Nixon

Lambchop could easily be someone's favorite niche band. The twists and turns in their back catalogue providing enough interesting nooks and crannies to explore —  songs, albums and eras in the oeuvre to debate and draw lines of distinction across...lyrics to plumb the depths of — that sort of thing. Maybe they edge out Giant Sand for one person or Mercury Rev for another. Or, maybe the listener of Nixon just can't seem to latch on to them and the album just sort of slides by, remaining a little too cloaked in the corners, a bit angled in ungraspable ways...or maybe a bit meh in their mind. Turning this record over and over I can't say which it is for me today.

3 stars

This is alright.

3 stars for the great voice. 2 stars for the album. I couldn't get into it. Some songs were ok, the others just felt sad and not like there was much variety. Probably wouldn't listen to Lambchop again.

I like the general alt-folk/rock sound. Reminds me of Wilco. The only song I really got into is the intro track: "The Old Gold Shoe". I semi got into "The Distance From Her To There" but I don't love the singer going falsetto there. In the rest of the songs I liked the orchestration (some slide guitar, some horns, etc) but the songs themselves were so so.

the first song was super cool but then the rest of the album didn’t live up to it. a lot of the meandering sameness and he sometimes sung in this terrible falsetto for whole songs which was a very bad choice.

Light 6 to strong 7, need to listen a bit more for it to click. I like the sound, but it's not very interesting.

Not bad, but nothing stood out

This one was up and down for me. Some were really pretty, relaxing and chill while others tried but the pieces didn't all come together. Sometimes that might have been related to the fact that the album was more an art piece then radio music. I tried to refocus my lenses on how I interpreted and enjoyed the music. I can pick out the reasons for some of the parts I enjoyed less (Falsetto in You Masculine You) and appreciate the artistic value. The music was very aethereal against some darker themes, which made for some hauntingly beautiful melodies. Overall it wasn't my thing, but there were some nice moments and I can appreciate the value it brings to the musical world.

Most of this album is a smooth dreamy groove with washy country slide guitars and happy vibes with occasional horns to brighten things up. It's a good album to get high and think about life to. The lyrics are poetically interesting and give me more of a folk artist feel. Overall it's a little slow for my speed. What Else Could it Be is a little more up beat but I'm not a big fan of his falsetto singing. Especially on The Distance from Her to There (sorry he sounds like Miss Piggy). I like that they change up the mood with the last two songs but it's kind of too little too late because it just makes them feel tacked on and doesn't really go with the vibe of the rest of the album.

They sound like a far less dynamic version of Mercury Rev, a band from the same time period. This is pleasant, sunny day music to chill to on a long leisurely drive, or to sit with a drink in the park on a warm quiet evening. Nothing really stands out except for the chill vibes. I’m ok with that. I’ll note as well that with this project, I’m noticing that Apple Music only offers the extended reissue versions of many albums. I’m not interested in anything further than the original album for a band I’m not familiar with so I won’t be listening to extras unless I fall in love with an album. This album is originally 49 minutes, but the reissue puts it at 74.

Great for elevators and falling asleep.

nice. But not wow.

Chill music. Can run in the background quite nicely. Sometimes a bit slow

Cool album. Liked the mixture of genres.

I liked the music, really would benefit from a better vocalist

Middle of the road. Not over or underwhelming. Appropriately whelming.

Guy with a buttery sing/speaking voice tries to convince you he can hit those high notes. He sounds like the He-Man meme song when he attempts the high notes. Really kind of rips you out of the songs when he is singing/speaking normally and randomly cuts to high notes. Amazing instrumentals.. HIGH NOTES! 6/10

There are a surprisngly large number of these indie / country hybrid albums. This is a fine album, though it isn't particularly stand out at anything. I enjoyed listening through it, with my favorite being Up With People. The music is calm, but repetative. A bit refreshing after a couple of punk albums in a row, though not sure when I will be back for it.

This grew on me

Very cool but got a little boring.

What a strange album--or I guess I should say unexpected, but in a good way. I'm not sure I've ever heard of Lambchop, let alone heard any of their songs. Kurt Wagner's style and voice is vaguely reminiscent of the Magnetic Fields, or maybe the mellower sounds of Pulp, but not in an imitative way. I didn't listen as carefully to the lyrics as I probably should have, but I can tell there's a lot going on in the songs, and I enjoyed the experience overall. The only tracks that stood out were "You masculine you" (not a fan of the falsetto, although it's much more tolerable on the somewhat more hard-hitting "What else could it be?"), the video for "Up with people" (pretty much the only direct reference to Richard Nixon, and a super creepy mouth-overlay making it seem like Nixon was singing the song during some (presumably disastrous) press conference), and the darker and more rock-oriented end to the album with "The petrified florist" and "The butcher boy". On the whole, I pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the album as much as I did, despite what would otherwise seem *way* too far along the easy-listening spectrum than I'd prefer. (In that sense it reminds me of Ween's "country" album.)

Not a bad relaxing album. It would be so easy to just sit back and chill to this.

3.5

This was decent. A nice mellow listen. Not memorable enough for four stars, but better than I expected.

This was pretty. Really relaxed and mellow. Lots of little nuances. Very clever. Not pretentious. Just really nice music, genuinely well made. The second half I could live without, but the first half is very nice. 3/5

What a bizarre album. Can't say I liked or hated it. It just sort of exists. I'm not sure why this was popular in the UK either. I'd rather listen to Jens Lekman.

