Despite being released in the same week that the most spiteful and underhanded presidential election in US history reaches its conclusion, Lambchop’s 12th long-player, ‘FLOTUS’, is in no way focused on the office of the First Lady or, in fact, anything political. FLOTUS, in this case, is an acronym for a much prettier sentiment: For Love Often Turns Us Still. The sleeve image’s stylised rendering of the presidential seal may suggest otherwise, but you’ll have to give me the benefit of the doubt.
In their 30th year, Lambchop have come up with one of the records of 2016. ‘FLOTUS’ is their finest work for quite some time, possibly since their 2000 breakthrough, ‘Nixon’, which saw their success jump across the Atlantic and into Europe, thanks in no small part to the gospel-soaked joy that is Up With People.
A career-longest gap of four-and-a-half years separates this release from their previous record, 2012’s ‘Mr. M’, during which time the band lost long-time bassist Marc Trovillion, who passed away in 2013. The extra time has obviously given Kurt Wagner licence to change direction once again.
Lambchop tend to stay huddled under the alt-country umbrella, but their leader always finds new ways to embrace the genre and take it forward. In this case, the band have strayed away from their more organic ‘live’ feel to something a little more synthetic.
Throughout the record, Wagner’s voice mutates in a way that would make Laurie Anderson proud, especially on the epic opener In Care of 8675309 and the stunning, boundary-pushing NIV. You’ll find less pedal steel guitar here and more minimal beats paired with pulsating bass.
The main content is sandwiched between the sprawling opening and closing tracks. The opener (a cheeky wink no doubt to Tommy Tutone’s ‘867-5309/Jenny’) clocks in at 12 minutes, while The Hustle – a highlight in an album full of highlights – comes in at around 18 minutes. The best of the rest include Directions to the Can which, despite its corny title, slides in effortlessly after the first song, keeping the hairs standing on the back of the neck for a few minutes longer. Harbor Country, meanwhile, is the closest one may get to a ‘traditional’ Lambchop song here and rewards repeat visits.
This is how a reinvention should be attempted and the fact a band can sound this fresh after over 30 years and 12 records into their career is testament to the talents of Wagner and friends. Insert your own ‘Four More Years’ joke here, but let's hope we don’t have to wait as long for instalment 13.
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