Record Review
by Kevin Forest Moreau
That's an apt, if elliptical, description of Lambchop's fan base, one enamored of Wagner's acquired-taste croak and his band's expanding (if not expansive) palette of gauzy, piano-coaxed lounge-pop. Trouble is, as Lambchop has eased over the course of its most recent albums into a phase best described as "Crash Test Dummies' Brad Roberts attempts Leonard Cohen while listening to Dylan's Oh Mercy," it's become exponentially harder for nonacolytes to book passage on Wagner's bandwagon.
There's little on Aw C'mon to rectify that situation. Wagner's croon mingles with languorous arrangements on songs like "Women Help to Create the Kind of Men They Despise." He charts new levels of mundane lyricism, and wispy, insubstantial instrumentals such as "Timothy B. Schmidt" don't leaven the encroaching malaise.
In concert with its titular response to its sibling, No, You C'mon juices things up considerably. Wagner and company loosen the reins on the fuzz-guitar rocking "Nothing Adventurous Please" and create an amiable noise on the nonsense shuffle "Shang a Dang Dang."
The mood here is more elevated throughout, a glimpse of what awaits those newcomers willing to dig through the band's catalog for gems. Had Wagner heeded the cautionary tale of Ryan Adams -- being prolific doesn't automatically equal being good -- and released one condensed, concise disc, he (and we) would have been better served.
Lambchop performs at the Echo Lounge on Sat., Feb. 21. $10.
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