Monday, October 11, 2004
Lambchop - Nixon
Getting us back on track with vaguely-daily reviews, here's a very strange offering from a very strange group. They're very large, too: I can count thirteen members of the band in the sleeve photo. Standing at the front is lead vocalist and maestro Kurt Wagner. He's in his rightful place, too - it's quite odd how a recording from such a large collective can sometimes sound like a Wagner solo album. (Indeed, the follow-up to this album, Is A Woman, is so stripped down that Kurt's about the only person you can hear.)
Let's tackle the lyrics first. I'd recommend a good, strong rugby tackle: one where you slide around in the mud, get dirty and then the ball bounces away from you at the last second. It often sounds like you're listening to a stream of consciousness on this album, although I'm told that it's much more coherent than Lambchop's earlier recordings. Gosh... Apparently there's a lyrical theme loosely based around President Nixon's career, but I'm pushed if I can find it. I'm not alone, either - a quick scour of the web will reveal that most critics found the references equally oblique.
Musically, we're in a strange world. This album gets filed under alt.country, but there's only hints of Nashville feeling for the Nashville band. For there's a traditional rock four piece, then a string section and, oooh, there's some brass and wind instruments. I'm just listening again to the first track, "The Old Gold Shoe", and on headphones (or speakers better than the ones in my car) you can hear all sorts of background noises going on, too. It sounds like it's been recorded in a cafe. Other tracks take on more of a Philly soft 70s soul sound, with the strings and muted brass to the fore.
For the first time since I first heard Nixon, I listened properly to Wagner's singing. I'm afraid I couldn't make out most of the vocals (don't worry, though - they're all in the CD booklet, together with a biography on Nixon himself). Wagner starts off on pretty solid ground, but suddenly towards the end of "You Masculine You", he slips into a startling falsetto for one line. Then a few tracks later, he tackles an entire piece in a frail, breaking, high voice. I listened hard and this time I felt it sounded completely wrong. Last time, though, I'm sure I liked it.
I think that's probably the idea. You get the impression that Lambchop know exactly what sound they want and aren't afraid to foist it upon the masses. This is certainly not the easiest album with which to get to grips, but if you've got an open mind and a slightly twisted musical sensibility, you should enjoy it.
Let's tackle the lyrics first. I'd recommend a good, strong rugby tackle: one where you slide around in the mud, get dirty and then the ball bounces away from you at the last second. It often sounds like you're listening to a stream of consciousness on this album, although I'm told that it's much more coherent than Lambchop's earlier recordings. Gosh... Apparently there's a lyrical theme loosely based around President Nixon's career, but I'm pushed if I can find it. I'm not alone, either - a quick scour of the web will reveal that most critics found the references equally oblique.
Musically, we're in a strange world. This album gets filed under alt.country, but there's only hints of Nashville feeling for the Nashville band. For there's a traditional rock four piece, then a string section and, oooh, there's some brass and wind instruments. I'm just listening again to the first track, "The Old Gold Shoe", and on headphones (or speakers better than the ones in my car) you can hear all sorts of background noises going on, too. It sounds like it's been recorded in a cafe. Other tracks take on more of a Philly soft 70s soul sound, with the strings and muted brass to the fore.
For the first time since I first heard Nixon, I listened properly to Wagner's singing. I'm afraid I couldn't make out most of the vocals (don't worry, though - they're all in the CD booklet, together with a biography on Nixon himself). Wagner starts off on pretty solid ground, but suddenly towards the end of "You Masculine You", he slips into a startling falsetto for one line. Then a few tracks later, he tackles an entire piece in a frail, breaking, high voice. I listened hard and this time I felt it sounded completely wrong. Last time, though, I'm sure I liked it.
I think that's probably the idea. You get the impression that Lambchop know exactly what sound they want and aren't afraid to foist it upon the masses. This is certainly not the easiest album with which to get to grips, but if you've got an open mind and a slightly twisted musical sensibility, you should enjoy it.
# posted by Sam : 23:33
