Nixon

it's alright but i don't think i could see myself ever relistening to it.

This whole album can be summed up in one word, and that is BORING. Holy crap was it dull as hell. When the first track hit, I almost hit stop, but decided to give it a chance. At some point, a few tracks in the middle kind of got a groove going. Sadly it didn’t last long enough, and with around 4 songs left, I just hit stop and moved on. Seriously stupified how stuff like this makes this list.

meh with some eyyyyy

Why?

Recognized Kurt Wagner's distinctive voice from 'What New York Couple's Fight About' by Morcheeba (better band and album), and was then horrified how often he seemed to think he should sing in a falsetto instead. What in the ever-loving-nonsense that was all about, I don't even know because it's not like the music gave Prince or Justin Timberlake vibes. So misplaced. & outright bad. Drug this forgettable album from a passable 3 down to a skip-worthy 2.

What is this? Weird.

Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 🍂🏡🏞️ Production: 🧈😊👌 Music: 🎻💭🤷 Rating: 🍂🍂/5

Niewiele mi się w tym albumie podobało. Nudny, grubociosany, jakiś taki prosty i niewymagający, a do tego nużący. Falset mnie męczył, melodie nie rajcowały. Zapomnę o nim w kilka dni. 3/10

Slow, jazzy and kind of interesting...

I’m glad I listened to this in the morning otherwise I wouldn’t of stayed awake past the first track! Utterly pointless, goes nowhere, does nothing to engage, what a load of boring old tosh!

Just behind every song, you can almost hear their anuses clenching from trying so hard.

Pleasant enough Americana but couldn't tell you a thing about it now other than i liked the strings and sounded a bit like a soundtrack to a slow, sepia-tinged indie film

Felt like an inside joke, as if you went to a show and there'd be these hardcore fans nodding sagely to the erudite wit and social commentary while you order a double and wish you were just a little bit higher.

Idk chill album just weird and odd. Not my cup of tea. Really wondering if/how people sit and listen to this for fun the way i watch a movie

Ehhh

It's 18:45 on Sunday and I am still hungover. Went to United where we got turned over 0-3 at home to Bournemouth. It's blowing a gale outside and I've come back up to bed. I needs a musical hug. Enter this record. First track feels like Bill Callahan meets Divine Comedy. Then I fell asleep. Awakening after a short nap, I drag myself downstairs to make tea with this on. Amused to discover later on reading the entry in the book that it suggests the exact activity I was already undertaking. The falsetto songs are weird. What's going on here? The lush instrumentation is clearly good, but this record is simply curiously devoid of memorable tunes. I already had Up With People marked as liked so that one was ok. Yeah, listened back after the record and that's surviving. Easily the best song here. I couldn't pick any of the others out of a line up. Not something I'm likely to return to, despite being in the perfect place for it today. Yes, I do get Richard Hawley vibes also, in that it's nicely made and very forgettable

Lambchop dude seems like a bit of a shyster. Takes a bunch of elevator country and soul and does completely interchangeable Kif Kroker-style wispy breathy mumble singing over it. There aren’t really any discernible melodies and the songs don’t tend to go anywhere. It’s mellow and listenable enough because of the easygoing music backdrop or at least until the falsetto starts and then it’s really hard to take the record seriously because it then turns into gushing ballads from a Miss Piggy/Audrey from Little Shop Of Horros/squeaking radiator hybrid creature. It adds a crazy level of cringe to what is otherwise a completely bland yet pitchfork approved faux quirky alt-country/indie album.

I don't like it. Elevator music. Not memorable at all. Sometimes he sings falsetto. I hate that. Most of the songs are not bad, but none of them stand out in a positive way to me.

An easy listen, with some good variation and lots of instruments in the mix, but somehow it feels so devoid of any emotion of sticking power. Either the lyrics are just too cryptic or it was hard to stay tuned in for the whole song, but the whole thing just feels so melancholic. 4/10

“Chamberpop,” country, and soul fusion may not sound very interesting to you… nor did it to me.

Some good beats, especially towards the back, but generally felt like I was trapped in a mad-lib book I couldn't escape.

The vocals: way too whispery. While listening to this album, I got the feeling I was intruding on someone else's private conversation. A bit like Leonard Cohen, except much too soft. The music: I liked "You Masculine You". The horns were a nice touch.

Never heard of this band before, and the music was immediately forgettable.

This was a bad album. His voice is bad and sounded like a TV skit song most of the album. Shouldn’t have been on this list.

Bad,bad,bad voice and it made no sense at all

why, why, WHY did I need to spend over an hour listening to this??? lyrics are nonsense &/or pretentious mumbling. and the falsetto is awful. 1.5 stars. only reason they get bumped to a 2 is the music (when no one was singing) was ok as background

Not for me. Overall, I found it boring and plain.

Man this was boring. The whole album sounded the same. The musicianship of the band is about the only good thing I can say about it. It's also the only reason I gave it a 2 instead of 1. The vocals are monotonous and the singer should stop that falsetto.

I am quite whelmed.

Oh, in a stunning twist I actually liked this less after switching to headphones. Maybe this is just a better morning album than evening one? IDK, this wasn't without it's moments. I liked "Butcher Boy" and "The Old Gold Shoe" but a lot of it was slow and didn't really speak to me.

i feel like what they were trying to do with this album was to make it whimsical and grandiose… “pet sounds”-esque, if you will. and to me, it just falls flat. an album that takes itself a little too seriously.

Ehhhhhhhh

An album that never gets out of first gear.

Alternative music with a tinge of country. This made for an interesting listening experience, but didn't leave me with a lot to come back to.

I couldn't get into this one. The instrumentals were lush and pretty, but something in the lyrics or his voice took me out of it every time. Not my cup of tea.

I’ve listened to this album twice now and each time I’ve completely forgotten to write a review. I seem to remember the music being relaxing and pleasant enough, especially while driving at night, but I couldn’t for the life of me name one of the songs or hum even a few notes of one of the melodies. This album slipped off my consciousness like water off a duck’s back, so I can’t give more than a 2.

Very boring, absolutely no place on this list.

It was okay; it didn't really stand out and just faded into the background.

I remember when this came out there was a lot of hubub about it amongst the Americana crowd. I had never listened to it. It was just ok

Another puzzling inclusion. On a scale of Best Music To Be Played In An Artisan Bean Brewery - they also sell hand printed postcards from local artists - cleary a 9/10 at least (until Petrified Forest and Butcher Boy come up and Delilah has to hastily rush over and skip those). But other than that it just seems like a wanky collection of vibey sounds. And I get the impression that it wants to be seen as much more but it absolutely is not. I have already forgotten most of it. 283 albums in and here's that word for the first time: "hipster". This is '00 hipstercore.

Slow and dull, vocals barely stand out in the mix

Boring 2/5

Mixed.

I wanted to like this alt-country fusion but I couldn’t get past the high falsetto voice

Listened to this one twice -- neither time with much focus. Didn't command my attention, but also didn't interrupt my work. Overall impression is that it was fine, but not worth a third relisten. I know this makes for a shitty review, but ultimately, this was forgettable. 2 / 5.

Starts quite snoozy. Not doing it for me. Very flat.

I cannot figure this band/album out. Part jazz lounge music, part Leonard Cohen/Tom Waits, part uncomfortable, and part 60s background music. I liked a couple songs and was so intrigued by it all. I did it love it, but I didn’t hate it either.

Can't say Lambchop is for me. The instrumentals on some songs were fine but overall not something I'd listen to. In some ways this reminded me of Leonard Cohen, just with actual background music.

Mostly Disturbingly bland. And then... Dear god, the falsetto on What Else Could it be? At least it broke up the uneasy listeningness. Oh god, the falsetto's back on the next one. Petrified florist (great song title) and butcher boy are far more interesting and now I'm wondering whether the album is actually a cryptic work of genius that exists beyond the understanding of mere mortals. Was the obviously very sincere Mr Chop playing five dimensional aural chess. What does it all mean? Is there some metatextual greatness underpinning the entire endeavour? Probably not.

Poor Nixon. If this is his legacy, then, coupled with Watergate, you really gotta feel for the guy. He was only trying to purge all the hippies, prolong the Vietnam War for as long as possible, increase organised crime rates by attempting to prohibit drugs and alienate drug users, and employ espionage to sabotage the plans of the Democratic National Committee. Simple pleasures. This album wasn't particularly a simple pleasure, though that's not to say it didn't have any positive aspects. The vocal alternates between a very weak timbre that can only be described as "generic-old-man-hunched-over-guitar"-voice and its significantly stronger/younger counterpart. And for what it's worth, some songs with the latter vocal are actually pretty good. The four track run of You Masculine You / Up With People / Nashville Parent / What Else Could It Be shows some vestiges of cohesive songwriting, incorporating some nice guitar and string hooks to engage the listener. The backing vocals, when they appear, are a nice atmospheric touch. I paid essentially zero attention to the lyrics (as I normally do), but there's some chance they were poetic. There's really no way of knowing. Typing this part a day later, though, the album just isn't particularly memorable – apart from the really discomforting old-man singing in about half the tracks. 2/5 Key tracks: You Masculine You, Up With People

meh

Really bland stuff.

Less than 24 hours since I listened to this and I'm not sure I could remember a single thing on it.

#338. Who is this for? And also who decided this made the cut? There is no way anyone needs to hear this. Certainly no way anyone want to hear it either. 2/5: shit

172/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

It was ok. I was happy when it ended though. Could have trimmed some of songs off. Will I listen to again: 1%

Not bad

This was pleasant but somewhat unmemorable.

The album art perfectly matches the opening tune, with its floating on calm water vibe. But by the end I can't help but conclude this is just a snoozefest. Not at all sure why I had to hear it.

I don't remember much about this album, other than I listened to it. I was struck by how it wasn't anything I was expecting, but apparently, it was not enough to stick out.

Ein Song wie der andere im Soft Pop Modus. Tut nicht weh, begeistert aber auch nicht wirklich…4/10

Nice enough music but I found it quite melancholy and too passive. The vocals aren't great so maybe that's why it passed me by a bit. Didn't hate it but wouldn't listen again

Not for me, I found this really boring.

This is listed as country and pop, and wikipedia calls the band a rock band, but it sounds like all the most boring parts of those genres. The weird bells, the orchestra, the bad falsetto, nonsense lyrics. It lacks anything to connect with.

Boring Spottiswoode. Nobody needs to hear this before they die.

Pretty bland for me. And so long. One track felt like it led to the next without any discernible difference. Wish I could hate it but I can’t even remember it. 2/5

Nix

Lush instrumentation and some nice vocals. So why is it so boring? And that falsetto makes me wince.

Nixon is a really strange and unusual album, at its best it's properly groovy with great orchestral arrangements bringing a quality vibe, at its worst though it's like a poor Simply Red effort, and that is unacceptable. The good parts certainly aren't memorable enough to warrant a good score, but it was at least an interesting listen, if only from a 'wtf comes next?' perspective. An easy listening 2, which isn't so much of a compliment as it is a disappointment.

Lost interest half way through

This was alright but didn’t really do anything for me

Nearly embarrassing to listen to. Some of the music was just ok. Some really bad.

Very golden oldies, with a light country feel. It's okay, I just feel like I understand it after two tracks, and it doesn't do much after that. Favorite track: "Up With People"

Most of this sounded like dentist office music. Not appealing at all.

Best Song: Up with People. The choral sections did a lot to take over from the otherwise lackluster main vocals. That combination of a sort of gospel with the trumpets was really nice. Worst Song: The Distance from Her to There. Cut it with that falsetto, goddamn. Overall: Largely uninteresting, although occasionally dipping into annoying. The vocals seemed to be both the focus of the album and its weakest part. I think I can understand why this one was lost to time.

I wouldn't call this bad music but it wasn't for me. I found the lead singers voice to be distracting and the music kind of faded to the background.

2.5 stars. Meh, it was OK. Slow tempo and kinda ballad-y alt-country/chamber pop. "Up with People" was different and pleasant but the rest wasn't much to write home about.

Meh. Wasnt great. Not terrible though. More like background music.

One stand out track I knew from before, pleasant background music

Très meh

Never heard of this guy, so no expectations here. This is a real mellow album. Grumpus is giving some Mac Demarco vibes. I like the soft horns throughout the album, kind of like Sufjan Stevens' Illinois. Of course, this album came before that. This is good background music, super chill, so I'll check out the rest of his catalog. I like the music, but his vocals are whatever. He has no business singing, so it's ballsy that he does it. Good for him for doing what he loves. Up With People is my favorite.

Never heard of this, but the album was interesting and laid back, and I could see how Brits might like it. Interesting string arrangements also that made me wonder how it gets done live. Grumpus was cool but the album ultimately didn't really grab me.

Not the worst. Not really my style but very musical.

This is not my thing for sure. Didnt like any song although producing wise the album is good and makes sense.

Not for me. I didn't like this.

They really do be letting any album onto this list - melodies were pretty good, the vocals were horrendous

När jag hörde rösten tänkte jag, "det här kan bli bra". Men fy satan vilken tråkig skiva. Slöseri. Trist etc

Agradable, nada más.

This is okay

La musique est parfois vraiment intéressante. Une sorte de chamber pop contemporain vraiment intéressant. Mais généralement cet album est tellement ennuyeux. Ce qui rend cela vraiment peu intéressant est la voix. Littéralement ça serait plus captivant si c'était instrumental. La voix semi-parlée semi-chantée, combiné aux paroles durent à déchiffrer, rend l'écoute vraiment fastidieuse. C'est encore pire quand il chante aigu. 3/10

Snooze fest

Weird… is this like a one man band?

There's word I've always loved: ersatz--an inferior substitute. When Bon Jovi achieved the appearance of rocking, without an actual rocking, what they achieved was ersatz rock. Calculated, drained of humanity, reminding us that we can return to our torpor if only a manufactured need is met. Bon Jovi himself said they rushed in when Van Halen broke up. Van Halen, a lot of things, but not ersatz with the classic line-up and that six album run. I'll die on this hill... Anyway, whatever Lambchop's intentions with Nixon, it is undermined with the ersatzness of the approach. Aiming for the sublimity of Pet Sounds and any number of classic Bacharach sides, avoiding the druggy wooze of Love's Forever Changes, it feels twee by two and a half. When Air released Moon Safari, with its vintage electronica and chamber pop arrangements, it showed how the styles of the past can find a relevant and vital home in the present--an actual progression for the form. This ain't that. If you like the form so much, you'll settle for the cheese food version, then have at it. I'll stick to aged cheese, and wait for the next innovation.

This album feels just a bit all over the place, enjoyable in parts, sonically enjoyable in parts more so the chamber pop sound, than the country parts. Been swaying between a 2 and a 3 with this one, but although I did enjoy parts of the album, not convinced you really need to hear it better you die or I’ll be recommending it to anyone, so only the 2 stars.

I didn't care for this one, although I'll give it some credit for doing something interesting. It's an alternative take on a sound I don't generally care for, and I probably prefer this take, but still, no. 1.5/5

Alternativ country, chamber pop

I think I'd b rather listen to Shari Lewis's Lambchop.

Kind of an Americana type album in some ways, I don't know how to describe that but it felt that way, especially with the album cover. I wasn't a huge fan, but there were some moments I enjoyed.

some good songs but generally uninteresting or just plain strange

Much more easy listening than I expected. Not enjoying the vocals for the most part. Otherwise, fairly dreamy stuff but nothing much is making me pay close attention. The Petrified Florist has a bit of a darker edge, but it's too little too late.

Obsolutely adore the Giggle Stick on track 2, but kinda boring otherwise. I think they could have used a bit more production on a couple songs.

keichter dünner nuller pop

I liked Up With People well enough. The rest I could leave honestly.

Pretty odd, I did like a couple of the tracks but didn't love the album overall.

Name sounds like Lamb of God, was expecting Lamb of God, was not Lamb of God, 2/5

Could have cut out about half these songs and been a much better album for sure.

***2.5 stars. Uhhhh this was pretty mid! I'm not a huge fan of his voice, and while the lyrics and production aren't laguhably bad or anything, there's no one track that managed to stick out to me; everything just kinda blended together. Overall a pretty forgettable album, and I can't see myself returning to this in the future.

5/10 - 2/5 This was a skim for me. Not a fan of the not-really-singing, not a fan of the generally mellow sound. Just wasn't it.

2/5 naaaah

meh

2.8

Nope. Didn’t enjoy. But didn’t hate it so much I had to turn it off, so 2 stars.

Zzzzzzz...

I can't really put my finger on what exactly it is I don't like about this album, but I don't. It started off OK, but then gradually got worse. It felt very forgettable if nothing else, nothing that really stuck to me.

Not offensive, but not really engaging, either.

The cover intrigued me in a ‘this could be anything’ kind of way but I did not care for the contents. It feels like a ‘lyrics first’ type of album, because behind the lush orchestration the actual tunes are pretty thin, but ultimately neither the words nor the music grabbed me (or, when they did, they let me go again pretty sharpish).

It's very ambient and pleasing to the ear for alt-country-rock music but i can't recall a song. Didn't hate it. Don't ever want to hear it again.

It was OK. Bit like a more boring Pavement album.

What a bore

Lampchop lean heavily into the chamber pop style. A bit too much for my taste. There are a few great tracks but others really lose me. Aside from some brief praise from the music press, I don't know see much significance to this one either unfortunately.

