Lambchop Is A Woman

While 2000s Nixon album justifiably brought plenty of ears to the intoxicating sound of this Nashville orchestra  enough to fill Londons Royal Albert Hall  Is A Woman could just as easily return them to being obscure critics darlings. Its certainly a beautiful album, but its primary appeal is sedation; without artificial stimulants even the most attentive listener will have trouble staying awake. It makes Julie Doiron sound like Alannah Myles. Despite the bands cast of 17, theyre completely wasted, when they could have instead salvaged every snoozy song from sounding the same, like they eventually do on the closing title track. The only audible instruments are guitar, piano and Kurt Wagners voice; the latter sounds like your grandfathers eccentric storytelling punctuated only by the odd falsetto pirouette. Theres none of the soul that set Nixon apart, and none of the camouflaged country influence that critics continue to insist is inherent in Lambchops geography. In fact, theres not much here at all, unless youre a chronic insomniac. (Merge)