Show review: Lambchop at Paradise Rock Club – 4/17
Kurt Wagner’s long running alt-country collective Lambchop visited the Paradise last night in support of their new record Mr. M.
“I didn’t expect to see everybody here. I don’t know what the fuck’s going on,” Wagner remarked at the end of Lambchop’s initial set. Indeed, the room had filled up nicely by the time Lambchop took the stage, and Wagner couldn’t have asked for a more reverently attentive audience. Dead silence and rapt attention greeted the band as they gracefully unfolded songs both new and old. Even the brief between-song silences were punctuated only by the occasional “We love you!” from somewhere in the back. Clearly, this was an evening for the Lambchop faithful.
Impossibly soft-spoken opener Meg Baird proved an easy fit for a laid-back show. Taking the stage armed with only an acoustic guitar and a delicate voice, Baird delivered a set of down-tempo, ruminative folk songs. Her gentle strumming and finger-picking was accented by an accompanying harpist for the middle portion of the set, adding a sense of depth and harmonic richness to the songs.
Lambchop would take the stage soon after, with a touring lineup consisting of only five members. Depending on who you ask, Lambchop has incorporated as many as eighteen (!) musicians at a time, so Wagner plus four actually seemed rather sparse. The result was a slightly stripped-down sound, eschewing the gorgeous string arrangements of Mr. M for a more straightforward take on the songs. The show’s first hour consisted almost entirely of Mr. M material, which lost none of its nostalgic lounge vibe in the alternate live arrangements. Drummer Scott Martin and bassist Matt Swanson quietly maintained the backbone of each song, accompanied by Tony Crow on piano and Ryan Norris on organ and guitar. Norris’ contributions created an ambient, reverberating atmosphere behind each track, while Wagner’s understated guitar and vocals tied it all together. In much the same way as a recent Magnetic Fields show at Berklee, Lambchop proved that restrained, sit-down shows can be just as arresting as noisy rock.
The band sounded gorgeous, but never overshadowed the witty, dryly funny nature of Wagner’s lyrics. The man has a knack for drawing insight and thoughtful nostalgia from even the most mundane subject matter. Seeing key Mr. M tracks like ‘Buttons,’ ‘The Good Life (Is Wasted)’ and ‘If Not I’ll Just Die’ performed up-close and among such an adoring audience lent them each a new level of poignancy. While it wouldn’t be strictly accurate to call Wagner an upbeat lyricist, there is a certain sense of optimism in his words, even when he’s ruminating on loss and death. They are the variety of layered lyrics which take multiple close listens to fully appreciate, and an opportunity to ponder them as Wagner sings them to you is an absolute pleasure.
At the risk of portraying myself as bandwagon-jumping hipster, I have to admit that I discovered Lambchop through Pitchfork’s recent granting of a ‘Best New Music’ moniker to Mr. M. It’s rare that the site offers such a glowing recommendation of a record released this far into a relatively under-the-radar band’s career, but it’s one that Wagner & co. wholly deserve. If this show proved two things, the first is that a live setting demonstrates just how good a record Mr. M is. Those songs held their own against the well-loved older material performed at the end of the set and throughout the two encores. The second is that a Pitchfork approval rating hasn’t exactly afforded Lambchop ‘buzz band’ status. By my account, the overwhelming majority of the audience was made up of longtime fans. But based on the atmosphere of that crowd, I can’t imagine them or the band wanting it any other way.
Meg Baird:
Lambchop:
