Regardless of being within the midst of some of the prolific intervals of his profession – releasing 4 albums and one EP between 2016 and 2021 – Kurt Wagner was questioning issues. “What the fuck am I doing?” he requested himself final 12 months, momentarily trapped in a interval of despair, earlier than getting again to work and making one other album.
The ensuing file is one steeped in reflection. With the backdrop of Wagner appearing as main caregiver for his father, alongside together with his personal uneasiness round life and ageing, mortality naturally seeped into his consciousness and an album exploring the essence of life, self and spirituality – in a non-religious method, that’s – floated out.
On the opening “His Tune Is Sung”, a observe wealthy in engulfing but dramatic strings, tender piano and heat manufacturing, Wagner sings: “I confess I’ve no objective/I’m not complaining/Now as of late are measured by the quantity/Thirty summers from in the present day”. It might current a picture of an artist 30 years into his profession, who was already a late bloomer, feeling somewhat at sea or shedding their inventive footing, however the creative transition that follows on the album signifies something however.
Lead single “Police Canine Blues” is a wonderful encapsulation of such a journey; an enormous amalgamation of kinds that takes in hovering soul, sprawling rock, refined jazz, buoyant funk and that particular Lambchop high quality that comes from the easy however potent mixture of Wagner’s low-hum honeyed vocals with delicate piano (right here offered by Andrew Broder). It captures the tone of an album that’s wealthy in ambition, scope and innovation, and for which style categorisation feels totally futile.
On 2021’s Showtunes, a sonic departure in itself, there was an virtually ambient stillness, the album unfurling alongside in gently rippling waves. Whereas there are related moments to be heard, comparable to on the deeply atmospheric “So There”, there’s way more dynamism, punch and vitality right here. “Little Black Books’’ is as shut to bounce music as Lambchop has ever been. It’s a observe that glides from futuristic digital funk to snapping beats coupled with melodic stabs of piano and wobbly Auto-Tune. It’s a daring and expansive tune that feels emblematic of the place Wagner is as an artist: making ceaselessly unpredictable music. Maybe this observe’s closest musical relationship is to be discovered with modern hip-hop because it more and more embraces extra dance-leaning components.
“No matter Mortal” begins as virtually straight-up jazz, with bouncing double-bass standing firmly because the skeleton of the tune, earlier than spirited gospel vocals seem in concord round an infectiously melodic chorus. This quickly turns into enveloped by a stirring brass part that lifts the tune right into a rousing part earlier than it settles right into a distinctly distinctive groove, present someplace between jazz, soul and introspective electronica. The opening lyrics of “I’m not OK with this however right here we’re” as soon as once more recommend a disaffected state, however the musical counterpoint employed takes the tune from a place of seeming despondency into an enhanced state of musical pleasure. It’s a tactic deployed all through the file, one with moments of intense melancholia that may border on the depressive, however are continuously elevated without warning musical bursts. This creates nice clashes of emotions, as reflective soul-searching and rousing pleasure collide concurrently. If Wagner is capturing for one thing basically non secular right here, maybe it’s linked to the overwhelming feeling of discovering stunning magnificence and connection in life throughout a interval when it appears impossible. The massive checklist of contributors for this album reads extra like a group than a credit score checklist, and this sort of collective vitality is clearly one thing Wagner has harnessed.
These limitless twists and turns that Wagner retains making musically – that in some ways have come to outline Lambchop’s late profession – could really feel disorientating for some early-day adopters used to that extra classically Americana sound. Nevertheless, regardless of being born from a interval of deep questioning and self-reflection, The Bible doesn’t really feel like a confused or misplaced musician chasing the zeitgeist or wandering aimlessly. As a substitute, it’s the work of a targeted artist who’s constantly trying to stretch out the parameters of their very own ever-expanding sonic world.
Final 12 months, Metropolis Slang label boss Christof Ellinghaus instructed Uncut, “Kurt doesn’t have a single nostalgic bone in his physique”, and that’s no extra evident than right here. Every thing about The Bible suggests a fierce, steely gaze locked onto the horizon, proving that possibly extra artists ought to cease for a second and ask, “What the fuck am I doing?” On this occasion, it has resulted in yet one more late-career spotlight.
