''Anchors Aweigh'' is the sixth studio album to be recorded by American punk rock band

the Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...

. It was released on August 26, 2003 though

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

. Following the release of their fifth studio album '' How I Spent My Summer Vacation'' (2001), bassist Bryan Kienlen ended an intimate relationship and wrote new material as a result of it. Recording took place at Lakeview Farms,

North Brookfield, Massachusetts North Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place North Brookfield, please see the article North ...

, and Water Music,

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

, with John Seymour as the main producer, and Kienlen and guitarist

Pete Steinkopf Pete Steinkopf is an American guitarist, songwriter and music producer who is a founder of the punk rock band The Bouncing Souls. Career Steinkopf founded The Bouncing Souls in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1989. Since that time, the band r ...

as co-producers. ''Anchors Aweigh'' is a

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

and punk-rock album that has a darker sound than its predecessor; the band experimented with melodies and rhythms during the writing stage. ''Anchors Aweigh'' received generally favorable reviews from critics, several of whom complimented The Bouncing Souls' musicianship. The album peaked at number 168 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and number eight on the

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...

component chart. The band toured the United States, Europe, and Canada prior to the album's release. Following the release, they went on additional stints of the US and Europe with

Tsunami Bomb The tsunami bomb was an attempt during World War II to develop a tectonic weapon that could create destructive tsunamis. The project commenced after US Navy officer E.A. Gibson noticed small waves generated by explosions used to clear coral reef ...

and

Strike Anywhere Strike Anywhere is an American punk rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1999 after the demise of frontman Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, they took their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is cha ...

to close out the year. The Bouncing Souls went on three more US tours with

Hot Water Music Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason Bl ...

Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of the ...

, and

Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...

, as well as a tour of Australia, and appeared on

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

, throughout 2004.

Background

The Bouncing Souls released their fifth studio album '' How I Spent My Summer Vacation'' in May 2001 through

. It was promoted with an extensive tour with

; in 2002, the band released the compilation album ''

The Bad, the Worse, and the Out of Print ''The Bad the Worse and the Out of Print'' is a b-sides and rarities compilation album by New Jersey punk band the Bouncing Souls. It was released on August 29, 2000. It includes tracks previously released on EPs and compilations, which include ...

'' and a split with Anti-Flag. During this time, bassist Bryan Kienlen went through a difficult period in his life following the end of an eight-year-long relationship. He subsequently wrote much of the material that would be released on the band's next album. Prior to the Plea for Peace Tour, the band had written eight songs; after the tour, they spent more time writing. The band toured Japan, returned to the US to continue working on new material, and then went on a two-week California tour with

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...

. John Seymour produced ''Anchors Aweigh'' with co-production from guitarist

and Kienlen. Sessions occurred in January 2003, mainly at Lakeview Farms Studios in

, with assistant engineer Chris Evans. The location they chose is distant from cities, allowing the band to avoid being distracted by outside influences. Additional recording was done at Water Music in

, with assistant engineers Ted Young and John Bender. The tracks were mixed at Big Blue Meenie Recording Studio in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.punk rock and

; it retains the atmosphere of ''How I Spent My Summer Vacation'' and moves it into darker territory. Drummer Michael McDermott said this was intentional because the band experimented with different rhythms and melodies during the writing process. Vocalist Greg Attonito said that album's title's technical meaning is "pulling up an anchor on a boat and leaving for an adventure". The album opens with the fast-tempo track "Apartment 5F" whose loud guitar work leads into the slow, mellow intro of "Kids and Heroes". "New Day" is about living in the moment rather than letting life pass one by. "Sing Along Forever" exemplifies the album's overall tone; according to Nick Madsen of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'', it is "An energized, punk rock song at heart ... It's your typical three chord song, easy to learn and even easier to sing along to". "Born Free" is sociopolitical commentary in the vein of

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

that comments on

US politics The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a b ...

. Attonito said; "As you get older, you worry more about the world and what's going on around you ... But that's just the point that needs to be talked about". "Inside Out", one of the more-hostile tracks on the album, is centered around a

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

. It deals with the difficulty of living while on tour. "Simple Man" talks about a desire for a more-structured life and is similar in form to "Gone", the closing track of ''How I Spent My Summer Vacation''. "Better Days" is about loneliness in the aftermath of a relationship. "Night Train" is a slow song that includes a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

of a motorbike and Kienlen on lead vocals. "Todd's Song", which features strings by John Angier and deals with suicide, is dedicated to Todd Eckhardt of

The Pietasters The Pietasters are an American eight-piece ska/soul band from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia. History In 1990, Stephen Jackson and Chris Watt met at Virginia Tech, through mutual friend Tal Bayer, who was at ...