Have no idea why this is on this list. So boring, nothing stands out. [0100/1001]

Tällä muniinpuhaltelulla ei menty jatkoon

Nixon starts as dreamy chamber pop, switches to soul and then switches back. Who is this for? Who listens to this on the regular? There are so nice sounds, I felt like I was listening to the soundtrack of a very boring movie at times. Overall, what are we doing guys? 4.2/10

M'eh. Not sure why this is on the list.

I wasn't expecting a laid back disco vibe. Add in elements of gospel, plus the strings and horns, and you have a rather confused record. It sounds too polished. The songs suit a more stripped down approach.

Lamb Chop was an iconic if annoying children’s entertainment sock puppet. Lambchop was a forgettable and annoying rock band. According to Wikipedia, Lambchop’s fifth album “Nixon” was a breakout for the band… in the UK. And now we see why it’s on the 1001. The title “Nixon” is a reference to Richard Nixon, but is the album about Nixon?? These guys are not so good with naming things. “Nixon” came out at the turn of the century, perhaps helping out its standing on the list, as 2000 placed 18 albums on the list but no year after hit more than 11. As for the music itself? I was bored. I’ve already forgotten what they sound like. But I’ll never forget what Lamp Chop sounded like. Cute puppet. But that voice? Um…

Dude’s voice sounds too much like Leonard Cohen at times. Big turn off, which is too bad because the music is decent.

Not really my thing

Huh, had never heard of them. Didn’t add anything to my library, but didn’t hate it.

I was really enjoying this, and then the singer went into his falsetto range, and now all I hear is Tiny Tim. The instrumentation is really good and interesting, but I can't get past how not great the falsetto singing is.

nah 2*

Boring

Not sure this should have been on a 1001 albums to listen to before you die list. Competent enough but nothing really stood out about it so I’d have happily passed without ever hearing it

i think i didn’t get it. limp wilco. weird faux-weak vocals. i bet it would be better on a 2nd listen tho

Mezcla de canciones con pop elegante. Señorial. No me ha aportado nada en especial. Totalmente desconocido. No veo por qué tiene que destacar de una manera única.

Easy to listen to, but hard to concentrate on... didn't really leave an impression

not bad but more of background noise for me. nothing stood out. listened on ride from Columbia to ATL and at night in Cumming. 2.2/5

American rock band. Des petites balades bin soffft. 2-3 tounes crrectes, mais ça vole pas haut dans mon estime.

I've never heard of this band before, or any of the songs on this album. After listening to it, I understand why. It was not good. I don't know what this music is trying to be, it's like slow orchestral music, or jazz, with singing that is at times low and gravely or falsetto. Sometimes it's similar to spoken word. I don't get it, I didn't like it

Não é um som de baixa qualidade, mas bem xaropinho de uma forma geral, raros lampejos

Not great. 2/5

I remember that I really liked a Lambchop song a while back... The Saturday Option. It was on an album prior to this one. So I had hopes for this album. Unfortunately nothing caught my attention. Just not that good imo.

This is like if a Saltine cracker was in music form. Very boring. I couldn’t get into the singer’s voice either. I think this would be a lot better without the added orchestral arrangements.

Didn't really like it

Eclectic, talented, anachronistic, but unfortunately not for me.

# 75 : It's an album. Can listen to it, but it's not really good, no hits and it made me skip a few tracks to get it over with. Nothing stood out and I wouldn't go back to it.

"Grumpus" was a pretty decent song. "Up With People" was catchy. but vanilla. "The Butcher Boy" was the most uptempo song, but even that fell pretty flat. This was, overall, a very low energy album that had a lot of songs that were just lifeless.

meh

Not really my style, but well made and a chill listen

Sucks, but like one or two songs were listenable

Very monotonous and “slow”. I guess it can make for some decent background music

Ganska stabil start påminner lite om Mac Demarco. Bästa låtar Up with people

Helt okej, inget speciellt Bästa låt: Butcher Boy

I like to go into albums I've never heard before blind, so I was surprised to see so many other reviewers hating on the vocals. I didn't actually mind them in the main, although there were a couple of places they did seem slightly out of place and too high pitched. Overall this was dull and now I know I'm definitely not a fan of Countrypolitan music. It wasn't so bad that I felt extreme relief at getting through it, but bad enough that I'm giving it 2-stars. There just wasn't anything interesting going on here and it felt a bit like a mixture of Neil Diamond and Radiohead.

Print spoken word, with some questionable falsetto gambles. Saved only by some interesting indie guitar licks. I fully intend to never listen to this again.

It was OK, to be honest I wasn't really paying that much attention, and it didn't grab it

Did anyone else see the cover art and assume this would be more of an alt/indie album?

This album is really varied and not in a good way for me, I don't know where I stand with it and it makes me feel uneasy. A lot of the tracks sound like an intro for a gritty TV show but they also sound very dark and foreboding. I don't know what it is but it makes me feel really uneasy in the second half of the album. The first half or maybe even 3/4 was very bleh to me. Quite bland, uninspiring and corny. I think I like his voice but I'm not sure and I can't really compare to other work because this is the first I've heard of Lambchop.

They did it nice enough, but i barely noticed it happening.

It's not much of anything really

Lost me completely when he started singing in falsetto, but got me a bit back at the end with Butcher Boy

This was a bit weird for me, is it country? Pop? Rock?

first let's talk about the good things: beautiful orchestral arrangements, okay lyrics, not a terrible voice the bad things: boring, repetitive and no progression these things destroy the good things 2

This dreamy stuff doesn’t rock my boat.

Oh my gosh and golly that’s pedestrian! Horrifically soporific.

I've never heard of this album and it sounds…okay. There's nothing fantastic about it that really merits being on the list. From the wikipedia page: Nixon became a breakthrough release for Lambchop in the United Kingdom, where it received critical acclaim and was named among the best albums of 2000 by numerous publications. Ah, now I get it. 2/5.

Very bland and plodding and way too long to make it a good record. The songs are generally pleasant but very forgettable.

