Album Review: Lambchop - This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You)

Lambchop’s last album Flotus represented a radical change in direction, featuring subtle electronics and – if main man Kurt Wagner is to be believed – a record his wife would like. If that’s the case, Mrs Wagner is going to be tickled pink once again. This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You) is a record that’s in many ways like a treasure box – once you’re inside there are many beautifully nuanced performances and details to discover.

If Flotus had the feeling of a band exploring a new sound, this is the work of a band who’ve mastered it. Significant enhancements include ghostly vintage synths courtesy of Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger) and the harmonica of Nashville session legend Charlie McCoy. In contrast to the lush arrangements are interminably sad lyrics laden with perpetual disappointment. “I lost you at the airport,” Wagner sings through Crosswords, Or What This Says About You, sounding more than ever like a little boy lost.

For a band this advanced into their career, Lambchop’s capacity for reinvention seems to have few, if any, creative limits.