. "Highway Kings" has additional background vocals from Seymour, as well as Epitaph employee Jeff Abarta and the band Madcap. "Anchors Aweigh" includes piano parts from Kienlen, who performs lead vocals on "The Day I Turned My Back on You", which includes references to

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

. The album's almost-five-minute closing track "I'm from There" leads into crackling sounds and the acoustic

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

"The Fall Song".

Release and promotion

In March 2003, The Bouncing Souls went on a brief East Coast US tour with

The Casualties The Casualties are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, founded by vocalist Jorge Herrera, Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums) in 1990. In July 2017, it was announced on the band's F ...

. A staff member of Epitaph told the band if they could make a music video within two weeks, it could be included on the ''

Punk-O-Rama ''Punk-O-Rama'' was the title given to a series of ten compilation albums published by Epitaph Records. The first volume was released in 1994, the second in 1996, and the rest annually from 1998 to 2005. The albums included artists from Epitaph' ...

'' DVD. They went to a friend's house and randomly chose one of the album's tracks. A music video for "Kids and Heroes" was filmed at

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

. On April 22, 2003, ''Anchors Aweigh'' was announced for release in August. On May 21, 2003, the album's artwork was posted online. The band toured Europe as part of the

Deconstruction Tour Deconstruction Tour was a one-day punk music and skate festival that was staged in various countries across Europe. It first took place in 1999 and occurred annually until 2006. The tour was arranged by Destiny Tourbooking. In general, the tour o ...

in May and June 2003, which was followed by the track listing on June 17, 2003. On July 1, 2003, "Kids and Heroes" was posted on the label's website. Eight days later, the music video for the track was posted on the same website. After appearing at Hellfest 2K3 in Syracuse, New York, and Krazy Fest 6 in Louisville, Kentucky, The Bouncing Souls embarked on the Punk-O-Rama tour in Canada with Hot Water Music, the Forgotten, and Worthless United. ''Anchors Aweigh'' was made available for streaming via an

E-card E-card is an electronic postcard or greeting card, with the primary difference being that it is created using digital media instead of paper or other traditional materials. E-cards are made available many different ways, usually on various Intern ...

on August 15, 2003, and was released through Epitaph Records on August 26 the same year. According to Derek Scancarelli of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'', the artwork, which was made by Kienlen, symbolizes "a ship sailing off into the dark distance, marking the end of a chapter". Kienlen made the cover art using

oil paint Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varn ...

s rather than using his typical 2D comic-book style. The album was promoted with three release shows, and a headlining US tour with

, and Vision between September and November 2003. Following this, The Bouncing Souls toured Europe with Tsunami Bomb until December. On January 16, 2004, the band appeared on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

'', where they performed "Kids and Heroes". In February 2004, the band went on a West Coast US tour, which was dubbed the True Bromance Tour, with Hot Water Music, Let It Burn,

, and Longshot. The following month, the band toured Australia with

Frenzal Rhomb Frenzal Rhomb are an Australian punk rock band that formed in 1992 in Sydney. Three of the group's albums have entered the top 20 on the ARIA Albums Chart: ''A Man's Not a Camel'' (1999), '' Hi-Vis High Tea'' (2017) and ''Smoko at the Pe ...

; appeared at Skate and Surf Festival before touring the US with

Avial Avial ( ml, അവിയല്‍, pronounced ) is an Indian dish with origins in the Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Udupi regions of India. It is a thick stew of usually 13 vegetables commonly found in the Western Ghats and coconut, seasoned with c ...

, the Unseen, and Let It Burn. Randy was due to appear on the tour but their label would not provide support to get the band to the US. Between June and August 2004, The Bouncing Souls appeared on the

. A music video for "Anchors Aweigh" was filmed on June 25, 2004, at Asbury Park boardwalk in New Jersey. They played several European shows with

Strung Out Strung Out is an American punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1989. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of melodic punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They ...

and

Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album ''Turn the Radio Off''. Soon af ...