Musically it was very vibey and just kinda floated in the background. Didn't really do anything for me either way. His voice however was just plain bad. Did. Not. Like. Did not remind me of Cohen the way his voice sounded but the lyrics sure did. Most of it was poetry-esq nonsense that felt like he was trying too hard to be mysterious and deep. It was just stupid. Don't know why this was on the list.

Sometimes I feel that rating on one listen might not be fair to the artist. If I have never heard them then at first blush, it is difficult depending on my mood. This selection is prototypical... I am in the mood for upbeat/punk aggressive and this is not it. It is melodical and smooth. I will need to come back and re-listen.

Kinda passed me by without much fanfare. Not what i was expecting at all but not really my bag.

Not entirely sure what this is. Mellow. Lounge music. Very monotone. But not unappealing.

Music was playing! It was (with kindness) nothing :)

I've never listened to Lambchop before, but they've been recommended to me by several people so I'm excited to get into this. This was nice, I was expecting more of an alt country sound so I was surprised by the lounge and soul vibes that kept popping up.

soft

Nice if somewhat short mix

I'm not a fan of the singer, especially his falsetto and when it's almost spoken word. I enjoy the instrumentation though. It's quite nice.

6.5/10

5.5/10 Feels like the kind of album I would hate, but I don't. It's pleasant enough and goes in all kinds of directions that aren't quite as boring as the mellow sounds and raspy vocals would suggest. Highlights: Petrified Florist Butcher Boy The Old Gold Shoe

I liked it alright enough but I don't think it belongs on the list

This would be a pretty cool album without one of the most irritating singers I've ever heard in my life

3.3 bit forgetful

This was a decent vibe I suppose, if not a little forgettable. Simpsons: No

Solid fine album. Didn’t pay too much attention but I enjoyed the bits I did tune into

Pretty good but not fitting my vibe right now. Would have loved it on the day it was scheduled probably

Bit boring

A little repetitive... But good chill vibes shit. Grumpus was a song I really liked before but it feels like an early peak in the album. 2.6

This is exactly what I think of when I see the words "countrypolitan" and "chamber pop".

Didn't care much for the first song but Grumpus is groovy. Also really loving Up With People. This started out really solid but kinda fell by the wayside along the way. Still had its high moments but the voice got super boring after awhile.

Idc

Surprised by this. More chill than expected.

Easy going, feels like dad music. As in it's a dad making music

Interesting. I think I like it.

Not a bad album.

I am in need of a very chill vibe right now so this started out on a high note for me. It was like a more modern day easy listening. And then it got weird. Giving it a 3 though cause of the vibe I needed.

Sounds like Pink Floyd, Nick Cave, and Elvis had an orgy with a church choir and this band was comprised of the offspring and influences of that. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but I'm also not saying that's a good thing. In fact, it's very possible that listening to this music may prevent future offspring of any kind due to being pretty boring, which usually invites sleep instead of procreation. It is important to note, I am also not saying is a bad or good thing on its own.

Hints of Nick Cave, Elbow and maybe Cohen. Quite twee and gentle. Nothing offensive. Just not really my cuppa tea.

It was pretty good. The singer’s voice sounded uncomfortably strained at times and it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea overall, but still good.

This is certainly one of the albums i've listened to. As album 1007 I have nothing else to say. It certainly is an album.

I had zero expectations and it was actually an ok album with a nce voice.

This was my first exposure to Lambchop and I almost bailed on the first song, mostly due to Kurt Wagner's drab vocals and somewhat sparse instrumentation, but luckily I stuck around for the second track. Grumpus is a nice bit of life added to this album after the snoozefest of The Old Gold Shoe. You Masculine You ends up being a bit of a cross between the first 2 tracks with very so-so vocals, but far more engaging arrangements (great melody, but the soft falsetto was distracting and ultimately just meh). So all that said, you can pretty much get a feel for this whole album in the first 3 tracks. Solid arrangements with beautiful strings and other accompaniment topped with dull vocals. I feel like this album would have been more enjoyable with a different singer. I guess 3/5?

This artist is Cat Stevens meets Remmy Shand. It was a decent listen. Some cool vocal choices: interesting alto and falcetto vocals. Nothing too crazy. But it was enjoyable.

This is a strange one, but I'm into it.

Par la voix, la structure des pièces et les ambiances, me fait beaucoup penser à Eels, un de mes artistes favoris. Pourtant, j'ai trouvé l'album de Lambchop assez banal et convenu

ничего такой, интересный. но заунывноват)

A proper curate's egg of an album but some good tracks on it I'd listen again.

1. Glad I heard this. It's good. 2. But I wouldn't call it great. 3. I see that most of the hype was in the UK... typical of the 1001 project. This is definitely different. And good. So I may return to it from time to time.

very interesting one this time around, what happens when you mix soul music with soft country influence. not only are the songs pretty mellow throughout, unfortunately the tracks aren't too interesting to listen to. they're not bad, just... i'm just not amazed. i feel nothing when i listen to this. it sounds nice, but just... yeah. nothing. i don't have a lot to say. it puts me to sleep, and the sudden high notes from the singer put me off if anything else.

Interesting. Have never heard of this guy and although it’s not my typical vibe, it was good to have in the background.

Already really love Up With People, so I’m curious to hear the rest of this. This was pretty. Really relaxed and mellow. Lots of little nuances. Very clever. Not pretentious. Just really nice music, genuinely well made. The second half I could live without, but the first half is very nice. 3/5

Cozy background music, got better when stripped down

Varied but congruent

This is a great sound for 2000. It fits into the Will Oldham and Bill Callahan club. I can see how it influences bands like My Morning Jacket. Ultimately, this album reach the heights of those bands. The falsetto is sometimes forced and I find myself thinking they’re doing something they’re not entirely cut out for. But, I love the soulfulness and the genre bending.

