Lambchop: Damaged

Lambchop
Damaged
Merge

Like most bands of sustained relevance, the guys in Lambchop have always been genre dodgers. Since the early 90’s, they have politely declined invitations into every pigeon hole from “alt-country” to “indie-jazz,” preferring to evolve on their own terms. In fact, the only real constant over Lambchop’s lifespan has been the state of Tennessee, which still serves as their home base and greatest source of inspiration.

On Damaged, the band’s ninth album and best since 2000’s Nixon, frontman Kurt Wagner and his multitudinous but modest cohorts bridge the gap from Memphis to their native Nashville; Al Green to George Jones. Tracks like “Beers Before the Barbican” and “I Would Have Waited Here All Day” integrate pleading pedal steel with bouncy guitar licks and punchy horns, like some sort of unlikely Stax revue at the Grand Ole Opry. Throw in a full string section, keyboards, and plenty of Wilco-style electronic tinkering, and it’s easy to understand why Lambchop have long reigned near the top of America’s unclassifiables.

The key ingredient in this Tennessee stew might be Wagner himself, the 40-something, enigmatic storyteller whose low, whispery drawl provides the backbone for these mostly down-tempo, spacious songs. He talks about simple things like regret, getting old, birdbaths, and rocking chairs, but the stories are somehow matter-of-fact and cryptic at the same time; funny and serious. “Girl I’m on my knees / There’s a righteous piece of cheese,” he says on “Crackers.” Whatever that means, it sure sounds genuine.

(Andrew Clayman)

--Published in Knoxville Voice, October 2006