. In November 2004, they embarked on a brief East Coast tour with

, Murphy's Law, and Let It Burn. They opened 2005 with a one-off show in California that was filmed for

The Show Must Go Off! ''The Show Must Go Off!'' is a live concert DVD series produced by Kung Fu Films, an offshoot of the Kung Fu Records label run by Vandals bassist Joe Escalante, who also acts as producer for the series. The series began in 2002 and has thus far i ...

series. Following this, they supported

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...

on their headlining UK tour in February and March 2005. The Bouncing Souls toured the US East Coast in April 2005 with Let It Burn, The Loved Ones, and

The Explosion The Explosion is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. On February 13, 2007, the band announced that they had left Virgin Records, and on April 30, 2007, that they were to split up. On September 4, 2007, the band played their ...

, and appeared at

The Bamboozle The Bamboozle is an annual three-day music festival which was held in New Jersey from 2003 to 2012, and is scheduled for a 2023 revival by its founder. Every year, new bands competed for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the ...

festival.

Reception

''Anchors Aweigh'' was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. ''

Ox-Fanzine ''Ox-Fanzine'' is a monthly punk zine from Solingen, Germany, founded in 1988. It is edited by Joachim Hiller and has had many contributors. Besides its focus on punk subculture, it also covers similar genres, reviews of comics, books and films, ...

'' writer Lauri Wessel said it has "hits that can't get out of your head" and called it the "best lbum of the yearso far".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Robert L. Doerschuk wrote the band sound "tight; McDermott in particular earns his stripes as a punk virtuoso in the artful tempo manipulations" in tracks such as 'Apartment 5F' and 'Blind Date'". Nick Flanagan of ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' said the band "plow through the songs on ''Anchors Aweigh'' in a workman-like manner, sounding sincere, ndangry". According to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' writer John D. Luerssen, the band were showing "more heart than ever", and when the fans "pick up this stellar disc, that very void will be filled". ''IGN'' Nick Madsen described the album as a "focus on good times with old friends minus any of the bull$#!+. It's refreshing to say the least". Aside from odd misstep, such as "Born Free" and "The Fall Song", he called it a "great" release. Punknews.org founder Aubin Paul said ''Anchors Aweigh'' displays a "new side of the Souls" though "at its core, it's still a bunch of friends who clearly play this music because it moves them". Stuart Green of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' added to this, noting the band incorporates "more mood and atmosphere in their songs and production ... their songwriting and musicality is sounding decidedly more confident". ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' Chad Swiatecki wrote the album is a "surprise ... sport ngsongs with sharp claws that dig in like never before".Swiatecki 2003, p. 47 ''

The Free Lance-Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' writer Craig Graziano criticized the band for attempting to retread ''How I Spent My Summer Vacation'', and added; " t much musical ground is broken".Graziano 2003, p. 3 Grady Gadbow of ''Lollipop Magazine'' said the album's sole "melodic strength" is its "call and response vocals and ubiquitous whoa-oh-ohs", and added; "those skills alone do not make a record rock. That takes soul." ''Anchors Aweigh'' peaked at number 168 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at number eight on the

chart.

Track listing

All songs by

. # "Apartment 5F" – 2:10 # "Kids and Heroes" – 2:53 # "New Day" – 3:41 # "Sing Along Forever" – 1:35 # "Born Free" – 1:23 # "Inside Out" – 2:24 # "Simple Man" – 4:19 # "Better Days" – 2:13 # "Night Train" – 3:01 # "Todd's Song" – 2:06 # "Blind Date" – 2:21 # "Highway Kings" – 1:49 # "Anchors Aweigh" – 2:10 # "I Get Lost" – 2:57 # "The Day I Turned My Back On You" – 2:49 # "I'm from There" – 9:39 (includes

"The Fall Song")

Personnel

Personnel per booklet. The Bouncing Souls *

– guitar, background vocals * Bryan Kienlen – bass guitar, background vocals, keyboard (track 13), lead vocals (tracks 9 and 15) * Greg Attonito – lead vocals * Michael McDermott – drums Additional musicians * John Angier – strings (track 10) * John Seymour – additional background vocals (track 12) * Jeff Abarta – additional background vocals (track 12) * Madcap – additional background vocals (track 12) Production and design * John Seymour – producer * Pete Steinkopf – co-producer * Bryan Kienlen – co-producer, art, road trip pictures * Ernie Parada – layout * Andre Constantini – band photography * Chris Evans – assistant engineer * Carl Plaster – drum tech * Ted Young – assistant engineer * John Bender – assistant engineer * Cody Brown – assistant engineer * Robert Vosgien – mastering

Charts

References

Citations Sources * *

External links

''Anchors Aweigh''
at

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(streamed copy where licensed) {{Authority control The Bouncing Souls albums 2003 albums Epitaph Records albums