Search - Lambchop :: Ohio

Another Opus from the Master

E. Milton | 11/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"OH (Ohio) cannot be described as a triumphant return to form for Kurt Wagner and the boys (aka Lambchop) because they never went off form in the first place. The reality is that Lambchop are genetically incapable of releasing substandard albums. It could be said that Oh (Ohio) is Lamchop's best work since Is a Woman but that would only mean that it is better than their previous album, Damaged. On every Lambchop album, there are a couple of songs that are less good than the rest but that is only because the rest tend to be rather outstanding, as in, among the greatest songs in contemporary music. As for the requisite AGSCM songs on this album, they are 'Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed', 'Popeye' and 'Please Rise'. These three are superlative. 'Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed' is that rare beast that is perhaps greater than superlative. It is musically, lyrically and everything else-ily unimprovable: a spellbinding confection of brilliance. Wagner's voice, much-maligned, never sounded so beautiful, so moving. Popeye's 'sha-la-la-la, you're getting on' chorus is achingly wistful but the driving, percussive instrumental coda at the end serves as a wonderful antidote. Kurt Wagner is, together with Will Oldham, America's greatest living songwriter, better than Dylan, better than Young, better than Reed. Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed is yet another of his songs that proves it. Lambchop, though critically acclaimed by many over the span of Wagner's career, remain the most underrated musical act in the world and the negative reviews in some quarters for this marvellous latest opus leave me astonished."

Part clair de lune, part sacred cow

gonzobrarian | 12/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't let Lambchop fool you. Though one can mistake the band's sound for, as David Berman so aptly puts it, "country restroom on the radio", Lambchop is another alt-country superband that's redefining genres. If you don't pay close enough attention, it'll pass you by like the falling of leaves with the onset of winter.



Nashville's best-kept secret, Lambchop is so subtle you'll never know it's there until their sound filters into your subconscious and you find yourself humming their songs on any rainy day, on the way to the grocery store, or drifting off to sleep after a particularly trying day.



Kurt Wagner is an exceptional wordsmith, and combined with the extreme fullness of his band's complement, ranging to maybe a dozen musicians, his musical vision is parallel to the imaginagtion and cleverness of Howe Gelb. Yet while Gelb is more over overt in his musicianship, Wagner keeps tightly inward, straining to restrain his musings into impressionistic rock and roll, if there is such a thing. More so than Gelb, Wagner softly speaks into the microphone more often than he sings, letting his atmospheric guitar-driven melodies take over.



It takes a careful ear to discern exactly what Wagner is singing about, but it's certain that a whole lotta effort has been invested into his themes. Excelling tracks on OH (ohio): Ohio, National Talk Like a Pirate Day, A Hold of You, Close up and Personal, I Believe in You. Think of Lambchop as a soulful, resigned, oft humorous but always genuine rock and roll band...for the quiet times."

Music for intimate interiors

PristineAngie_dot_com | NYC | 03/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I saw them play in NYC in 2008, I walked out. I guess Kurt's whispering voice just doesn't carry well in a large room, resulting in hiccuping vowels occasionally surfacing from the wash of lush instrumentation . I wasn't expecting much with the cd, but to my surprise, the songs here are really quite expertly put together. Think the sparseness of Nixon with the more sophisticated orchestration of C'mon/No you C'mon.



Kurt's tragicomic voice and lyrics, combined with careful, subdued instrumentation makes Lambchop uniquely so once again. "Ohio" opens with thumping, deep, unmuffled drums, which eventually gives way to "I'm Thinking of a Number," a piece that echoes a Nashville soul that the band hides so well. The gently upbeat "National Talk Like Pirate Day" rouses up the lines "This is my song, don't sing along" which immediately gets me chuckling, thinking of all the people at gigs who sing along, drowning out the actual performer from being heard. "A Hold of You" is pure Nixon, almost intimate enough for a trio in a smoky jazz cellar bar. "Sharing A Gibson" showcases that eerie low voice of Kurt's that we all love.



"Of Raymond" has a very AOR feel to both music and lyrics, with sophisticated horns and woodwinds in the breaks, as if Burt Bacharach was accompanying the band but you're never quite sure whether Austin Powers is going to run out from behind a corner and pour nutty coffee on the whole affair. "Please Rise" is a slow march, almost a national anthem to all who commence on the absurd landscape that Lambchop has sowed. "Popeye" has a mysterious ambient-like opening- easily the most interesting song for me. Kurt's Sha-La-La-La's are so weightless it made me levitate from my chair. It slowly unfolds into lush quiet piece, aided by the combination of an expansive vibraphone and a piano. "Close up" and "I Believe in you" are rich, luxuriant pieces, demonstrating the expertise Mark Nevers and Roger Moutenot put into the production efforts.



Definitely a collection that comes across better in a quiet setting."