Resolve

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="[...]" 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="[...]" 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.

Not my favorite Lagwagon album but I do enjoy it.

Short & intense, with honest lyrics about grief and recovery. A classic, albeit not the band's traditional sound

bought two copies and they both have a manufacturing defect on side 2 which causes skipping.

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.

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.

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.

Du bon Lagwagon

Lagwagonの05年リリース7thフル。哀愁のメロディーを撒き散らしながら疾走する日本人が最も好むタイプのメロディックパンクをPLAYするバンド、Lagwagon。このアルバムも当然そんな感じで暴れています。ヴォーカルメロディが丁寧で質がもの凄く高いです。どの曲も印象的なフックを付けていますので、堪らないです。リードギターも時にメタリックにハモったりもしますし、メタルヘッズの僕は彼等のサウンドが大好きです。間違いなく傑作の一枚。Hi-STANDARD、NUFAN、NOFXなどが好きな方はマストです lml

Powerful album. The Wagon with some of its finest moments on this one.

ジャケ、音飛びも無く再生出来ました！安い！早い！良品で問題なしです！

初期メンバー（90-96）Derrick Plourdeの死に捧げられたアルバム。悲しみの中に力強さが宿るアルバム。Infectiousの最後に「Goodbye old friend. I won't speak of all that could have been」と歌い上げるところはたまらない。