LAGWAGON
- 'Hang' review
"For
me, LAGWAGON have always been one of the more interesting Fat Wreck
bands; they've been playing skatepunk since the early 90s alongside
myriad bands that have become stereotyped within that genre, and
though they do play with a fair amount of double-time, work heavily
with melody, and use a lot of power chords, what sets them apart are
Joey's flawless, virtually genius lyrics and vocal melodies, and
their willingness to constantly experiment with and throw almost any
genre into the mix of their skatepunk sound; they'll play rock riffs,
they'll border on melodic hardcore, they'll play touching acoustics,
and they'll even chuck in lounge bridges, without anything ever
sounding out of place. 'Hang' definitely still possesses that level
of creativity, the first three tracks alone boasting a mix of styles,
whilst still retaining their characteristically punk sound. Songs
like 'Poison in the Well' and 'Hang' wouldn't have sounded out of
place on 'Resolve', 'Burning Out in Style' is classic LAGWAGON, as is
'Reign', if a little harder hitting than openers of previous albums,
'You Know Me' is an interesting experiment in more reserved writing
styles and working with dynamics of volume, whereas 'Obsolete
Absolute' shows what they're capable of in expanding the boundaries
of the genre, combing instrumental rock riffs, big guitar melodies,
skate beats, and anthemic choruses into one epic tune. If you already
like LAGWAGON or fancy skate-punk with a little more creativity than
you're used to, then check this out for sure. Great to see them still
going, and writing awesome, genre defining music and still developing
their sound over 20 years after they started."
xox
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