Enjoyed it. But nothing stood out as 1000 to hear before die worthy.

I was skeptical when this popped up as my daily listen but it was actually pretty good. Plus, it was my 501st album so, regardless of what comes next, I'll be able to say that Lambchop and Nixon played a memorable role in my completion of this marathon!

🎧Strange little album. I get Ween vibes from some songs but there’s also Up With People (favorite track) which sounds like Belle and Sebastian fronted by Bill Callahan. I also like You Masculine You and Butcher Boy.

Good

Aptly named after a cut with a disappointing amount of meat on it. Decent enough background music.

so much fluff

None more mild

Lambchop is an interesting artist. He's a wordy songwriter and does some interesting things with his voice. I first discovered him a few years ago with the 2016 album "FLOTUS," which features auto-tuned vocals. I have a soft spot for artists that use auto-tune in unconventional and artistic ways, and I listened that album a few times when it came out. He certainly sings in interesting ways on this album too. His typical style is somewhere between a talky poetry reading and crooning. But wait, what is he doing with his voice on "You Masculine You"? Whispering in a falsetto that he can't hit? So strange. And again on “What Else Could It Be?” On that song he sounds like he’s going for a soulful 60s R&B style but because he can’t get anywhere near, say, Smokey Robinson’s upper register, the end result is almost parody. Honestly though, I’m kind of vibing with it. It’s absurd but sort of works. The music throughout is wistful, melancholy soul for the most part. It’s very pretty. There’s also some interesting alt-rock tracks. Not sure I connected with those as much. But this is an interesting album. I’m curious to listen to more Lambchop. Funny album cover. I think it captures the mood here — there’s a sweet, nostalgic tone to the music but also a fair amount of irony.

I really love this album cover. It's uniquely modern and retro at the same time- really right up my alley. When I saw it appear I was immediately thinking this must be a more recent album. I feel like there's some deeper meanings going on too but I haven't quite sorted that out yet from my wikipedia and "lyrics genius" investigating. I really want to like this. The music is so cool. I just don't like the vocals, I feel like the singer is almost too... approachable? Like it's only a few short steps away from spoken wordy at times? It's really hard to put my finger on but I don't find enough magic that attracts me to the singing. I do appreciate all the exploration that goes on- like those crazy falsetto tracks. It's kind of crazy to me though because as I listen on I feel like I would love to see this band live. They certainly offer something. "Up with People" was a standout track, I think mostly because of the cool laid back feel and the nice backing vocals. This one definitely made me stop listening and restart the track before sliding through the rest of the album. Around the mid way point in this album I was thinking it was a clear 2, but it's ending up as a 3.

Country legalzinho...nem é tão country assim na verdade

This is a bit mad, they mash up so many styles and genres across the 10 tracks that it's very difficult to know where to place it. It's almost every different flavour of easy listening, and thus ends up being a bit hit and miss. Think it's marginally more hit than miss, though it never really hits massively well and does sometimes miss really badly. Squeaks a low 3, I think.

This… isn’t bad as a whole. But the dude’s weird, strained falsettos and other vocal indulgences make it hard to listen to at times.

it starts much stronger than it finishes

Mellow and enjoyable but for me not too memorable.

Oikein mukavaa musiikkia ei tule miettineeksi aikakautta tai genreä.. Kuuntelee vaan menemään ja ei kuullosta liiaksi vanhentuneelta.. kuten vuoden 2012 Fujifilm kamera X-Pro 1 joka toi markkinoille uuden bajonetin, jossa elon muskin lempi kirjain. Heh.

Pleasant enough indie rock album that’d I’d be open to listening to againn

Up with people Grumpus Butcher boy

Pleasantly surprised with this one. Calm and dreamy the album passed by quickly and worked great as something to listen to while I was doing some stuff. I really like it's combined genres. Not the most unique or attention grabbing but it was solid.

Wel oke maar saai

Interesting, but unfocused.

"Monochrome" is the best word I've found to describe this album. It's full and lush and definitely sets up some other UK artists down the line in the Alternative area, but it's like watching a 1950's black and white movie in the modern era

I saw that these guys were on Merge; ever since Neutral Milk Hotel, anytime someone recommends an artist from Merge, I've always been pleased. The supple sounds of Lambchop are soothing and reminiscent of art rock, chamber orchestras, and at times, TSOP (The Sound Of Philly) à la "Me & Mrs. Jones." The end of the album moves a bit towards psyche rock with a thumping bassline that would fit with The Munsters theme song. Interesting find. I'm surprised and happy to see this one on the list. It shows someone is mining these smaller labels for gold.

I liked the retro vibe and arrangement of the instrumentation.

A pleasant enough album with a few exciting bits, but most passed by as nice enough background music

It alright 👍

Ein bisschen jazzig finde ich ganz schön

Like the music, not so much the singing.

A bit too mellow

Aldrig hört talas om tidigare. Snurrade i högtalarna exakt hela dagen igår och i början fungerade den som rätt trevlig bakgrundsmusik men inte så mycket mer än så. Plockade efter ett tag upp ett par låtar som jag tycker stack ut lite (Up with people, Nashville parent och What else could it be). Sammanfattningsvis en helt okej skiva men som jag inte tar med mig så mycket ifrån och sannolikt inte lyssnar på igen. Svag trea.

