New sound won't equal past success

Simply put, Less Than Jake's new album is...Less Than Great. In With The Out Crowd, which was released in May, comes in the wake of Less Than Jake's 2003 hit album Anthem.\nFor those not familiar with their music, Less Than Jake is recognized mostly as a ska punk band. But their latest album features a new sound with less horns and more unnecessary shouting. The band's sound could be described as a combination of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Blink 182. I know that might sound like a good combination, but so did a collaboration between Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy. \n"Soundtrack Of My Life" is the first song on the album and the song sets the tone perfectly for the rest of the record. Right off the bat you know the album is going to feature a lot of screaming, an abundance of complaining, and more teenage angst than an episode of "Saved By The Bell." If this is, in fact, the soundtrack to their lives, I wouldn't recommend seeing the movie.\nThe first single released off the album is ironically titled, "Overrated." I can't make this stuff up. In the song, the band asks out loud, "How can I be satisfied when everything is overrated?" Which led me to the obvious question, "How can I be satisfied when all of your songs sound exactly alike?"\nAnother song that most likely won't be nominated for any awards is, "Don't Fall Asleep On The Subway." I listened to this song about 10 times and still can't tell you what it is about. It sounds like Less Than Jake tried to fit as many words as possible into every line of the song. While doing this, they seemed to have failed to make the song have any real meaning. Oops.\nAlso, I'm pretty sure the band stopped trying when they recorded "Fall Apart." The intro to the song sounds eerily familiar to "There Goes My Hero" by the Goo Goo Dolls. To worsen the blow, on the same song the band sings "I can't stop this sinking feeling..." That line would be fine if Neil Diamond and several other artists hadn't recorded nearly the same phrase in, "Hooked On A Feeling."\nAlthough it sounds like I personally invented negativity, there is one song on the album I do enjoy. Less Than Jake saves their best for last with their last song on the album, "P.S. Shock The World." The song incorporates the horns that makes the group unique and sends an interesting message to its fans about their music.