Hi - is it OK if I push past as this is my floor. Many thanks.

Started out good then fizzled. 2.5

Not convinced

2.5

Might be something interesting happening musically, but I couldn't handle the vocals.

Big production, tiny voice

2.9 - "A" for effort, I suppose. I admire the songcraft and the intricacy in the musical arrangements (the intro to "The Book I Haven't Read" is particularly striking) on this chamber pop record but I generally dislike the overall sound, especially the liberal use of wispy falsetto. Similar to other acts within this vein such as The Divine Comedy, I'm glad to give it one fair listen and hope to never hear it again.

Meh...interesting but really not that great. 1.5/5

Soft. Easy going. Couldn't get into it.

Neither the music or the singing really brought me in. Butcher Boy was ok, but overall I just couldn't get into it after two listens. It had some motown vibes, but the singing on the record detracted from it for me.

Boring. Forgettable. Squawking at the end. Thank you, next.

It's really boring. I don't know why it was such a big deal and breakthrough for Lambchop

I decided to bring the hammer down on his one. The instrumentation and melodies in this album are SO GOOD. There's even a point in the 4th or 5th song where the strings remind me of Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose, and it's fantastic. Unfortunately, this guy has the most ANNOYING voice I think I have ever heard. His falsetto thing makes me want to go postal. With a better vocalist, this album would be a 4 or 5.

hipserbilly

Musicalmente funciona bem, desde que a se coloque para tocar apenas com uma trilha sonora agradável de fundo.

It’s bad knockoff Cat Stevens.

2 bland

I don't get it. I just don't get what this is or why I should care. It all sounds okay, but it never makes me sit up and take interest. Beck did this style 10x better on Midnight Vultures, which was released before this album 2/5

Great laid-back sound and orchestration (especially the brass). However, I'm unable to rate it any higher because of the unintelligible lyrics and the grating falsetto throughout.

Interesting downbeat album. Great use of strings, nice guitars, soft but rhythmic and well-mixed. The singer’s decision to sound like either late-career Bob Dylan or Tiny Tim on almost every song does bring it down, though. Best song: Up with People

Another of those bands I'd heard of a lot but never got round to listening. Got to say this was a massive disappointment though. It's got a Muzak quality to it I can't get on with. In places I want to like the chilled vibe it seems to be aiming for but it comes out bland and tacky. I also think the vocals are also buried in the mix far to much for the style but that may be a blessing since his voice takes on an annoying tone when it strays from the bass register he's normally in. Then we hit the song he sings entirely in falsetto and it sounds ridiculous! It just keeps going downhill from there... Roll on tomorrow!

Hmm ok :))

ok just boring and the songs sound the same

Highlights: "Grumpus," "The Old Gold Shoe," "Nashville Parent" A band could do worse fusion than classic soul with New Wave and country touches. The band can build an atmosphere, but they're at the mercy of the vocalist on this one. There's a very narrow context in which the falsetto works, like on the second track, but he often pulls it out at a terrible time. I try to appreciate this as something similar to Nick Cave, but the surreal, mysterious appeal of some lyrics mostly seem to dance around being a sordid alcoholic, and fittingly never arrive at something fulfilling.

Easy listening. Not really my thing and something that makes me wonder how it made the list.

Perfectly fine to listen to, but entirely forgettable.

I really wanted to like this. Started off a little like Pulp, but just became too bland. Not for me.

Average

Yeah, man. When your album gets classified as both "alt country" and "chamber pop" you know you've done something wrong. I can't give this a 1-star review in good conscience because the songwriting and the musicianship are both pretty good. But combine them and, for some reason, the end result is just... it's really bad. And all the falsetto vocals have got to go. They're so bad.

Each track is indistinguishable from the last and they’re all dull an boring

Not sure who this album is for - solid, orchestral/choir-like, and well-performed the instrumentals may be, but the abstract songwriting and lack of focus on any driving melodic or narrative themes means this one is a meandering mess.

Pretty monotonous, except for the weird muted falsetto, which was still boring. 2/5

I do not understand this kind of music

Not crazy about this. There are some nice moments, but his voice is very boring. Also, this album is way longer than is warranted. Probably won't be returning to this anytime soon. Favorite track - Distance From Her to There Least favorite track - The Old Gold Shoe

It was okay. There were some songs I like better than others. Wasn't a fan of the weird squeaky falsetto vocals at times.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yes, it’s quite euphoric and powerful to start with and fades out quite wonderfully but wish that powerful feeling stuck out a bit longer Favourite song: Track 1 - The Old Gold Shoe

Pretty Boring Album

I find Nixon is a highly uneven album, with a strange combination of country and soul. Sometimes it really works out, like on the song 'Up With People,' but other times the falsetto and half-hearted soul just really don't do it for me. Gave it a couple of listens, but it never hit anywhere.

Sadly I couldn't really enjoy this one at all. It was just very boring and forgettable. It's one of those albums where I just "heard" it and proceeded to not listen to any of it really. Like a background track. If I wanted that I could have just listened to the fan noise of my PC for 45 minutes. Technically it was fine, seemed well-produced enough. Just really wasn't for me. Favourite: Up With People

Indie rock with symphonic elements. It sounds like Nick Cave joined Arcade Fire. I didn’t super enjoy it. The vocals are a bit of a let down, ESPECIALLY the awful falsetto songs, and they were sometimes too quiet or indecipherable.

Anfangs noch besser, irgendwann geht einem dann doch die Stimme auf die Nerven.

eSseNtIAl LIstEnIng I was so excited at the beginning of this journey but 250+ albums in and the only surprises are how much mediocrity exists out there. Don't get me wrong: I have discovered plenty of good music from this list, but even the new to me 5 star albums are by artists I had already heard of.

It's very well done music, but it's quite boring. Each song is so much alike and most songs drag on a bit longer then they should have. The closing song "Butcher Boy" is my favorite since it's different and more compact.