Sorprendente pero me ha aburrido un poco. 3'5 redondeando pabajo

Vond het best leuk. Niet bijzonder ofzo, maar fijne stem en gitaar was erg goed hierop. Hij ging daarna terug naar het eerste nummer, maar 1 keer is wel genoeg kwam ik toen achter. 3 sterren

Reminds me of '64 go

Actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would!

Meh!

Listened to this while playing Revive solo. I lost. I had a friend I met at Burning Man that loved this band and other bands with a country twang and a vocalist with "unique" characteristics. I really wanted to get into it to, because we shared a lot of music back and forth. It just never resonated with me the same way it did with him. I was hoping time would have changed things...and it did...but not very much. I was ready to give this album a 2, but I loved the final two songs, so it definitely gets bumped to a 3.

What the hell is going on with the vocal mix on some of these tracks? The weird falsetto just completely getting lost in the onslaught of orchestral strings just did not connect with me. Or maybe it was just my speakers? I think my biggest gripe is the level of inconsistency in tone. In one verse, you've got pretty strange mixing with an overload of synths, but then on the next turnaround, you've got dark, fuzzed out guitars complimenting a poppy, country backbeat, which was great. But hey, it's nice to get something unfamiliar for the first time in a while on this list.

Interesting mood I guess

Boring but an alright vibe

This album slowly grew on me over the course of my listen. Something about the instrumentation and composition I found really pleasing even though this not usually a style I would enjoy.

boring but pleasant. very long songs but some nice moments... it feels good to listen to.

Not my taste, but weird..some baritone guy sing talking for an hour. Some of the instrumental sections were interesting, with heavy trumpet use. Weird…

Very soft and silky while also relatively engaging. I was thrilled that it wasn't a boring listen. Seems like fancy dinner music.

This was okay. Some of the instrumentation could be quite lovely at times, but the vocals didn’t do much for me.

Pleasant

Country alternativo, soul. Ni fu ni fa.

So dull. What was that?? How is that something everyone must listen to. It wasn't bad, but was so hard to tell if it was good as it was instantly forgettable. 2.5*

I forgot this group existed and I'm more familiar with an older album, the hilariously named Thriller. This one is very easy to listen to. Standouts for me are the very RnB feeling Grumpus and You Masculine You. A lot of it feels like spoken poetry over chamber music and I think that is on purpose. I do appreciate horns and vibraphones getting some love.

Interesting album. Sounds older than it is.

Lambchop has never truly resonated with me, but it's still enjoyable.

Never heard of this and didn't expect much, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Some really solid and fun melodies, plus the singer had this weird falsetto shift thing going on that I kinda liked, it's imperfect but leaning into that imperfection feels good and genuine. Nothing too crazy to note here, but it was really good. Favorite tracks: You Masculine You, Nashville Parent, What Else Could It Be, The Distance from Her to There. Album art: This one's interesting, it's an inset painting of two kids playing by a lake, containing the giant word NIXON. Below the painting is a pretty unusual band logo thing, almost looks like a fishing depth finder diagram? Not entirely sure. But enough here to be interesting, the painting is really cool honestly. 3.5/5

Nice and chill and some bops but also every time he did the falsetto voice in ‘The Distance From Her to There’ I finally related to and understood that tweet “me and my friends would have killed ET with hammers”. It set off my fight or flight adrenaline rush

A relaxing listen

This was a bit of a strange/interesting album. I either loved it or hated it, but can't decide. Definitely needs another listen. The musicianship, arrangements, etc. all sounded... pretty good? Easy, interesting listening. But the singing, I'm not so sure. Could be one of those things that grows on you after repeated listens. Or not! 2.5 / 5.

Good album. I don't recall having heard of this band before and I doubt I've heard their music before. Nice addition of horns and other instruments on most tracks, and quite a few layers going on but not in a messy or cacophonous way. Interesting stuff here. I like it.

Not something I enjoyed in any real way, although the last song wasn’t bad. It really just isn’t my style of music ultimately but I wouldn’t say it was a BAD album really. Very neutral 3 stars

Pleasant, easy listening, but essentially background noise. I'm surprised to see this considered as one of the top 1001 albums, it doesn't seem to be outstanding in any particular way. I enjoyed this, don't get me wrong, but don't think my life has been enriched by listening to it, and don't think I'll be saving this one for later.

Lugnt och gött, tarvar rätt sinnesstämning

Chill falsetto. 3/5

Ganz ok, aber bisschen langweilig. 3-4

Yesterday we bought a lamb chops from Tesco for the first time in, literally, years. Today this Lambchop album is generated. Just, wow. Mind blown. What is happening in the universe?! There really must be powers we don't understand. (Or it could just be a coincidence). Regarding the music, this is quaint, gentle orchestral chamber pop. It feels very similar in style to Richard Hawley's Coles Corner album and is stylistically right up my street. I love arrangements, but I'm not sure the song writing is all that, and it does get dangerously close to easy listening at times. The falsetto and neo soul are also very ill advised. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Up with People Date listened: 16/03/24

This is an album that I have had for a long time, I listen to it somewhat rarely but do remember enjoying it. So far, it's not as good as I remember but still enjoyable nonetheless, definitely one that I will be returning to at some point. 3/5

🥱

Nice instrumentals and some good easy listening. Favorites were You Masculine You, Up With People, and The Butcher Boy.

Another surprise

Reminded me a bit of Radiohead.

Fine country pop album.

Bit weird but ok

It was alright.

Every time I wanted to like it, it just got real weird. I just assumed it was an older album…the voice and the songs reminded me a little of mark knopfler. In the end, the album was only okay. .

