Flotus

Lambchop’s first album in four years is a hard left turn, even for a band long known as the weirdest “country” outfit in Nashville. Influenced heavily by Shabazz Palaces this time, they’ve swapped out pedal steel and string sections for lo-fi drum machine beats and heavy vocal processing throughout. It’s an extremely calm record, and a lot of the band’s defining characteristics are still here: the warm and dreamy sound, frontman Kurt Wagner’s surrealist lyrics, and a lot of lovely guitar and piano (even though master guitarist and Lambchop regular William Tyler sits this one out). It’s as confounding and fascinating as anything the band’s made (though I still favor records like How I Quit Smoking, Is a Woman, Damaged, and Mr. M—all masterpieces). FCC WARNING: 4. Favorites: 2, 3, 7, 10, 11.

1. (11:51)—Slow, long, placid, a little funky. Doesn’t change much, stays relaxed across several verses.
2. *(3:32)—Medium-slow, with a trip-hop/R&B feel. Minimal, piano heavy.
3. *(3:30)—Slow. Echoing, slightly tinny beat. Lush, deep.
4. (5:32)—FCC (f***). Mid-tempo. Choral intro, percussive clicks, piano chords.
5. (4:06)—Slow, serene, plodding, a little jazzy.
6. (4:44)—Medium-slow, heavy on the lounge side of Lambchop’s sound.
7. *(5:26)—Mid-tempo, subtle four-on-the-floor beat. This is uncannily similar in mood to Radiohead’s recent stuff.
8. (3:27)—Slow, insistent beat. Autotune squeaks, a tinge of R&B.
9. (3:41)—Medium-fast, spacey, a bit dubby, with something that sounds like growling saxophone.
10. *(4:35)—Mid-tempo, propulsive, pretty, with lots of vocal tracks and bleeping keyboard.
11. *(18:13)—Mid-tempo. Long and elaborate, with several sections. Starts in a tight, krautrock-esque mode. Singing enters at the five-minute mark. There’s a long, impressionistic section with peaceful brass, woodwind, and strings before vocals return and there’s a quiet chorus of “Do the hustle.” Ends with piano.