let's talk about feelings!

how's everyone, (me and maybe my friend dan who pretends to like my music), doin?

You look nice! Is that a new shirt? Where'd you get it? Ah Man! Is that the new Lagwagon EP?!?1!?! No way dude thats totally radical man!

Uh huh, that is about the exact reaction I had when I saw my bro's dan and eth had bought the new "I think My older Brother Used To Lagwagon" vinyl. We spun it on eth's mum's old record player and really had a good time last night. I love hearing the initial pop and then taking out the liner notes and reading "The Caper's" poetic verse. It's very comforting. Eth and I also thought it was sort of neat that the first song is "b side" cause our band is called "the besides." Pretty good story huh? Yeah I thought you'd like it. Well you may think that this little anecdote about the new lagwagon 12" is unimportant/stupid/without meaning, but it sort of has one. I thought I might just tell you what I thought about it. (I guess it is still unimportant.. who's gonna read this much less take my opinion on it seriously anyway???) Oh well, it's for my enjoyment anyway. so here we go, a record review sleepy style:


"I Think My Older Brother Used To Listen To Lagwagon"
Lagwagon
Fat Wreck Chords
2008
Huh that was pretty official sounding. Cool. So on with the opinion-giving, quasi-informed, boring show! I'll start by saying before I heard this EP, I had low expectations. About a week ago, I read about 3 sentences of a "review" of this record by the popular magazine Alternative Press. It didn't exactly get me stoked on the idea of paying around 9 bucks for 7 songs. They said it didn't quite "thrash like Hoss" back in the glory days of skate punk. Bummer. I have always loved Dave Raun's precision drumming, Flippin' and Rest's dueling guitar harmonies, Jesse's speedy yet thumping bass tone, and of course The Caper's song like poems and instinctual, angry, thrash hymns. I have expected these qualities that make Lagwagon legendary since I first heard "May 16th" playing Tony Hawks Pro Skater as just a little kiddo. Lagwagon has been such a rock in my mountain of musical interest, that when I heard this album may let me down, I was worried.
But, then it started to spin.
The newest Lagwagon recording sounds familiar, but it hits slowly, subtly, and subconsciously. There is something different about this record. It is a little more conservative with the tempo then past efforts, but where it lacks in speed it doubles in heart and emotion. Even if you're hearing this record for the first time, it feels like a familiar friend, or maybe even your favorite book to read with your warm drink of choice in a cozy chair. It's indescribable how a band playing for 20 years can put out a record with enough of the familiar stuff you love and just enough new stuff too make it feel like the first time you heard them. But , that's Lagwagon. So don't listen to what the critics say, don't even listen to what I say, check it out for yourself, the whole album is on Lagwagon's myspace to listen to.
See if you agree with me. Maybe you will maybe not. Just don't sit there and let someone tell you what's good and what isn't. Listen for yourself. My older brother never listened to Lagwagon, but Tony Hawk did and I'm pretty glad I think Tony Hawk video games are sick.

Also My band has been writing some more songs which is pretty exciting for me, and hopefully you'll like us too.

Peace and Have FUN!