Not sure what I listened to, but glad I did. Kind of a mix of a floydian Kenny G avante guard kind of thing.

2.5 - It was fine? Admittedly, I'm writing this days after actually listening to the album, and I remember almost nothing. I think I kind of liked the first songs and the vibe it set up, but everything else was whatever. Another forgettable album.

I've never heard of this band before, or this album. I read a review from a guy that attended one of their live shows. "14 outcasts in denim and pearl buttons, standing onstage and staring at their shoes, playing the pro-social sounds of country and soul with the graceful reluctance of indie rockers too polite to beg for attention but too obstinate to shut up and go home. " The wife liked it. I didn't hate it. 3 stars.

Klinkt prima

Group I never heard of, even under the old name Posterchild.

Honestly have never understood the lamb chop appeal. It’s good enough to put on in the background but doesn’t hold my attention.

Favourite songs: The Distance From Her to There, Up With People, The Old Gold Shoe Least favourite songs: Petrified Florist 3/5

I've tried so many times to get into Lambchop. It's not bad, I actually like the music here a lot, but his voice takes me out of it. Not for me.

I'll for sure consider playing this anytime I end up in a field of daffodils, with ample puppies, and a picnic blanket, and beautiful families in the distance smiling and frolicking in slow motion, while I have a head 1/2 full of mellow mushrooms.

I've never heard this album before. I don't know that I will rush out to listen to it again, but I would describe it as decent background music whilst accomplishing household chores.

That's nice. Its like the Silver Jews with a strings section.

3/5. A pretty chill and relaxing album, except when he tries for the prince-tier high pitched singing, takes me completely out, and that's like half of the songs. The instrumentation is so good but his vocals are kind of a negative for me. I enjoyed it but hard to find myself relistening.

Fairly forgettable, but pleasant enough as it goes. Perhaps an early (and American) forerunner of the British landfill indie movement of a few years later, with much more country influence. Only giving three feels too harsh, but it wasn't good enough for four stars - so 3 is what it has to get!

Une ou deux qui faisaient un peu balade dans la prairie ahah mais je n'ai pas trop aimé :/

The falsetto makes me think of the muppets.

A bit boring I thought. Some nice ideas but dragged its feet

There are probably better Lambchop albums, and better respresentations of this genre. It's fine. Didn't really grab me.

Nice easy listening with sometimes being a bit too smooth so that you forget about it and it becomes a bit bland. A mix of some soul, some motown, some country and some indie. During the first listen "Up With People" stood out as being more catchy than the rest. Can see myself putting this on in the background and it could grow with some more listens.

Falsetto in ‘you masculine you’ was a bit much Fun mellow rocky vibes coffee shop for first few until you masculine you

Halfway through the first song I had convinced myself that the vocalist was Gibby Haynes and that Lambchop was a side project he had started. It made me excited because I assumed the album would start getting REAL WEIRD soon. After the fourth track no weirdness had revealed itself. At this point I started to settle in and my mind wandered into the territory of those Scott Walker records. The music on them was OK but they also got weird. Now we come to Nixon. It's not a Butthole Surfers off-shoot. The songs are not meant to shock uptight 60s music consumers. Instead this was probably a hallmark of the alternative country or New Weird America or whatever scene was popping at the time. It's OK. Not really my thing, honestly. I wasn't into Wilco 20 years ago. Maybe if I was then Nixon would be a revelation.

This has that early 2000s slightly breathless, retro, twee feel - it kept reminding me of The Magic Numbers , or Corinne Bailey Rae. It does have some pretty dark lyrical imagery, but that is offset by the melodies and (over) production. It's perfectly nice, but I'm not sure it deserves a place on the list. Having said that, the falsetto on 'The Distance From Her To There' is really shit.

This album started out promising, with cosy, moody lounge music. But then the singer just had to sing very high, even though it sounded shit. So 3 stars it gets. Stand-out: Grumpus

So lala

Enjoyable although I didn't finish it by two tracks. 3*

Nett

Self-prejudice alert: I see "alt-country" and I'm immediately at the ready to peak at a 2/5 stars. Maybe. I don't hear this as alt-country. Or - perhaps in a moment of self-improvement - maybe I just don't know what alt-country can really mean. This is (or was for me) for the most part unexpectedly melodic, joyous, adventurous music. The negatives though....sigh: the lyrics are sometimes noticeable in an odd way ("Nashville Parent"). And the worst is that the vocals - again with vocals - start to become comically bad (holy hell the falsetto delivery on "What Else Could It Be?" has to be a joke? Whywhywhy and then continued here and there later on) ... The vocals are by far the biggest distraction which is a disappointment as they'd started out ... normal-ish? not-noticeable? When he sings in a plain matter-of-fact Bill Callahan style it works. This falsetto distracts from the entire project which is frustrating and as the album progressed the bizarre vocals became more noticeable to me. TL;DR: very very creative and skilled in composition, vocals (as always...) bring it down. Could listen to *some* of this again and happily. Sounds like a 3. 5/10 3 stars.

It wasn't as bad as the reviews suggested, or as good as the critics would have you believe

Este fue una grata sorpresa

Tooodella pehmeä levy ja sopi päivän tunnelmaan. Ei todella mitään hittikamaa, mutta kevyttä ja helppoa taustamusaa.

