Description
Inspired by the passing of former Lagwagon drummer Derrick, the band revisits rapid-fire beats and singalong melodies on Resolve. A fitting homage.
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lUDejo7Zv6xHSnrHUqUL_murKL6e_FEa8
Lagwagon sits high and happy in the upper echelons of punk rock royalty, flawlessly mixing razor sharp metalish riffs, stop-on-a dime tempo changes, keenly emotive vocals and a sense of humor and self-deprecation on par with the masters NOFX and The Descendents. Frontman Joey Cape has one of the most recognizable voices in punk, at times snide and bratty, other times polished, sincere and especially on the emotionally-charged track “Resolve,” deeply touching. Sadly, a founding member and good friend of the band, took his own life in 2005 and his loss is this inspiration and driving force behind the entire CD. It seems this tragedy had at least one positive effect: invigorating a band to make serious music in honor of their fallen friend.
Fast-paced, fierce and full of unanswerable questions and aching anger, this tribute is a tear-inducing affair but without one ounce of sappiness or “poor me” sentiments. Its more of a therapy session for band and listener alike. “The Worst” deftly deals with the rage and bewilderment felt by loved ones and the final track “Day of New” gives a glimpse of hope and acceptance. The CD actually ends quietly and pensively with a secret track, an acoustic version of “The Chemist,” a suitable song considering the circumstances. The combination of blistering guitar bursts, pummelling rhythms, impassioned vocals and thoughtful lyrics propels Lagwagon back to fine form and gives comfort to those who’ve suffered similar losses.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible…,
As expected Lagwagon’s 7th studio album is amazing. Musically its a bit different than their previous body of work, but still has a lot of the same qualitys (melody, blazing solos, intense musical bridges)that Lagwagon have become known for through their 15 year career. Inspired by tragic loss, and put together in just a short span of time, this record is extremely intense. Lyrically Joey Cape is at the top of his game (vastly under-appreciated Song writer/lyricist in my personal opinion.) He paints a vividly painful picture throughout many of the albums 12 tracks (Virus, Contortionist, and Sad Astronaut are examples of this.) Possibly my favorite Lagwagon album yet.
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5.0 out of 5 stars emotionally intense,
unlike most reviewers of this album so far, resolve immediately caught me as a masterpiece album. the entire album is devoted to derrick, their original drummer and close friend (though they state one album could never be enough). most of the songs are classic lagwagon, while others seem to be a fusion of lagwagon and joey/derricks side-project bad astronaut. i personally love bad astronaut so the slight fusion was a awesome surprise. capes songwriting never lets up and the lyrics on this album are definitly the most emotionally intense words on any lagwagon album. all songs equally rock. so if you’re a lagwagon fan, buy this CD and bathe in all its glory.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, Lagwagons most “complex” album,
The CD will not grab you at first, its not as catchy as Lagwagons previous releases, but with a few listens it makes the argument for greatest Lag album ever. The flow through out the whole thing is perfect. The CD is dedicated to Derrick (the bands original drummer) and with that comes a lot of emotion, dealing a lot with reflection, moving on, and self-discovery, the lyrics here are very well crafted. I absolutely cannot stop listening to this record. Its got so much to offer. The highlights of the album for me “Runs in the Family”, “The Controtionist” and “Days of New”, which will most likely give you the chills if you are a die hard lagwagon fan.
I truly believe that Joey Cape is one on the most incredible song writers of the past couple decades. Listen to Lagwagon along with his side project Bad Astronaut and you have the makings of a musical genius. Cant wait for the upcoming tour! Keep making music guys!
