The sixth studio offering from the Bouncing Souls finds them in a reflective mood, further developing their distinctive sound that merges street punk, old-fashioned folk songs and an almost Celtic influence. With a different approach when compared to most of the other Epitaph bands – there seems not to be the relentless fast pace or consistent chunky punk rock style that usually characterises the label’s output – you have to question whether the Souls are really pulling their weight.
Opener ‘Apartment 5F’ is built around a solid bass line that underpins the song as a whole, leading into the frenetic verse which is signalled by a definite stepping-up of pace. It serves as an excellent way to start the album, with the backing vocals in the chorus adding a depth and sense of community to the track. Trouble is, it’s all over far too soon, and only ‘Blind Date’ out of all the other songs on the album measures up in terms of relentless speed and power. Here the musicianship of the band is best demonstrated, with juddering drums subtitling the stellar guitar licks that really take flight. It’s a shame that these types of songs are in the minority on the album, because it’s the Bouncing Souls at their strongest, mixing their lyrical weight with a harder type of punk rock that has its roots firmly in the street.
That’s not to say that the slower songs don’t carry the same gravitas; in fact, the title track and ‘Kids and Heroes’ both emphasise the vocal presence of Greg Attonito with a less urgent pace, simply because the lyrics deal with the universal themes of brotherhood and friendship. There is also a conscious idea of searching throughout the album, with ‘Sing Along Forever’ expressing the desire to find a new (yet familiar) truth in today’s music, and ‘Night Train’ signalling new beginnings. It’s unclear whether these songs signify a sense of disillusionment or simple positivity, but the rolling punk rock ‘n roll of ‘Born Free’ delivers a message of hope in under a minute and a half of charged guitars and galloping bass lines that runs throughout Anchors Aweigh.
Unfortunately, there are some frustratingly mediocre tracks on here. ‘New Day’ plods along with the repetitiveness of a fifteenth-rate soap opera, and ‘Simple Man’ is just boring as hell. They’re almost MOR ballads with a bit of shouting behind the main vocal line, and none of the vibrancy of, say, ‘I Get Lost‘. It’s worth noting that this album does contain 16 songs, so perhaps a bit of slimming down could have taken place? It could have given the album a lot more of an edge and a much punchier quality; instead the result is that many of the quality tracks are bracketed by substandard filler, thereby removing some of their impact. It’s undeniable that the Souls have a unique sound, but it appears to have been compromised in places in return for a more expansive approach that does not really sit flush with their better material. This is most certainly a shame, because this could have been an exceptional album. As it stands, it’s merely good.
Ben