In 1994, Lambchop began contributing to the great American songbook with rambling, Robert Altman-esque sound stories that document America using the artistic materials of Americana: country, soul, gospel, musical theatre, among others. Armed with a revolving cast of collaborators, the only remaining original member, main songwriter, and frontman, Kurt Wagner, voices his characters in a husky whisper, a drawl, and sometimes a rapturous preacher’s holler. On Punching the Clown, Kurt Wagner has returned to his Nashville roots while retaining his cinematic song-vision.
The opening track “East of Nicollet” nails down the record’s musical structure. Acoustic guitar and banjo, the old bluegrass brothers, provide almost all of the instrumental accompaniment to Wagner’s voice. While, surprisingly, inspirationally, two different multi-voice choral ensembles enrich, sometimes envelop, and energize, creating yet another unique sonic environment for Lambchop to add to their growing collection.
The main singers are the Eau Claire Vocal Sextet, directed by alto Blake Morgan, known for work with alternative and folk outfits. The London Choir augments them, creating a studio-shaking vocal force. Their presence is huge but deftly and frugally measured out. In “Doctor in the House”, they explode onto the track just at the end with a momentous “Fight, fight, fight” (hmm), and suddenly disappear. Even as they evoke traditional sounds like gospel music and even Spirituals, the choral arrangements are distinctly modern. The highly textured six-part harmonies combine the ultra-high male alto voice, adding brilliance to the upper register, with baritone and bass voices that create rumbling, powerful lows.
On his use of voices, Wagner explains in the liner notes how he discovered a type of gospel singing known as line singing: “…a spontaneous call and response type of acapella singing led by a clerk with a chorus of singers revealing the raw beauty and power of the human voice with its unique varieties, its unadorned simplicity gave weight to words as they were sung.” He continues, “I wanted to make a record that emulated this kind of music.” A good example of this is on “To Do” in which the singers reply to “Before I get to heaven / There’s a thing or two to do.”
Sung in his characteristically conversational style, Wagner’s lyrics read like old letters on yellowed paper. Yet, released into an atmosphere of political unrest, they speak pointedly to today’s America. In “Afterburner”, he expresses “Mixed feelings on the parade / America on mute” before lampooning “the Dumbotron” and caustically claiming “We’re so broke / We can’t pay attention”. More pointedly on “Cigar”, Wagner sings “Here’s to the health of the migrant worker / Singing un-American tunes”.
His lyrics are also richly cinematographic, sometimes sounding like directions for camera moves. In “Weakened”, chosen as one of the album’s advance singles, his character’s “eyes lifted to the window / Like he was awakened from a dream.” With a storytelling voice reminiscent of John Prine, “The New World Wave” begins in third-person narration “And Harry was a Butcher”, as if a film voice-over, before shifting to the first person of Harry’s son. As the song moves despairingly from the specific to the general, a sixties cola-ad chorus arrives for the outro, as if a crane shot pans up to show a decaying world.
Intricate banjo picking by Justin Vernon introduces “Stella”. This old-timey folk tune also features a bluegrass vocal chorus and a picturesque instrumental break featuring Vernon and guitarist Justin Broder (who is also co-composer on eight of the 12 tracks) that shows less their obvious skill than the melody’s subtlety. Steve Martin famously proclaimed (I paraphrase) that the banjo is inherently happy. Vernon, formerly of Bon Iver, now a solo performer, proves this wrong. Prominent throughout the record, he coaxes tender, introspective, and keening sounds from his instrument.
Play it loud because this recording sounds great. The humble guitar and banjo of a kitchen party are balanced masterfully with a cathedral of voices. With these supporting players, Kurt Wagner’s laconic voice is perfectly cast as the spokesperson for Lambchop’s latest addition to America’s music culture.