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Showtunes (Lambchop album)

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Showtunes
Studio album by
Lambchop
ReleasedMay 21, 2021 (2021-05-21)
Length31:06
Label
ProducerJeremy Ferguson
Lambchop chronology
Trip
(2020) 		Showtunes
(2021)
Singles from Showtunes
  1. "A Chef's Kiss"
    Released: March 16, 2021
  2. "Fuku"
    Released: April 12, 2021
  3. "The Last Benedict"
    Released: May 18, 2021

Showtunes is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Lambchop. It was released on May 21, 2021,[1] on Merge Records in the United States and on City Slang elsewhere.[2]

Background

[edit]

The songs on Showtunes were initially meant to be performed live at Eaux Claire by Lambchop, with help from Twit One [de], Andrew Broder, and Ryan Olson. After the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19, Wagner decided to finish these songs in studio.[2]

Showtunes was recorded remotely by Kurt Wagner, the only permanent member of Lambchop.[3] It features as collaborators James McNew of Yo La Tengo, who contributed double bass;[2] CJ Camerieri, who contributed horns and horn arrangements;[4][2] Jeremy Ferguson, who acted as co-producer and engineer,[4] and Twit One, who co-wrote the track "Fuku".[5]

Unlike Lambchop's previous work, on which Wagner played guitar, Showtunes features Wagner's guitar tracks converted into MIDI piano.[6] Showtunes takes inspiration from musical theatre, hence the name; Wagner called it "show tunes for people who don't like show tunes".[2]

Three singles were released in advance of the album: "A Chef's Kiss", on March 16, 2021;[7] "Fuku", on April 12, 2021, along with an accompanying music video directed by Doug Anderson;[8] and "The Last Benedict", on May 18, 2021.[9]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[11]
Metacritic79/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Arts Desk[13]
Beats Per Minute78%[14]
God Is in the TV10/10[15]
Loud and Quiet9/10[16]
musicOMH[17]
Mojo[10]
The Observer[18]
Pitchfork7.4/10[19]
PopMatters7/10[20]
Spectrum Culture80%[21]
Under the Radar[22]
Uncut8/10[10]

The album was released to positive reviews from music critics, garnering a score of 79 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews",[10] and a score of 7.7/10 from review aggregator website AnyDecentMusic? based on 10 reviews.[11]

Track listing

[edit]
Showtunes track listing
No.TitleLength
1."A Chef's Kiss"3:46
2."Drop C"3:24
3."Papa Was a Rolling Stone Journalist"2:01
4."Fuku"7:07
5."Unknown Man"4:25
6."Blue Leo"3:05
7."Impossible Meatballs"3:11
8."The Last Benedict"4:07
Total length:31:06

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Showtunes
Chart (2021) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 75
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] 24
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] 8

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Schnee, Guillaume (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop chante l'éphémère sur "A Chef's Kiss"". FIP (in French). Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ross, Alex Robert (April 12, 2021). "Lambchop's Kurt Wagner is making "show tunes for people who don't like show tunes"". The FADER. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Arnone, Joey (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop Announce New Album, Share New Song "A Chef's Kiss"". Under the Radar. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Yoo, Noah (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop Announce New Album Showtunes, Share Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Rettig, James (April 12, 2021). "Lambchop – "Fuku"". Stereogum. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop announce new album Showtunes with opening track "A Chef's Kiss"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ BrooklynVegan Staff (March 16, 2021). "New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ^ BrooklynVegan Staff (April 12, 2021). "19 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. ^ BrooklynVegan Staff (May 18, 2021). "28 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d "Showtunes by Lambchop". Metacritic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Showtunes by Lambchop". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  12. ^ Deming, Mark. "Showtunes - Lambchop". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  13. ^ Muggs, Joe (May 19, 2021). "Album: Lambchop - Showtunes". The Arts Desk. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  14. ^ Penna, Grady (May 25, 2021). "Album Review: Lambchop – Showtunes". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  15. ^ Bond, Colin (May 24, 2021). "Lambchop – Showtunes (City Slang)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  16. ^ Walton, Sam (May 18, 2021). "Lambchop – Showtunes – Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  17. ^ Johnson, Steven (May 21, 2021). "Lambchop – Showtunes". musicOMH. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  18. ^ Empire, Kitty (May 23, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes review – American songwriting the slow and shimmering way". The Observer. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  19. ^ Deusner, Steven M. (May 25, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  20. ^ Horowitz, Steve (May 18, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes | Album Review". PopMatters. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  21. ^ Hazelwood, Holly (May 26, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  22. ^ Moody, Mark (May 19, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes (Merge) – review". Under the Radar. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lambchop – Showtunes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
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