Lambchop (band)
Encyclopedia
Lambchop, originally Posterchild, is a band
from Nashville
, Tennessee
. Lambchop is loosely associated with the alternative country
genre. The music website Allmusic refers to them as "arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s".
Never a band with a "core" lineup, Lambchop has consisted of a large and fluid collective of musicians focused around its creative centre, frontman Kurt Wagner
. Initially indebted to traditional country
, the music has subsequently moved through a range of influences including post-rock
, soul
and lounge music
.
Whatever the style, the characteristic mood of Lambchop's music is evoked by Wagner's distinctive songwriting: lyrically subtle and ambiguous, the vocals melodic but understated. Setting this apart from other minimalist songwriters is the large group of backing musicians, with the range of instruments and styles that it brings. Wagner's songwriting bears similarities with soul musicians such as Barry White
, Curtis Mayfield
and Marvin Gaye
as much as with country and folk music
.
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Lambchop is loosely associated with the alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
genre. The music website Allmusic refers to them as "arguably the most consistently brilliant and unique American group to emerge during the 1990s".
Never a band with a "core" lineup, Lambchop has consisted of a large and fluid collective of musicians focused around its creative centre, frontman Kurt Wagner
Kurt Wagner (musician)
Kurt Wagner is an American musician, and the singer and songwriter of the Nashville-based alternative-country band Lambchop.-Solo discography:Album*Kurt - tour only cd from European solo tourEP...
. Initially indebted to traditional country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, the music has subsequently moved through a range of influences including post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and lounge music
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
.
Whatever the style, the characteristic mood of Lambchop's music is evoked by Wagner's distinctive songwriting: lyrically subtle and ambiguous, the vocals melodic but understated. Setting this apart from other minimalist songwriters is the large group of backing musicians, with the range of instruments and styles that it brings. Wagner's songwriting bears similarities with soul musicians such as Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
as much as with country and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
.
Releases as Posterchild
- 1992 An Open Fresca/A Moist Towlette (split with Crop Circle Hoax)
Cassette Releases
- 1990 Secret Secret Sourpuss
- 1992 Big Tussie
- 1993 Sorry About The Deformed Heart (split with Crop Circle Hoax and SpentSpent (band)Spent was an American Indie Rock band from Jersey City, New Jersey consisting of singer/guitarist John King, guitarist/singer/keyboardist Annie Hayden, bassist/occasional vocalist Joe Weston and drummer Ed Radich.-History:...
)
Single Releases
- 1995 Scared Out Of My Shoes (split 5" vinyl single with SpentSpent (band)Spent was an American Indie Rock band from Jersey City, New Jersey consisting of singer/guitarist John King, guitarist/singer/keyboardist Annie Hayden, bassist/occasional vocalist Joe Weston and drummer Ed Radich.-History:...
)
Studio albums
- 1994 I Hope You're Sitting Down/Jack's TulipsI Hope You're Sitting Down/Jack's TulipsI Hope You’re Sitting Down, also known as Jack’s Tulips, is the 1994 debut album by Lambchop.-Track listing:# “Begin” – 3:30# “Betweemus” – 5:26# “Soaky in the Pooper” – 4:16# “Because You Are the Very Air He Breathes” – 6:11...
- 1996 How I Quit SmokingHow I Quit SmokingHow I Quit Smoking is the second album by Lambchop, released in 1996.-Track listing:#"For Which We Are Truly Thankful"#"The Man Who Loved Beer"#"The Militant"#"We Never Argue"#"Life's Little Tragedy"#"Suzieju"#"All Smiles and Mariachi"...
- 1997 ThrillerThriller (Lambchop album)Thriller is a 1997 album by Lambchop. Three of the songs, "Hey Where's Your Girl", "Crawl Away" and "Superstar in France" are cover versions of songs from the album Poor Fricky by East River Pipe also released on Merge Records....
- 1998 What Another Man SpillsWhat Another Man Spills-Track listing:# "Interrupted"# "The Saturday Option"# "Shucks"# "Give Me Your Love "# "Life #2"# "Scamper"# "It's Not Alright"# "N.O."# "I've Been Lonely for So Long"# "Magnificent Obsession"# "King of Nothing Never"...
- 2000 NixonNixon (album)Nixon is a 2000 album by Lambchop. The album was a critical and commercial breakthrough for the band, especially in the United Kingdom where it polled highly in several year end polls in music magazines, among them Uncut magazine...
- 2002 Is a WomanIs a WomanIs a Woman is a 2002 album by Lambchop. Its combination of austere arrangements and minimalist instrumentation marks a change from former albums' elaborate and lavish sound.-Track listing:...
- 2004 Aw CmonAw CmonAw Cmon is a 2004 album by Lambchop. It was recorded and released at the same time as No You Cmon, and both were released together as a double album pack as well as individually...
- 2004 No You CmonNo You CmonNo You Cmon is a 2004 album by Lambchop. It was recorded and released at the same time as Aw Cmon, and both were released together as a double album pack as well as individually...
- 2006 DamagedDamaged (Lambchop album)-Regular Edition:# "Paperback Bible" – 7:48# "Prepared [2]" – 6:03# "The Rise and Fall of the Letter P" – 3:36# "A Day Without Glasses" – 4:11# "Beers Before the Barbican" – 4:51# "I Would Have Waited Here All Day" – 4:02# "Crackers" – 4:11# "Fear" – 5:00...
- 2008 OH (Ohio)OH (Ohio)OH is a 2008 album by Lambchop.-Track listing:# "Ohio"# "Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed"# "I'm Thinking of a Number "# "National Talk Like a Pirate Day"# "Hold of You"# "Sharing a Gibson with Martin Luther King, Jr."...
Compilation albums
- 2001 Tools in the DryerTools in the DryerTools in the Dryer is a 2001 album by Lambchop. It compiles rarities from across the band's career, including early demos and live performances.-Track listing:# "Nine"# "Whitey"# "Cigaretiquette"# "Miss Prissy"# "The Petrified Florist"...
- 2006 The Decline of the Country and Western Civilization (1993-1999)
- 2006 The Decline of Country and Western Civilization, Part 2: The Woodwind YearsThe Decline of Country and Western Civilization, Pt. 2The Decline of Country and Western Civilization, Pt. 2 is a 2006 album by Lambchop compiling out-takes from their previous albums.-Track listing:# "My Cliché"# "Loretta Lung"# "Two Kittens Don't Make a Puppy" # "It's Impossible"# "Ovary Eyes"...
- 2010 Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine
- 2011 Turd Goes Back: Essential Tracks from Secret Secret Sourpuss & Big Tussie
Tour only albums
- 2002 Pet Sounds Sucks (Live at The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco)
- 2003-04 Mono (Live in Würselen, Germany)
- 2004 Nashville Does Dallas
- 2004 Boo Fucking Who? (Live in Brussels, Belgium)
- 2006 Succulence (Live in Vienna, Austria)
- 2008 Rainer on My Parade (Live, various locations)
EPs
- 1996 Hank
- 2000 The Queens Royal Trimma (Live Royal Festival Hall, London – Tour Only)
- 2001 Treasure Chest of the Enemy (Tour Only)
- 2005 CoLab (with Hands Off Cuba)