I don’t see the point of this album.

I expected a rock album but got a blend of country and disco (?), falsetto included. Certainly unique, but boring. I appreciate its quirkiness and the blending of genres but I'd say that's it.

2/5 it was pretty stupid even though I admired the guys confidence

The old gold shoe - boring and meandering Grumps- Has a bit more to it but not a fan of the lyrics personally You Masculine You- hate the extended falsetto throughout the song Favourite songs:Up with people, the books I haven’t read Yeah I found this album quite annoying, especially the falsetto songs. Just because I didn’t listen to this closely I’m giving this 2/5 as I may have missed some depth behind the lyrics?

Beautiful and calming baroque pop, reminding me of Mercury Rev, accompanied by witty lyrics. Love the cool instrumentation reminding me of certain 70s folk acts like Tim Buckley, but with the cool twingles of country. Start off strong but repeated itself too much and got gradually lamer as the album went on. Could have been a 4 if followed the momentum of the first 4 tracks. Favorites: Old Gold Shoe, Grumpus, Up With People, Petrified Florist

Enjoyable. First Listen?: Y Fav. Tracks: - Rating: 2.5/5

Not into alternative country, so this is my first encounter with them. It’s not my style of music, really. The guitar work is often decent, but lots of the songs just don’t really go anywhere interesting. Nothing is off-putting or unlistenable by any means, but nothing is memorable or resonating with me either. So many of the songs have a single reasonably catchy melody and then don’t develop or build off of it in an interesting way. The songs that do have a climax have it come way too late and with way too little interest. Listening to the same chords five minutes straight to have the song finish with the same exact chords but now with brass and choir voices over it just doesn’t do it for me. Lyrics aren’t anything special either. Overall, it’s a reasonably competent record, but nothing I’d see a reason to come back to.

it's fine? weird name for a band.

Boring and monoton.

Felt like it got repetetive fast and i didn't enjoy him going out of his vocal range.

Absolute epitome of meh.

Pleasant but kind of dull

Really not sure what that was but overall did not like it. Not what I was looking for.

Listened Before? N Well, this album definitely has a British vibe to it, despite being American. It's easy to see why they were more popular in England than the US. For me, it's a bit too slow and sleepy. There's some neat sounding disco-style keyboards. It's not awful, just not my cup of tea (no pun intended). Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Grumpus

It's not bad, in an 80s Leonard Cohen on a budget kind of way. I'm not here for not bad though. Really good musicianship, but the songs are somewhat somnambulistic. Definitely couldn't rate it one, but I have no intention of going back to this ever, so I can't give it much more than that.

Far from the worst albums this list made me endure, but still - I fail to see the alleged specialness this album holds over thousands of others that is supposed to be the trait that sent it into this list. This is the definition of "nothing special".

C’est bizarre mais pas mauvais. Ca s’ecoute bien mais il n’y a rien vraiment qui sort du lot. Ca ne m’a rien q’porte et il est temps que je note ces qlbums plus severemnt 2.75

Not exactly my forte, Its somewhere between Ween and Pavement. Kind of chill, maybe too chill. I wanted it to go "off" at some point and it just kind of went. The band was clearly great, really good sound, but you know.

Modern easy listening? A bit beatlesesque as well. Vocals were unique.

Gjesp

I'm not really sure how to classify this music. IDK, it's not for me.

Meh.

Bit weird, not uninteresting.

Nie porywa, flat mnie brzmi jak soundtrack z romansidła. 2.5/5

The album started off not bad, musically it was good. Only the songs in falsetto I disliked and there were to many of them.

Here's the thing: during the early naughts, a bunch of British critics on the lookout for the next Mercury Rev gave raving reviews on this album made by an American alt-country/indie-rock act from Nashville, leaving other critics from the other side of the pond a little nonplussed as to what their honorable colleagues from the U.K. really saw in that band. Here's what one of those more skeptical American critics wrote at the time ; "*Nixon* serves as a reminder that expertly executed stylistic hybrids and ironic juxtapositions-- great though they may be-- don't replace memorable songwriting. Sure, it's a novel concept, but while some of us may still be patient enough to "get it" five albums into the band's career, Wagner's talent and unique vision should demand a more challenging album." This somewhat skeptical reception, here taken from a Pitchfork review, perfectly trancribes my own feelings about *Nixon*. In spite of the lush arrangements drawing on Philly soul, nothing much special happens in terms of melody, discernable intensities or sense of dynamics in the course of this long record. When Kurt Wagner goes into that strange falsetto mode, conveniently buried in the mix, it just feels cringeworthy instead of fragile or graceful or charming. The whole thing sounds so... remote, like generic background music droning in some hipsters'café. Even "Up With People", the supposed centerpiece of the album, would actually be a very minor cut in most of the records from the nineties and early naughts that made Dimery's list. If only for this, I'm also deeply confused at what some people really see in *Nixon*, just like most American critics at the time. Maybe it's that incredible artwork setting them into some sort of mood beforehand. Such cover is indeed incredible, and it made me want to love this record so much. Except that I didn't... Should I continue here? Does this foppish thing deserve so many words to describe it ? Some people think it does, apparently. Pitchfork made amends later on for instance, probably still under the lasting influence of those slightly deluded British critics we've mentioned earlier. Just in case that first honest reviewer of theirs might have missed out on something truly earth-shattering, they called a true fan to write a second review about the album's reissue. And here's what this new reviewer wrote in passing: "Even as a fan, I understand the ways in which Lambchop can seem standoffish and cold." It seems that second reviewer was as honest as the first at least. However, the *real* problem with Lambchop might not be about *temperature* or so-called "sophistication". I actually don't feel as if Lambchop are looking down upon us poor mortals. I feel like they're looking at nowhere in particular, that their stare are totally blank. This is not shoegaze here. This is *nothinggaze*. And this empty feeling can even be explained in purely *musical* terms. To this listener, the real problem is indeed that Kurt Wagner never tried hard to write proper hooks, or choruses, or even simple endearing moments, anything substantial that could make you relate to the proceedings. It seems that what *Nixon* is really all about is style. And style is sometimes not conducive to good writing. So, is this an album you must *absolutely* listen to? Not to me. Lambchop are excellent musicians and arrangers, no doubt about that. But the spark is missing here--that sort of spark you can find in acts that are not so far away from the territory supposedly explored here: stuff like Deerhunter, Vic Chesnutt or even Kevin Morby. In all those examples, you can often find two pivotal ingredients that seal the deal for most listeners of likewise genres: memorable melodies and recognizable emotions. And sadly, *Nixon* only very rarely uses those two pivotal ingredients. Of course, in a list a 5001 albums instead of 1001, such album would be noteworthy, if only for its overall stylistic intent (and artwork). But fans got to understand *some* acquired tastes are often harder to acquire than others... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 947 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 24 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 14. Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important to me): 16