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5.0 out of 5 stars incredible,
awesome album. like someone said, there aren’t really any standout singles but every song is still good. i bought this cd 2 days ago and i’ve listened to it 8 times already. good stuff. buy it right now. you will not regret it. i listen to a lot of music and this is some of the best stuff i’ve heard for a long time.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Punk Rocking, Heartbreaking Music
A CD like this does not come along often; it takes a special kind of inspiration to create the heartfelt lyrics that line the entire album. For Joey and the gang, this inspiration came after the tragic death of former drummer Derrick Plourde, which occured on March 30th 2005. It took Lagwagon nearly five years after “feelings” to release “Blaze”, yet “Resolve” comes a mere 7 months after the incident. The result is something so emotional, yet so full of energy that it captures the very essence of what Lagwagon is all about. And I can honestly say that even though the record “seems” to have been done in 7 months, it does not sound rushed one bit.
The entire album is a tribute much like Pennywises “Full Circle”, which happens to be another one of my favorite discs. It starts off fast in traditional Lagwagon fashion, and it never lets up. Sure, the slowed down acoustic intro of “Sad Astronaut” might be slightly reminiscent of a Bad Astronaut tune, but its only temporary. The Contortionist (my favorite track) is full of great harmonies and a neat guitar solo and bass line that I can’t get out of my head. The final track “Days Of New” is a magnificent outro that mentions Derrick by name and thanks him for changing Joey and the rest of the bands lives.
I’m not going to lie, I was slightly disappointed when I first heard the album, primarily because I was expecting something similar to “feelings”, but the album grew on me over time. The lyrics are outstanding, the harmonies are great, and the tunes are catchy. Its everything you expect from Lagwagon: punk rock with a whole lotta heart.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Sad Loss Fuels Lgawagon,
Lagwagon sits high and happy in the upper echelons of punk rock royalty, flawlessly mixing razor sharp metalish riffs, stop-on-a dime tempo changes, keenly emotive vocals and a sense of humor and self-deprecation on par with the masters NOFX and The Descendents. Frontman Joey Cape has one of the most recognizable voices in punk, at times snide and bratty, other times polished, sincere and especially on the emotionally-charged track “Resolve,” deeply touching. Sadly, a founding member and good friend of the band, Derrick Plourde (Ataris, Bad Astronaut), took his own life in 2005 and his loss is this inspiration and driving force behind the entire CD. Lagwagons last record was solid, but nowhere near the heights they achieved on earlier efforts. It seems this tragedy had at least one positive effect: invigorating a band to make serious music in honor of their fallen friend.
Fast-paced, fierce and full of unanswerable questions and aching anger, this tribute is a tear-inducing affair but without one ounce of sappiness or “poor me” sentiments. Its more of a therapy session for band and listener alike. “The Worst” deftly deals with the rage and bewilderment felt by loved ones and the final track “Day of New” gives a glimpse of hope and acceptance. The CD actually ends quietly and pensively with a secret track, an acoustic version of “The Chemist,” a suitable song considering the circumstances. The combination of blistering guitar bursts, pummeling rhythms, impassioned vocals and thoughtful lyrics propels Lagwagon back to fine form and gives comfort to those who’ve suffered similar losses. For a nice visual tribute to Derrick, check out the video for “Heartbreaking Music.”
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5.0 out of 5 stars very good,
This is a great cd. It takes a few times listening to it to start enjoying it,then it sounds like a new,but familiar lagwagon. This one was dedicated to Derrick Plourde, their original drummer that played the blistering drums on duh,trashed, and hoss. He committed suicide in 2005. This album is very well written,even though it only took them 2 weeks to write the songs. This album is definitely up there in their top 5 albums.
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5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest rock band in modern history in their prime.,
Is this overstating their prowess?
I realize there are so many great artists who’ve recorded in the last few decades. However, there is no band that can overtake the passion and desperation for life that lagwagon manages to bring to your ears. Pure truth, life and death.
I listen to Bowie, Miles Davis, Merle Haggard, Ataris, Supergrass, Ink Spots, Bobby Womack, Led Zeppelin, Harry Nilsson, etc, etc, etc. Amazing music is not foreign to me.
There is no band presently releasing tracks that surpasses the brilliance of lagwagon.
Resolve is the same.
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