Showtunes
Studio album by
Lambchop
ReleasedMay 21, 2021 (2021-05-21)
Length31:06
Label
ProducerJeremy Ferguson
Lambchop chronology
Trip
(2020)		 Showtunes
(2021)
Singles from Showtunes
  1. "A Chef's Kiss"
    Released: March 16, 2021
  2. "Fuku"
    Released: April 12, 2021
  3. "The Last Benedict"
    Released: May 18, 2021

Showtunes is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Lambchop. It was released on May 21, 2021,[1] on Merge Records in the United States and on City Slang elsewhere.[2]

Background

The songs on Showtunes were initially meant to be performed live at Eaux Claire by Lambchop, with help from Twit One, Andrew Broder, and Ryan Olson. After the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19, Wagner decided to finish these songs in studio.[2]

Showtunes was recorded remotely by Kurt Wagner, the only permanent member of Lambchop.[3] It features as collaborators James McNew of Yo La Tengo, who contributed double bass;[2] CJ Camerieri, who contributed horns and horn arrangements;[4][2] Jeremy Ferguson, who acted as co-producer and engineer,[4] and Twit One, who co-wrote the track "Fuku".[5]

Unlike Lambchop's previous work, on which Wagner played guitar, Showtunes features Wagner's guitar tracks converted into MIDI piano.[6] Showtunes takes inspiration from musical theatre, hence the name; Wagner called it "show tunes for people who don't like show tunes".[2]

Three singles were released in advance of the album: "A Chef's Kiss", on March 16, 2021;[7] "Fuku", on April 12, 2021, along with an accompanying music video directed by Doug Anderson;[8] and "The Last Benedict", on May 18, 2021.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[10]
Metacritic79/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The Arts Desk[13]
Beats Per Minute78%[14]
God Is in the TV10/10[15]
Loud and Quiet9/10[16]
musicOMH[17]
Mojo[11]
The Observer[18]
Pitchfork7.4/10[19]
PopMatters7/10[20]
Spectrum Culture80%[21]
Under the Radar[22]
Uncut8/10[11]

The album was released to positive reviews from music critics, garnering a score of 79 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews",[11] and a score of 7.7/10 from review aggregator website AnyDecentMusic? based on 10 reviews.[10]

Track listing

Showtunes track listing
No.TitleLength
1."A Chef's Kiss"3:46
2."Drop C"3:24
3."Papa Was a Rolling Stone Journalist"2:01
4."Fuku"7:07
5."Unknown Man"4:25
6."Blue Leo"3:05
7."Impossible Meatballs"3:11
8."The Last Benedict"4:07
Total length:31:06

Charts

Chart performance for Showtunes
Chart (2021) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[23] 75
Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] 24
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[25] 8

References

  1. ↑ Schnee, Guillaume (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop chante l'éphémère sur "A Chef's Kiss"". FIP (in French). Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ross, Alex Robert (April 12, 2021). "Lambchop's Kurt Wagner is making "show tunes for people who don't like show tunes"". The FADER. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  3. ↑ Arnone, Joey (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop Announce New Album, Share New Song "A Chef's Kiss"". Under the Radar. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Yoo, Noah (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop Announce New Album Showtunes, Share Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  5. ↑ Rettig, James (April 12, 2021). "Lambchop – "Fuku"". Stereogum. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. ↑ Kenneally, Cerys (March 16, 2021). "Lambchop announce new album Showtunes with opening track "A Chef's Kiss"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ↑ BrooklynVegan Staff (March 16, 2021). "New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  8. ↑ BrooklynVegan Staff (April 12, 2021). "19 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ BrooklynVegan Staff (May 18, 2021). "28 New Songs Out Today". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Showtunes by Lambchop". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Showtunes by Lambchop". Metacritic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  12. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Showtunes - Lambchop". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  13. ↑ Muggs, Joe (May 19, 2021). "Album: Lambchop - Showtunes". The Arts Desk. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  14. ↑ Penna, Grady (May 25, 2021). "Album Review: Lambchop – Showtunes". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  15. ↑ Bond, Colin (May 24, 2021). "Lambchop – Showtunes (City Slang)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  16. ↑ Walton, Sam (May 18, 2021). "Lambchop – Showtunes – Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Steven (May 21, 2021). "Lambchop – Showtunes". musicOMH. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  18. ↑ Empire, Kitty (May 23, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes review – American songwriting the slow and shimmering way". The Observer. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  19. ↑ Deusner, Steven M. (May 25, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Horowitz, Steve (May 18, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes | Album Review". PopMatters. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  21. ↑ Hazelwood, Holly (May 26, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  22. ↑ Moody, Mark (May 19, 2021). "Lambchop: Showtunes (Merge) – review". Under the Radar. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lambchop – Showtunes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
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