '77-style punk and American hardcore and old UK crusty (don't want you bloody revolutions, i want anarchy and peace). I don't like a lotta recent punk, though original Rancid is good, swedish band Randy is awesome and so are the Souls, of course. I'm listening to this for the first time now. I'm at track 14. This is pretty different from earlier Souls records, you can see an effort to be hardcore on some of the tracks, and it's darker and less youthful. For example, Summer Vacation was reflective in a sort of ... introverted teenager (um, myself) kind of way, this is more reflective in a looking back "seen-better-days" moving on kind of way. I'm listening to "The Day I Turned My Back on You" now it's a Rancid-kind of oi sing along song. Good. "Born Free," "Todd's Song," and "New Day" are the best on here. As I drummer in my own band, the Ice Breakers, which I am shamelessly plugging, I was very impressed with Mike McDermott's performance on "Todd's Song." And I also really like when band's do political-sorta songs. The Souls discovered politics in the same way the Ramones did, in hope-for-tomorrow type heartfelt rants like the Ramones' "Planet Earth 1988," "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg," "Censorsh*t," or the anarchistic "Howling at the Moon." The Souls employ the same technique in songs like "New Day" (the best on the record) and "Born Free." So, essentially, this aint their best (get "Good the Bad & the Argyle" and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" first), it's dark and different, but still good.

I have been listening to Bouncing Souls for an extremely long time. I have the c.d.'s Manical Laughter, Hopeless Romantic, How i spent my Summer Vacation, and of course Anchors Aweigh. Their c.d.'s are all sweet. If you are a Bouncing souls fan you MUST get this c.d. it is the best. If you dont get this... i wish you luck getting through life cause this c.d. is like their old stuff and it has a purpose and message its the greatest c.d. ever

Wow!! this album rocks!! Whoever doesn't get this album is sure missing out. I mean come on!! they are the soulz! they keep on coming with great songs like "KIDS AND HEROES" and "BLIND DATE" this is truly a must have. Seriously if you pass on this album well its just sad!! If you dont believe me, well just listen to the samples!! All the songs are inspiring and just great to rock on!! Play it loud in your room!! you should also buy "Hopeless Romantic" wich is another album by the same band you won't be sorry for either! I guarantee it!so what are you doing still reading this? hurry and purchase this album before its too late!!