Lagwagon
Blaze
Fat Wreck Chords
“We lag • We are sorry. We are stupid,” Lagwagon offer as some sort of explanation as to why it took them five years to complete their latest album.
Lagwagon are often (unfairly) lumped together with throw-away punk-poopers like Offspring when in fact they have much more in common with NoFX, or even the Foo Fighters and Bob Mould. Their albums – five of them including this one – haven’t always been as consistent as one would hope, but it’s hard to deny their sense of melody, their lyrical depth and the sheer charisma their music manages to exude. On Blaze it all falls together, and the album, absurdly and unexpectedly, proves to be their best yet.
Tackling a huge variety of issues (personal and political), Lagwagon aren’t afraid to speak out or to wrap their message in those amazing melodies with which they’ll always be associated. Musically, they go over the top at all times, whether it’s tempo-wise, cross-referentially or just plain sing-along ridicule. And, they do it with a passion that somehow manages to convey the seriousness hiding beneath the lyric’s humor.
Blaze doesn’t really add anything new to Lagwagon’s repertoire, except it’s all done better than before. There’s a presence on here that (once more) sets the band miles apart from most other acts pathetically trying to do the same thing. Lagwagon prove they are as vital as ever – and then some.
Fat Wreck Chords: http://www.fatwreck.com/
