| The southern states of the US have a reputation for producing gothic writers--dark, florid and atmospheric. Few would argue that Nashville's pre-eminent 13-piece collective, Lambchop, follow in that tradition, in both word and music. On Nixon, group songwriter Kurt Wagner serves up 10 soul-wrenching moments and wraps them in the lush hands of his compatriots. Though long associated with the alt. country scene, Lambchop have never been purists (witness the Jackson 5-ish "Your Fucking Sunny Day" from Thriller), and here they dig deeper into psyche-out music, dark head-trips that culminate in tracks like "Nashville Parent". Not the easiest band to get into, Lambchop nonetheless reward listeners with some of the most intriguing albums around; Nixon--which comes with a suggested reading list--is no different. --Randy Silver |
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