The Bouncing Souls - Anchors Aweigh (2003)

Though they hit as hard as ever, the Bouncing Souls broaden their impact on Anchors Aweigh. Some of these tracks hide an almost reflective perspective behind Michael McDermott's vicious, in-the-pocket drumming and the rest of the band's searing riffs: "Simple Man," a marathon at just over four minutes, yearns for a more orderly life, "Night Train" runs with that thought onto the endless highway of possibilities, complete with a Steppenwolf-like motorcycle sample, and "Todd's Song" even flashes a few strings while roaring into and exiting an ear-bleed rumination on suicide. Musically, the guys are tight; McDermott in particular earns his stripes as a punk virtuoso in the artful tempo manipulations of "Apartment 5F" and the rhythmically intricate "Blind Date." Note: The last track, "I'm from There," actually clocks in at about four minutes and 46 seconds, after which there's maybe a minute and a half of crackling noise before an acoustic hidden track crawls out of the shadows, hangs around for a while, and then melts back into more crackling. Go figure.