Lambchop - Punching the Clown, album review

No Shit!

I vaguely remember Lambchop’s first album Nixon in 2014 – I mean ‘vaguely’ in terms of recalling the songs as I haven’t listened again for such a long time, but I do know I liked and followed since then, though again these subsequent ones get lost in the swarm of other music listened to in that time.

 

Like most, I’m sure, I’ve never forgotten the distinctive voice/singing of Kurt Wagner with its droll, witty, plaintive, poetic narratives. This latest album is dominated by that signature sound, but is dressed in the most beautiful choral accompaniment by the London Choir and the Eau Claire Vocal Sextet.

 

Mainly simply strummed guitar and banjo, the latter played by Justin Vernon, this combination sets much of the melodious as with opener Just West of Nicolette and third Weakened, both sweet. In these the choric element is hypnotic – certainly gorgeous – and in Weakened like a wind swirling (with some electronics in this track too).

 

I’m only on my second listen so hearing and learning more about its structured beauty as well as storytelling. Here are the plaintive lyrics from Weakened:

 

Then he fell sick…

Things had gotten peculiar

The grainy underwater

Singing sounds in his head

 

He lay on his cot

Watched the barren cracks

Formed in the ceiling

Old rags of late

Were no comfort

 

Oh,

The weaker souls

The weaker souls

The weaker souls

I’m a-ready

 

Then he fell sick…

Looked like a Buddha in a blanket

His eyes lifted to the window

Like he was waking from a dream

 

The sighs that were heard

Of a long fevered world

How does it feel

I don’t feel

 

Oh,

The weaker souls

The weaker souls

The weaker souls

They will go

 

Oh,

The weaker souls

I believe it

The weaker souls

The weaker souls

 

‘No Shit’ is a rapper’s brisk interjection in the opening track. For more details and to get, go here

 

PS In the song No Chicago, which is essentially a list of city names, the lyrics (or full lyrics) are not yet available online. On one site, obvious names are given, but '???' is written for those which haven't been worked out yet. One of these queries is for Karlsruhe, which I picked out immediately with great joy because I lived there for two years as a kid!