What does it sound like?:
[Disclaimer: this was sent to be by @bargepole to review.]
I am not a huge fan of Lambchop; I have three of their albums, including the acclaimed ’Nixon’, which I like but I don’t find it to be essential listening. Given those caveats, I was still curious about this, given their heavily –signalled recent musical influences.
In this context ‘FLOTUS’ means ‘For Love Often Turns Us Still’, and the album focuses on reflections on a long marriage. Kurt Wagner has said that he partly intended the album to contain songs his wife would like. ‘FLOTUS’ is full of hypnotic, loopy beats, with a definite hip-hop and R&B feel.
It begins with a lengthy track, the mid-paced ‘In Care of 8675309’ featuring Auto-Tuned vocals (as does most of the album).It’s a really lovely track, and has a more traditional hazy, Americana texture. The lyrics are hard to interpret but are seemingly contemplative, and there is a sweetness and warmth here.
‘The Hustle’ is the last track and the most interesting, being all of 18 minutes long. There is an instrumental intro for about 5 minutes and it ends with an electronic, staccato and choppy section, with the story of a Quaker wedding in the middle. The repeated ‘Do the Hustle’ towards the end ups the tempo, and there’s a touching piano solo in there somewhere. These contrasts suggest that it shouldn’t hold together, but it does, nicely.
Essentially the middle tracks are connectors between the more affecting opener and closer, and somewhat wash over you in a pleasant and comforting way. This doesn’t sound like much of an endorsement to listen which is a shame, as it does cohere as an album.
Overall, if you’re inclined to let the words ’electronica’ and ‘Vocoder’ put you off, resist this impulse – there is a warmth here that overlays the bleeps. There’s space here too; the longer tracks stretch out beautifully and don’t become cluttered or overwhelmed by the electronica.
This is a more lukewarm review than I would have liked to have written, but it’s only really the first and last tracks that significantly affected me. I’d love to hear a fan’s view….anyone?
What does it all *mean*?
Auto-Tune is Cool.
Lambchop continue to please and surprise. Mildly.
Goes well with…
Really listen to the first track, then potter about doing something else for a while, then come back to ‘The Hustle’ and sit down and listen properly again.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Yo La Tenga
Bon Iver
Americana
Kendrick Lamar (I’m serious.)
Nice to varder your eek again Rubes.
A friend of mine toured with the ‘Chop about 15 years ago. He said they were an agreeable bunch of chaps but that Wagner seemed to be a “f***ing headcase”.
PS. I’m glad if they’ve tried to change things up a bit… they’ve always been in danger of becoming an American Elbow.
Bonaroo to cackle with you, my old cove.
Wagner seems relatively normal, if ‘normal’ can be used to describe such people, which I don’t suppose it can. Ah well.
Yes, I know what you mean. Their music slides over me a bit, in a pleasantly epic way, without ever really sticking, whereas this is a welcome departure. The two tracks mentioned are absolute belters.
This will be in my end of year best off – I love the feel and the surprise- surprise because it is unlike anything else Lambchop have ever recorded.
The last track The Hustle is indeed the highlight – when I heard it for first time I was mesmerised. It is otherworldly, strange and calming. A great album but I entirely understand your review because this track was not forewarned by anything that preceded it. Almost could have been a stand alone EP.
Mine too. It’s a really lovely track.
Thanks to Ruby for a great review; enjoyed that.
Two words put me off, hip and hop but your review intrigues me Ruby.
Great to see you again Ruby. Will give it a listen whilst I cook me meatballs (oh er)
I had a listen while I was cooking earlier (pearl barley and kale stew, since you ask). Ruby (nice to see you again!) pretty much nails my initial reaction – the first and last tracks are excellent, the middle is a bit meh. Mind you, those two tracks alone add up to half an hour, and that’s a full album in old money, innit?
Thank you!
Yes on reflection that’s my view; you get 30 minutes of greatness, and even if the middle doesn’t reach such heights, that’s OK.
Thanks, all. 🙂
I wouldn’t let the hip or indeed hop deter you; there’s an influence there but it’s not that overt. It’s sort of Auto-Tuned Americana meets Yo La Tenga meets Kraftwerk. (!!)
I haven’t listened to everything Lamchop have done, far from it, but I find most of their albums have one or two cracking tracks and the rest are meh.
Your review has intrigued me, Ruby. I’ll give it a go!
You’re a man at the cutting edge, Tigs, I think you’ll like it. The opener and closer are wonderful but I suspect the middle bit needs the required 6 listens. That section isn’t in any way ‘bad’ but not as instantly appealing as the two longest tracks.
I’ve been a fan for donkey’s years, I loved everything they put out for their first decade or so. The last couple of albums have provided diminishing returns, sadly, and when I saw them do Nixon live a year or two back it was disappointing, Kurt’s voice hasn’t weathered well. So I wasn’t sure that I had much further to go with them.
Then I heard The Hustle and they sucked me back in again. Agree with RubyBlue and others that it and the opener are great. What’s in between isn’t perfect, but there are some beautiful sounds and even the less successful tracks are interesting.
Their formula needed a shake-up, and fair play to them they’ve managed it. Good to have them back.
Interesting new cover of Prince’s When you Were Mine