Lambchop, and their 2000 album Nixon in particular, have until very recently always been on my periphery. I’d always heard of the record’s hybrid of smooth countrypolitan and lushly orchestrated soul and expected it to be something I’d enjoy but, after using some of my eMusic downloads last month, I wasn’t prepared to be so taken with it so quickly. Front and center is the band’s resident genius Kurt Wagner, who slips effortlessly between his usual baritone croak of a voice and a disarmingly cracked falsetto - both to equal effect. Originally a 3-piece, the band had grown considerably by Nixon, often including both string and horn sections. Never though does the music seem crowded - in fact I can’t think of another collective with so many members who are able to make music sound this spacious. The songs are continually rewarding from start to finish, my favorite right now being the incredibly weird and beautiful slowly building soul of “You Masculine You”.
Lambchop have released several records this decade since Nixon, perhaps most notably 2002’s incredibly sparse and elegant Is A Woman. Now working with Merge Records, Lambchop are preparing the release of OH (ohio) on October 7. The band has been whittled down to its core for this release, but one should still expect the usual variety of genres and sounds. “Slipped Dissolved and Loosed” is the first single from the upcoming release and, with its stately, gentle strings and idiosyncratic lyrics, makes for a fine introduction to the band.
MP3 :: Slipped Dissolved and Loosed
(from OH (ohio). Info here)
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1 comment:
"up with people" is one of my favorite songs ever.
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