Weird…

What a potpourri of genres and sounds. But they're all centered around a voice that isn't very interesting to me. Why is this record on the list. Would be a 3/5 in the normal world. But it's a 2/5 on this list - not as egregious as the worst here. But nothing special.

Not that it was a bad album its just not for me. Kept thinking "the next song" but in the end it was a solid shoulder shrug.

Strange crooning, falsetto ballads. It’s like some of the slower Ween stuff, but not as well written

It was alright for background music with dinner. Nothing special though.

Not what I was expecting, and not all that memorable

I got all excited when that one song dropped, and thought this was going to be a barnstormer, but then nothing else dropped. I looked up some of the lyrics and was fairly unimpressed.

It was innocuous enough, but I wouldn't seek it out. Probably would not have listened through to the end if I weren't doing something else at the same time

Initially interesting, but quickly fell off for me. Two stars for good instrumentation.

Jos Leonard Cohen olis syntynyt myöhemmin ja kiinnitetty jollekki hipsuhtavalle pienlevylafkalle niin tää olis tulos. Mulla ei oo mitään tätä vastaan, mutta aika taustamusaksi tää jää. Yksikään levyn koukku ei aiheuttaa mitään fiilistä että wau! Sanat myös aika nonsensea, mikä saa mut lyyrikkona kyl aina vähä nihkeännahkeaksi. Kansi on tosi tyylikäs. Siit mä diggailen. 2/5

Eipä juuri säväyttänyt, tuntuu aika random levyltä ollakseen tällä listalla.

Instrujutut paikoin kivoja ja Grumpus oli hyvä biisi. Mutta laulutyyli rasautti ja loppua kohti aika keskinkertaista muutenkin. Indie rockin ystävänä pieni pettymys, kun oli jo pidempään pitänyt Lambchopia kuunnella.

Nyt ei kyl ihan iske, jotenkin todella kädenlämpöistä tämmöstä menneiden vuosikymmenten hipsu-indiefiilistelyä. Teksteissä on jotain herkkyyttä mut musapuolen herttainen sävy ei toimi. Butcher Boy ehkä levyn paras biisi mutta on liian vähän, liian myöhään. 2/5.

It's mostly okay? I have an issue with albums that don't feel memorable, either lyrically or musically and this one just feels merely okay. It's not offensive, but I don't think I'll ever go back and actually seek it out.

Meh

Lambchop? Never heard of them. But, you know what? I really like it. It is an interesting sound. I don't think it feels country or even alternative country at all. I think the songs seemed a big on the dull side the first time I heard it but they really started growing on me. The tone and feeling of the album is quite nice. Lyrically, it sounds like a hodgepodge of nonsense at times, but if you read between the lines you can get of gist of what they are saying (sometimes). Interesting none-the-less. I'm giving it only a 2/5 for now, but I am sure that will go up with further listens.

My first thoughts whilst listening to this record were that it's very easy to forget it's playing. Like when you're just sat at home on a Tuesday evening and you pop a bit of hardcore porn on, just for company. Isn't it sweet that Bang Bros is a family run company?

listenable, but not something i'd come back to

This is the soundtrack of white people Twitter.

“After rejecting the names REN, Pinnacles of Cream, and Turd Goes Back, the band settled on Lambchop…”

2.5

Had to bail out. No tempo - wasn’t doing it for me

Musikjournalisten, die dies, wie der Schreiber vom NME, für "sheer sonorous delight" halten, sollten sich dringend einen anderen Job suchen, da es ihnen an der dafür essenziellen Urteilsfähigkeit mangelt - und vielleicht als Kinderbuchautor reüssieren. Das Songwriting auf diesem Album ist so nichtssagend, dass es schon wieder ärgerlich ist. Die ungekonnte Kopfstimme macht es auch nicht besser.

I have no opinion on this other than it doesn't really trip my trigger.

this is weird but also somehow pleasant? this is basically room music for me. its more just boring and strange.

It's ok, not as country as I thought it might be which is good.. 'Up with People' is a nice one, otherwise a bit bland in places

Relaxing but still upbeat alt-country. I think Lambchop got more interesting later on but there's no denying that that started here.

Great for insomniacs

An interesting sound. Light rock with a bit of mushy tempo.

I don't like this very much

Ok

It started off strong, but it wasn't that great. It's not that it was bad, but it wasn't really my thing. I hear a lot of Bowie in the singer's voice, but it still didn't interest me. Highlights: 1, and 2.

Few good songs. Ok album

I like the overall sound, but honestly, nothing strikes me. Good to find other stuff from, because it was close to scratching an itch.

Anther huge meh by this list...

me at the beginning: oh, this is interesting me 3 tracks in: this fuckin' guy i did like the final track, though - butcher boy. that was alright

This is ok, it’s just sort of bland. It’s like the Carpenters without strong vocals. I did enjoy some of the horns and strings. Ironically it reminds me of an artist I really love, Spottiswoode and His Enemies. Similar style, similar instrumentation, but Spottiswoode is so much more interesting. 2 stars.

