A sombre reflection inward with a genuine self-judgment, the ability to step back and look at your life objectively, is needed every once in a while, however, the downside is that we are usually forced into it from negative events. Not always, but the album "A Good Year to Forget" by Lagwagon's Joey Cape, was most definitely birthed from the dark side of life.
Acoustic albums from punk rockers skate on ice so thin that only the rarest of the rare end up without hypothermia.
(Photo credit: Amanda Milan)
The title track "A Good Year to Forget" puts a powerful chorus to heartache and drums out the pain, not with an escape, but with confrontation and closure, a lesson in letting the chips fall where they may.
"It Could Be Real" begins with the realization that the unthinkable eventually becomes thinkable, that something out of your control will affect you, change you for better or worse.
At precisely the thirty-second mark, you realize that the song isn't just a relatable cry for help but a manual for recovery.
Picking up the pieces and moving on. Accepting that although life's tough and unfair, there is still an incomparable and unconditional love for existence.
"Coming Home" ends the album with a sense of humble relief, like admitting a fault close to heart and overcoming it with unwavering determination.
The album is a beautiful introspective journey that cleanses as much as it inspires.
It's a trip worth taking, not once, but through your years, whenever it feels as if the weight of the world has shifted itself onto your shoulders alone.
Follow Joey Cape
Purchase the Album
Comments