Search - Lagwagon :: Let's Talk About Feelings

Lagwagon's poppiest album yet... but damn, is it good!

08/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lagwagon is one of those bands you either love or hate. Many new-school fans love them since they seem to have the mixture of punk and melody down pat. Then you have some old-schoolers, who mainly see Lagwagon as the biggest NOFX rip-off band ever, and that musically, they're stale.Of course, the second view is utter BS. This was by far Lagwagon's most poppy album yet. Since it was produced by Mark Trombino, it has a compressed, polished sound. The most startling change is most likely in Joey Cape's voice. In every album before this one, Joey's had a great, but yet slightly dissonant voice. He's 33 in this album, but he sounds 20. Talk about processing. Compare DP's "Making Friends" to LTAF's "Gun In Your Hand" and you'll see what I mean.Now on to the album. This album combines pretty much all of the good qualities from Lag's past albums - the speed of Duh, the riffs of Trashed, the perfect mix of pop and punk with Hoss, and the down-to-earth sound and songwriting style of Double Plaidinum. It really is such a wonderful mix and makes you wonder how a typical pop-punk band got so freaking GOOD at what they do.Lagwagon, from day one, always sounded a bit like NOFX with their sound. But after Hoss and especially Double Plaidinum, they've really gotten their own unique sound. Lagwagon's sound is less like the fast-paced NOFX-type punk rock of Trashed and Duh, and more like the pop-punk of Hoss. Whereas Fat Mike goes for sarcastic, witty, often-joking lyrics, Joey Cape will, most of the time, sing about mostly-serious topics (which is why "Hurry Up And Wait" is such a cool little song).The album clocks in at about 25 minutes, which is quite short compared to some of their past albums. The thing is, there's so many great songs here it makes up for it. Just about every song on this album is awesome. The best songs are "After You My Friend", "Leave The Light On", "Love Story", "May 16" (of Tony Hawk 2 fame), and "Owen Meaney" (Cape stated that this is his favorite Lagwagon song). So the verdict? It's not the best Lagwagon album IMHO, but it's certainly damn close."

This CD rocks!

Lianne | California | 02/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why other people don't like this CD. It's really awesome with great guitars and great lyrics. I especially love "Everything Turns Grey" and "Leave the Light On." But I love all the songs. They're great and you should buy this CD if you're at all into punk music!"

AWESOME!

Brad | California | 11/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this cd and absolutely LOVED it! Songs like "After you my friend" and "Train" are awesome. If you like punk I reccomend you BUY THIS ALBUM RIGHT NOW!"