– THE QUIET RIOT –

For a group that once mischievously described themselves as “Nashville’s most fucked-up country band” things have got pretty serious for Lambchop.

As lead singer Kurt Wagner reminds us many times on Crosswords, Or What This Says About You, he’s “not playing” anymore.

And he’s not wrong. The track, such as it is, barely exists at all; a ghostly drum beat and delicate, melancholy piano line trickling along languidly in the distant background.

Indeed, the bass only intermittently appears – always fuzzy and often only at the behest of Wagner – like the father who’s “grow[ing] forgetful” or the mother who “lies in the light of the cable news feed” referenced in the Bon Iver autotuned vocals.

It’s a track that, like Justin Vernon’s re:stacks, really benefits from its nearly seven-minute duration. Whereas a shorter version might have passed in a pleasant if overly polite haze, it’s the type of piece that, through sheer persistence starts to subconsciously seep into your psyche until its allure is undeniable.

Crosswords, Or What This Says About You comes from the equally verbosely-titled album This (Is What I Wanted To Tell You), which is out tomorrow.

More From This Week’s Mix:
ANDERSON .PAAK | “KING JAMES”
LAMB | “MOONSHINE”
DJ JENIFA | “MLL”
SNARKY PUPPY | “XAVI”

You can find all of the tracks reviewed above in the 45 Revolutions per Minute playlist below or click to access the 45 RPM Playlist on Spotify itself.

If you like what you hear (or even if you don’t), please engage in dialogue with me @45rpm_Reviews on Twitter. And, if you’d like to receive updates weekly, please subscribe to the email list to get these recommendations sent to your inbox weekly.

– SV –