“Hey you guys want to make a pretty cool alternative country/R&B album? Ok cool, only catch is that the singer has to be quiet so he doesn’t wake up my mom.” That how I imagine it went down

1st listen

Album 246 of 1001 Lambchop - Nixon Serene. Peaceful. Chill. This album could be defined with any of those. I tire of the term "I really wanted to like this more than I do", but that is the case here. Seems so perfectly put together but the output is just "meh'. Vocals are on point, musicians are on point, production, as well. Not sure where it is going wrong. Another reviewer said "The emotional register of each song is perfectly uniform, bordering on monotone." That is an apt summation. Put them in there with Elliot Smith, Leonard Cohen, etc. I did like it.

What a strange album. The singing change in The Distance from Her to There and You Masculine You caused me to stop what I was doing. I listened to this twice and still don't know what to make of it. This almost has a bit of the vibe of Roger Waters solo work in some ways. I do like the range of instruments they used and how it all blends. I think a lot of this goes in a direction I really like but the sum of the parts isn't quite what I wanted. Strong 3+ for me.

Pretty creative and alri

Not what I was expecting but actually enjoyed it.

Like pleasant hotel lobby music, or a Subaru commercial. Unoffensive and very not groundbreaking. I will immediately forget this. 2.5 but rounding up cause I didn't hate it.

Unusual, varied, folksy/talky, a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.

Really enjoyed this one! Don't have any specific comments, but it was a great album and I'd never heard it.

2.5 - 3.0

I appreciate the unique style, but I'm not sure I'd come back to this.

Interesting mix of sounds Wikipedia potentially lists as ‘alternative country’ but largely sits in the broad label that is ‘indie’. Also great that it was a nothing burger in the US but found popularity in the UK and now is on this list from our UK writer

ok

Meh

Pretty chill, 5/10

Hmmm, there is a lot to appreciate here. Floating between a 2 and 3 my appreciation of the musicianship and my lack of enjoyment. The layers are dense and nicely orchestrated. I would need to sit with the words longer to work out clearly the primary themes. I won't do this, because Im not actually enjoy listening to it for the length of the record. It plods along like a slushy trudge through someone else's neighborhood. What are you hinting at, my dudes? Why are we stuck at 110 bpm? Why does this music feel so impotent? They're so restrained I feel like I'm handcuffed.

I love the idea of Lambchop a lot and when they come on in shuffle or something similar, they always strike a chord with me, but I am often left wanting when I listen to a whole album. I know this is their most praised but I actually think it stays a bit too one note until the end. Luckily that note is very cool and strikes a good vibe, but this will never be my fave band or probably even my fave in the more experimental side of the genre, but they’re cool overall.

Plodded away nicely but generally didn't move me. Like a less interesting Giant Sand.

I would've found this really pleasant were it not for the vocals. On most tracks, it's like Glen Hansard but instead of charming, awful. 3 stars for everything but the vocals.

The first time I heard the album I was like, "shoot me now" I don't want to listen to this again...2nd time, I thought, "it's not too bad, but nothing special". Now, third time...I'm really getting into it. I think it's really great now. I still need to hear it a few more times to call it amazing....but, I'm getting there. One track, The Distance from Her to There I think is amazing. Standouts: The Distance from Her to There. Others: The Old Gold Shoe, Up With People, The Book I Haven't Read 3.5/5

Enjoyable style wasn't sure how to place this

I liked the instrumentation a lot. I just wish the vocals were stronger. It's said Kurt Wagner is the staying force behind this act. Surrounding himself with different talents, he fits the puzzle pieces to what he needs. The problem is that he needs to step up to the music that he puts together, and he doesn't do that very well. Only one or two songs do his vocals fit the song ("Butcher Boy" is. good standout). But I can't help wondering what some of these songs would sound like with a better singer. It has more of that demo vibe than I wanted. DIsappointing.

This album is definitely unique. Not awful, but a bit unusual. I don't know that being different is enough reason to get on this 1,001 list but whatever. Average at best, and I'm ready to move on.

3.25

Really chill album but not something that changed my look on the world

Interesting listen. The retro sound is very reminiscent of 60's easy-listening orchestrated pop or something Burt Bacharach might have had a part writing. Lush sounding, nods for style and the feeling of being transported to another time. I quite like it, but may wear thin after while. Worth the listen.

Galet mysig rock. Skön röst och en allmänt trevlig genomlyssning. Favorit: Up with People

Smooth listening country alt rock pop jams. Nothing that really grabs me but the entire album is a chill, enjoyable ride.

not actually Britpop- it's Texpop Actually though, now that I've read about the many influences behind Lambchop's music, and can hear said influences (country, soul), it still somewhat sounds like a Blur album to me Could it be that I'll love this more with time? It's really pretty in parts 3.5 HL: "Up With People", "What Else Could It Be?", "The Distance from Her to There", "The Book I Haven't Read" August 20, 2023

Nokkuð næs bara.

The music doesn't fit my taste. I guess it's good, so i gave it a three star.

cool ass chamber / bedroom pop shit. just a tad less string ensemble wouldve been nice. fav songs: grumpus, up with people, what else could it be.

I liked this, nice and varied but some really good song writing. Never heard of this Lampchop fella

"Grumpus" is a great track. I like "Up with the People" too. Kurt Wagner's has a good voice but he could dial back the falsetto a bit. I like the arrangements & orchestration, though some of the songs are a bit quiet for me.

