Lagwagon - Hang
When the time comes that the music stops flowing and the lyrics can't quite run their course, some bands quite the industry while other take a hiatus to get their act together; this didn't apply for Lagwagon. Since their last material released back in 2005's, the band has continued on, gaining momentum and pushing forward with touring while frontman Joey Cape continued to write and produce music - however what he was gathering was not something he felt fitted the band, therefore released solo material and continued on with some side projects (Bad Astronaut, Scorpios, Bad Loud).
After a nine year gap in releasing anything new, the light bulb finally flickered back to life and Hang was born. Things have taken a slight turn with this new material, combining the punk rock sound they have come to be known for with some slightly darker and more hard-hitting tones.
One of the real stand out tracks on the album lies with Obsolete Absolute as the band spends the first two and a half minutes of this six minute long song punching guitars and creating a melody that will grasp the listener's attention, before actually singing a word. At times the vocals and music tend to be on two different wave lengths and whilst the added spoken words buried and inaudible in the distance are a little off putting at first, it will develop to grow on you, particularly thanks to the "obsolete absolute" repetitive chorus.
Some tracks open far calmer, for instance One More Song with a piano gently setting a tone and the vocals wonderfully placed on top. As the guitars kick in the punk rock quickness, strumming guitars and drumming add to this effect, but it's pleasing to hear the piano remain throughout. Burden Of Proof is a minute long snippet of acoustic guitar and vocals that breaks down the toughness of the album up until this point. It gives a listener one minute to get their breath back until it feeds into fast picking of guitars strings of Burning Out In Style. Reign is the track that really brings the punk elements and the heavier tones much closer.
It is on tracks such as Drag, Made Of Broken Parts, Poison In The Well, The Cog In The Machine and Western Settlements where the tougher tones become dominant and darker sounds are supported by deeper and more intense vocals. There is much more of a punch in the tones of the music, rather than the poppy punk. You Know Me, a track that begins with a softer tone for the verses and kicking things full gear in the choruses making it the perfect end to a powerful album. Same goes for the album closer In Your Wake, but this one takes things to a whole new level as vocals begin to get much more gruff as they sing, and the union of chanting at the end makes the track explode.