Kinda stinky

Right off the bat I can tell that the vocal style isn't gonna work for me. Maybe with a different singer I could get down with this but I just can't take it seriously. In fact I find it positively annoying.

This album has already faded from my memory and I listened to it yesterday

It was impossible to tell what this was by the cover. And it's like a modern version of folk rock, hurrah. What a hilariously over-represented genre in this list. I'd be outright laughing if this album wasn't such a snoozefest. 2/5

nah

Hmmm - the cover, a painting by Wayne White, is the only thing of value here; the comparisons to Ed Ruscha, just because they both use type, are lazy. Worth looking at Wayne White's other paintings too; even though they are numerous versions of the same idea, they are well executed. Much more interesting than the music.

Beautiful-sounding and well-orchestrated album with solid musicianship...and an annoying, smarmy, and utterly terrible lead vocalist whose unconvincing singing renders the whole thing unlistenable.

If this singer had any real friends they would have stopped him from publishing this as soon as they heard his bad Miss Piggy impression

I listened to the first song and thought this couldn't be that bad I wasn't prepared for the breathy, grating falsetto

I’ve never really been that bothered by Lambchop. Going into Nixon today, my view of them was pretty much the same as it has always been a bit dull, a bit samey and ultimately not that memorable. I was curious to see if this listen would change my mind. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Nixon pretty much confirmed my previous feelings about the band. It’s perfectly pleasant in the background and never actively unpleasant, but nothing really stands out. No track truly grabs your attention or pulls you in, and I kept waiting for a moment that never really arrived. That’s probably my biggest issue with the album: there’s nothing bad here, but there’s also very little that feels genuinely great. It just drifts along in a fairly understated, mellow way without leaving much of an impression. I can appreciate the subtle musicianship and laid-back atmosphere, but I honestly struggle to understand how this made the 1001 list. Favourite tracks: “Up With People” was okay and probably the closest thing to a standout Least favourite tracks: Nothing specifically bad, just very little that felt memorable Album artwork: Cool album cover

Unfortunately the opener:The Old Gold Shoe reminded me of the Rainbow song by Kermit and that kinda killed the album for me. Whilst he does switch up the vocals to some whispering or a crappy falsetto amongst other styles the album did not improve. Everything felt very pedestrian. The songs are 6 mins plus as they all start with 2 mins of repetitive chord progressions which kinda exhausted my patience.

I liked, then I really liked, then I didn't like it, then I hated it, then I liked the last song. We need to be able to give half stars, it's a 1.5 but I might round up for the horns alone. Imma sleep on it.

I'm just gonna be brutally honest here for a sec if I made an album like this I would have to kill myself

This is becoming comedic. Not my writing, that stuff has always remained as bereft of comedy as the entirety of "reddit.com," or an episode of "Friends." No, the levity can, nay, HAS to be found in the continued accrual of musically mediocre projects that clutter my mind like curios at an unimpressive roadside museum. The admission may be free, but the cost is everything you were. Lambchop has been described by Spotify's soulless and un-shut-offable AI bot as an "unclassifiable hybrid of country, soul, jazz, electronics and avant-garde noise." Never to be one that is constrained by labels, I have conquered indecision and easily classified Lambchop and "Nixon" as stomach churning tripe. tripe that is manufactured and affixed with fedora, before being ladled into the troughs of the dumbest smart guys you've ever met. This is like the Barenaked Ladies for Libertarians. The transphobic gay man you wish you didn't start talking to at DragCon just discovered this and is playing it out of his phone in the smoke pit aswirl with clove fumes. If either of those two examples don't do it for you, how about sleep-deprived parent poorly imitates Elmo while rocking newborn to sleep at 4am? Cut to print. This sucks. Jason Molina, you are not. Next time, I think I'll have the mutton. 0.5 GENRE: Can we get a wellness check on Mr. Noodle?

How did this album make the list?Very below average and I will not listen to this again. 2/10 Top song Up with people

Liked the album as much as the president.

Eh. It was okay.

I was looking forward to this as from the artist name and album name I thought I was gonna get some death metal but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I found this deathly dull but I did enjoy the song titles especially as ‘grumpus’ is part of my everyday vocabulary; which has evolved from the Sabrina episode where she doesn’t want to be labelled a ‘rumpist’ which led to me and my pal Richy saying we didn’t want to be a rumpus - and now I regularly apologise for being a grumpus, usually I’m just hungry. TLDR: not worth the squeeze

I have questions. Why are the songs so long? How can anyone listen to this and not fall asleep? Why did it take so many people to make music this boring? Did the video for "Up With People" give anyone else nightmares?

What the hell is this album doing here? It's worse than bad: it's boring. The only memorable thing here is the singer's god-awful falsetto on a few songs. Just a waste of a listening experience.

Knowing nothing going in, I read something about early 2000s and alt-country and thought a) this should be right up my alley and b) why hadn't I heard this before. Then I pressed play and understood why. File under absolutely not.

Phew, that was boring. Yesterday it was innovative stuff from the '60s, today it's just meaningless drivel. The shifts in focus in this project are sometimes extreme. This, too, is a sign that an anthology or canon like this project is, in part, arbitrary and meaningless. 1/5

Absolutely not. His fucking voice, dude. He does this like talk-singing in a low voice after drinking a gallon of milk, then goes to a very bad falsetto. There’s an orchestra behind him which is pretty good but they aren’t making anything memorable. I was wondering how an album from 2000 made it to the list without me ever hearing anything about it, but now I know why. It's just shit.

I’ve done just over 100 reviews so far and this is one of the few that I really struggled with in terms of actually getting through and listening to it… No interest at all, and thought it was really boring and sleepy

So boring!

Thoroughly uninteresting album I couldn't wait to reach the end of

Sinceramente este álbum es un somnifero, apenas lo comienzo a escuchar y quiero dormir. Un disco sin encanto, aburrido, repetitivo.