I've never heard of Lambchop before, but I thought this was a pretty good album. The string arrangements, the horns, and the vibraphone all combined to make some really beautiful sounds. The lyrics and vocals were great too, especially on "Grumpus." Unfortunately, things took a turn for me on "What Else Could It Be?" I wasn't a big fan of the falsetto singing on that song, and I thought the album's second half was noticeably not as good as the first half. When things worked on this album, they worked well, but when they didn't, they were a big miss for me. I don't think I'll be carving out any time for more of Lambchop's albums in the future. Favorite track: Up With People

I enjoyed the overall sound of the album, but the lead singer kills the whole thing for me.

Weird album. They call anything alternative these days haha. I cannot take this guy’s voice seriously sometimes, but good songs even if they get repetitive.

Beautiful and subtle music unfortunately ruined by the vocals.

Fine, dull at times. Maybe a car stereo while on the 401 doesn't make for the best listening experience.

Embarrassingly recently I had my first experience with a collection of compositions let down by their recording. Nixon didn't let me down; Its output is a deep pin in Lambchop for the future. The reason behind the lacy production is less clear. The songs barely hang together, and are composed of many a gauzy layer. I think of a National where more sentiment is reified in synthesizers.

Something about this album was kind of nice but also really boring. I don't know, it was hard to tell what the singer was saying at some points and the tone was just weird sometimes.

Surprisingly easy to listen to. Overall was enjoyable

Kinda cool. Lo key and less punchy than I'd anticipated.

A chilled and enjoyable spot of early thou's indie, might come back to this

I liked grumpus a lot. Weird bro. Into it.

Reminded me of forgettable music I would hear in a coffee shop until the last two songs that actually started to come alive.

Quite liked it for the early Pink Floyd feels, but 'meh' overall.

more to be admired than adored

Þessi er misskemmtileg, aldrei mjög leiðinleg svo sem en ég þarf ekki allt. Lokalagið er töff. Falsetta Wagners er ekki góð en söngurinn sleppur annars fyrir horn. Nokkuð fjölbreytt sound, smá country. Jújú, allt í lagi.

This is so close to good, but sometimes I can’t let my ears wrap around some things, like vocal choices, that distract me from perhaps fully enjoying it.

Eh

I did not know what to expect, was really pleasantly surprised, then disappointed. It got a bit samey and not-for-me. You win some, you lose some and sorry Lambchop, you didn’t win me.

Listened at some point 3/5 Favorite song: up with the people Weird noises were very distracting but he has a beautiful voice

Very genre bending and interesting enough to listen to where I would again

This was okay but I wouldn’t listen to these songs again.

Not exactly bad, but not very memorable. I could give it a 3 because it could potentially grow on me.

Heeft wel iets

Best leuk eigenlijk. Echt een zondagsplaatje.

Dit vond ik best wel sfeervol en prettig op een zondagochtend.

Nog nooit van gehoord maar beviel wel goed!

Aangename verrassing.

Chill indie pop. It’s gonna depend on mood for me, but I was in the right spot as I listened to it.

chill

Ehhh

My favourite Nixon. That is to say: It’s decent

Not what I expected but I liked it

Hmm this was an interesting album. I had no idea what to expect based on how Wikipedia described the genres. I feel like I’d like it more if I listened to it a few more times. It wasn’t bad but I also wasn’t enamoured by it. I liked Up With People the most.

Not my vibe right now but I may go back to this later

I mean it’s alright but it’s just so in the background 3/5.

Takes quite a few listens to get into. Some of the songs are quite nice. The album is mostly quiet and soft and does tend to be a bit boring at first, it gets better.

Musically I found this interesting enough, charming even at times. But that strained vocal by Kurt Wagner did nothing for me. I'm a fan of unconventional vocals. But this guy sounds like he revels in the fact that he's not even trying. Fave Songs: Grumpus, You Masculine You, The Distance from Her to There, The Book I Haven't Read

Interesting mix of genres but overall a rather monotonous album that's quickly forgotten

good album.

Country alternativo, soul. Ni fu ni fa.

I had never heard of this band, and as soon as the vocals started on the first track I was like, well, this is gonna be a 2 at best. But the lyrics are great (and often hysterically funny and crass). So I started to think about it like it was Cake and the deadpan talk-singing got easier to take. In the end this album was sort of weird and wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Competently played, but the songs tend to blend together. The singer should stop trying to reach notes beyond his range.

I remember loving a few songs off this album when it came out but was left lost after listening to the whole thing. Twenty odd years have passed and I still feel the same. Some good Americana on here though nothing revolutionary

Didn’t really care for this. Not bad, not good.

There's a clear musical link between this and Leonard Cohen, who was last up. Leonard doesn't do anything for me and yet there's something I like about this album. It feels more thought out, structured and accomplished.

Yee-har.

Haven't heard of the band, quite enjoyable album

Up With People is a 5. The songs that remind me of Beck are okay. Props for naming the band after a Sherry Lewis puppet.

I found this just dull. It wafted past without leaving a mark.Apparently it's 'alternative country'.

Denne har jeg faktisk kjøpt en gang i tiden og hørt en gang. Mye bedre enn jeg husker.

behagelig jobbemusikk men ikkje så mykje meir

Kinda reminds me of Lullaby for the Working Class, except not as sad.

Showgazed tempo and early millennium indie sensibilities coalesce here to craft something easy to listen to but difficult to truly enjoy.

Boring as hell

Something between R&B and soul music, Nixon is a combination of smooth, sweet sounds that act like a balm on your soul. By nature very atmospheric, if you're not in the appropiate mood it can get quite grating after a while, someone adding honey to the cup of tea you were looking forward to drinking bitter. Nevertheless at the right moment it's a pleasant, soothing experience

Pop rock. Suave. Aburridito.

