Customer Reviews

Resolve

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I guess Lagwagon change their style after every other album or so. The musicianship is always expert, and Joey's lyrics are among the best out there, but _Hoss_, _Let's Talk About Feelings_, and _Blaze_ are albums that do not sound like their predecessors (this makes it fairly easy to guess which albums the songs on _Let's Talk About Leftovers_ belong to).

Well, now they've made a small retreat from _Blaze_ and have moved to a more straightforward song structure: of any Lagwagon album, the songs on _Resolve_ have the fewest parts and stops (Lagwagon's signature style), and the guitar solos aren't nearly as screaming as those on _Blaze_ or _Trashed_. The classic punk-gallop (eighth notes except on the second and fourth beat) makes an appearance in the opening track, in the last (listed) song, and in many of the songs between them ("Creepy" and "Virus" sound like grunge songs translated into basic punk).

This may sound negative, but the album's simplicity unifies the songs - the songs are straightforward because they serve the interests of the lyrics. And there are great moments in these songs, moments which fit the mood of the album: for instance, the dissonant resolution to the title track, or when "Infectious" opens in the key of D Major but moves to the relative minor for the verse. Even the song least characteristic of Lagwagon - "Automatic," whose vocal melody and phrasing are _very_ similar to Nirvana's "Polly" - has a moment reminiscent of "Defeat You" or of the opening to "Twenty-Seven".

Joey returns to familiar themes and images: burned bridges, inadequacy, dependency, alienation, etc. And because of the death of Derrick Plourde, Joey has written some very sharp lyrics. "Sad Astronaut" and "Infectious" are intense and some of the saddest stuff from Joey. The album isn't hopeful until the end with "Days of New" - and even then, the last few lines are bittersweet.

With its dark lyrics and fast, stripped-down music, _Resolve_ sounds like Lagwagon doing a Bad Astronaut album. That's not a bad thing, but this album offers none of the ornaments or humor of other Lagwagon albums.

Lagwagon's last record sorta left me wondering if i liked them anymore. It just did nothing for me. Then the next thing i know, i'm buying this yesterday. I'm glad i did that! This record is great. There is an immediacy to it. While this record actually has no real standout "singles" the songs are direct and have something that has maybe been missing. The tribute to the life of Derrick Plourde gave this band a new life of its own. This time thier style has abandoned that "Fat" sound which i think is good and venturing new/old school territory without totally abandoning thier identity or forgetting who they are. This band appeared to be on the brink of a breakup with side projects and less cohesive elements/ideas. I'm a big fan of Double Plaidnum which featured Ken Stringfellow from my favorite band, the Posies and that record had this same feeling. I'm not giving 5 stars cause honestly, the lyrics are subpar to me. "Drugs aren't only for dessert, do your homework first". Momements like that make me cringe a little. Not all that bad but Plaidnum really had some great lyrics.. and that set the standard for me. "Feelings" was great too. Also, i have to mention that the vocal part to Automatic reminds me of Nirvana's Polly and the guitar part sounds like the theme to Magnum P.I. haha... The production is better this time around and yet this record offers both the elements of piss and vinegar that maybe were lacking just a little since Plaidnum.

As expected Lagwagon's 7th studio album is amazing. Musically its a bit different than their previous body of work, but still has alot of the same quality's(melody, blazing solo's, 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 underappreciated 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.

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/derrick's side-project bad astronaut. i personally love bad astronaut so the slight fusion was a awesome surprise. cape's 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.

The CD will not grab you at first, its not as catchy as Lagwagon's 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 absolutly cannot stop listening to this record. It's 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 likley give you the chills if youre a die hard lagwagon fan.

I truly belive that Joey Cape is one on the most incedible 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 genious. Cant wait for the upcoming tour! Keep making music guys!

awesome album. like someone said, there arent 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.

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 Pennywise's "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 it's 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 band's 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. It's everything you expect from Lagwagon: punk rock with a whole lotta heart.

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, <a href="http://derrickplourde.com" target="_blank">Derrick Plourde</a> (Ataris, Bad Astronaut), took his own life in 2005 and his loss is this inspiration and driving force behind the entire CD. Lagwagon's 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. It's 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 "<a href="http://fatwreck.com/media/" target="_blank">Heartbreaking Music</a>."

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 definately up there in their top 5 albums.

Lets get to the point. If I were to listen the album, without any knowledge of Derrick Plourde, or the lyrical content I would of seriously overlooked the album. The music (compared to older) is so bland. The riffs are weak, the guitar work is recycled, the drums are painfully dull. The music really has no edge.

But throw in the sensative underlying message in the equation(suicide), and it truly livens up the record. TRULY. The album is 3rd right after DUH and TRASHED.

NOTE: Drumming did go out the window after Plourde left! The man was sick. Bad astro showed none of his talent.

Pick this record up.