(Clicka qua per la versione Italiana)
Santa Barbara's premiere punks, the Lagwagon, started out in 1990 as a
classic, enthusiastic pop/hardcore crew performing their fast, loud, relentless
routine. Joey Cape's catchy melodies and entertaining lyrics
Similarities with Pennywise,
NOFX,
Screeching Weasel abound, but, on the other hand,
the Lagwagon sound was not even close to the "cuteness" of
Offspring or
Green Day, even if, ideologically, they belong to
the "light" side of hardcore (as opposed to Bad Religion's "tragic" side).
Duh (Fat Wreck, 1992) and Trashed (Fat Wreck, 1994),
were the formative albums.
Hoss (Fat Wreck, 1996) improved on the compositional front,
as showcased by
Violins, Move The Car and Razor Burn.
Double Plaidinum (Fat Wreck, 1997) tried a more commercial format, that
Let's Talk About Feelings (Fat Wreck, 1998) improved with
After You My Friend, Gun In Your Hand and
Everything Turns Geay.
Then Joey Cape left the band to join Bad Astronaut, that released
War Of the Worlds (Honest Don's, 2001) and
Houston We Have A Drinking Problem (2002).
Let's Talk About Leftovers (My Records, 2000) collects various
unreleased tracks.
Live In A Dive (2005) documents a 2003 tour.
The band reformed for Blaze (Chords, 2003),
an album that offers catchy, old-school punk-pop that. While accomplished
and well performed, it hardly breaks any new ground.
The solemn tone of Resolve (Far Wreck, 2005), dedicated to a friend who
committed suicide (Lagwagon's original drummer), fared much better.
Then came the EP I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon (2008).
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