LAMBCHOP – MR. M

Lambchop, the loose collective of musicians based around frontman Kurt Wagner, has taken a winding journey  through many different musical styles since its inception in the late 80s. Country, post-rock and soul have all entered the mix of the Lambchop sound, culminating in a laid-back style as interesting as it is soothing. Mr. M, the group’s eleventh studio album, is notable for several reasons. Firstly, string arrangements feature on virtually every track, often taking centre stage. The strings don’t provide accompaniment, but rather they complement and interact with Wagner’s quirky lyricism. More similar to the chamber-pop of Sigur Ros or Arcade Fire than anything else, this approach really gives tunes such as the gorgeous Mr. Met a certain distinctiveness. Secondly, the quality of Wagner’s voice is at once stunning and hard to pinpoint. Equal parts Marvin Gaye and Burt Bacharach, the low smoothness blends perfectly with everything else and simultaneously evokes 50s crooning, 70s soul and 90s chill-out music. And finally, the lyrics are really something special. If Not I’ll Just Die is a bittersweet love song filled with clever turns-of-phrase, while Buttons is stuffed with nifty rhymes. Despite rarely moving faster than a leisurely stroll, Mr. M takes its cues from the past to offer something subtle, distinct and never dull.

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