Pleasingly pleasant, after expecting something a lot more shouty with that title.

I'm not sure I've ever heard of the "alternative country" genre, but I suppose it's a fitting title for this type of music. This album was pretty cool. It was a nice blend of weird and melancholy and funny and interesting. You know, staples of the alternative country movement. :)

It's all pretty meh.

I associate Lambchop with bass vocals, so was surprised that most of this record was in falsetto. It’s definitely not what I was expecting, but it felt both a little underdone and a little overdone, in general. I did think that the first song worked really well in its indie rock vibe, I just wish that the rest of the album followed suit.

I was looking forward to this as I knew it was alt-country but had never got round to listening to it. It's actually a bit closer to pop. Up with people is very good but a lot of the album is a bit easy listening. I'm not sure about his falsetto either

It didn’t really grab me, but musically it was fine. Don’t know if I would go back and Re listen but I can see the appeal

Very pretty. Lush orchestral backing. However, some mumbled vocals and a few falsetto curiosities! Reminds me of Sufjan Stevens. Was expecting alt-country not sweet melodic chamber pop/blue eyed soul! A high 3 for its accessibility.

Another new one on me. Good in places

Mellow, in a Sunday morning in Spring, while making pancakes and supping on a fresh coffee kind of mellow. That is before you get to the last couple of tracks that are a bit heavier, like the sediment in your French coffee press, gritty. Could be a grower, an acquired taste.

Nice sound. Really nice. That is the beginning tracks. "Grumpus" has a lovely, flowy feel that was just relaxing. "Up With People" has a fun sound ... but I am always a sucker for brass in songs. But the last 2 tracks of the album really fell off. "Petrified Florist" sounded like the singer was being tortured. "Butcher Boy" was just a flat, unexciting, jumble of sound. Enjoyed. Will look into them some more.

Nice chill sound. My favorites were grumpus and up with the people

I didn't expect this to be such a chill listen

I have not heard of Nixon before. So, this was a first listen for Lambchop. It was okay for me. There was nothing offensive to me, but there was also nothing all that interesting for me. There were a few moments when my ears perked to a catchy musical lick only to have the entire composition just fade into the background.

Maybe this is a slow burn and with a few more listens I would love it. I really loved Up With People from its first hand-claps and thought during the first listen there was another song that I liked a lot. But on the second listen I realized it was just another version of Up With People. The rest was fine but nothing else particularly grabbed me. Nice and mellow though.

Interested album. Heavy Leonard Cohen vibes, but I enjoyed the music a bit more. Not my go-to, but didn't hate it.

Like if Burt Bacharach started doing heroin

Pleasant enough but nothing special. A great example of a 'fine' album, no standout tracks in one way or another and it mostly faded into the background.

I would like to listen to this again

Saw the album cover and the band name, thought "Ohhh a potential metal band?" It was not a metal band. Just fine, is how I think I'd describe this album, didn't really hit it off with me.

This album wasn't at all what I expected, and I still am not sure whether that's a good or bad thing! A pleasant enough listen that I don't think does enough for me to make it a favourite.

I like the classical instrumentation and am very much enjoying the chill vibes of this album. I was initially thinking it might be a 4 for this album, but as it turned out I was not excited enough by any of the songs specifically. It is a strong 3 from me but I am not going to put this album on again any time sun

Found this very weird. The vocals rubbed me the wrong way, and that was even before the super weird supplemental vocals kicked in on some of the songs.

delicate, breathy vocals, spacious yet rich countrypolitan/americana arrangements with lush strings, a reflective, thoughtful album. I'm less keen on the falsetto songs.

Luuugn rock

3.5 Never heard this before and kinda dug it.

Never listened to this before, though I'm familiar with the cover of this album. That said the cover, and perhaps the name had me expecting something a lot closer to early 2000s pop punk and I'm glad that's not what I got.

Now see that's an interesting album. "Up With People" has popped up on some of my other playlists. While I'm not sure it's something I'd turn to regularly, I might put it on again. I liked the layering of tracks, subtle brass and string sections, non-predictable lyrics, and groovy licks. That all makes for an unexpectedly enjoyable album to listen to versus, say, The Triffids. Surprised to learn they were out of Nashville.

I purchased this on the back of the Zero 7 remix of Up With People, a Gilles Peterson staple on Worldwide at the time. None of the record sounded like the remix, of course. But, I liked it, even though it was distant to my tastes. Revisiting it now, it's a very pretty record. Gets better towards the end.

Lots of strings and a very chill vibe throughout, and the singer has a very unique voice that grew on me through the listen. It was good, but mostly background sound instead of something that compelled me to keep listening.

Had potential to be a five star find a la Elbow but never quite got there

alright, kinda makes me feel like an old man 3 or 4 stars because its not bad easy listening just kinda bad in general.

6.95/10

Maybe I wasn't quite doing the album justice. But having it playing in the background, I never felt like it stood out in a positive way at any point. Just pleasant background music flowing along. Sounding more good than bad, but very uneventful. The song that stood out most was the final track. And I didn't particularly like it.

Quite enjoyed it, especially early on

3.5

6/10 listenable but i wouldn't really care to listen again. quality varied wildly between songs

5/10. Fairly boring as best as I could tell

I am not sure what this was. The music is interesting and sweeping at times, though the vocals seems to alternate between a whispering falsetto and spoken word. I actually like the music, though the singing seems to detract from the vibe instead of enhancing it. Still, i don't actually dislike it, so a straight-up 3 seems to fit.

Interesting, would need another listen to really get a grip of it I feel.

Not bad