Aw C'mon

Lambchop

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 2004)
• Original Release Date: February 17, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B00019G428
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #93,405 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Entertainment Weekly (2/27/04, p.99)

"[O]ffers 10-gallon Goth laments..." - Rating: A-

Product Description

Nashville's Lambchop have been making alt-country, neo-soul, indie-rock records for over ten years now. "Aw Cmon", their eighth release and follow-up to 2002's "Is A Woman", contains lush instrumentals, rousing rave-ups, and thoughtful ballads. This record is being simultaneously released with its companion, "No You Cmon".

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appealing voice, thought-provoking lyrics, February 19, 2004

By	Monica J. Kern (Lexington, KY United States) - See all my reviews

I first encountered Lambchop through listening to the "Relax Trax" channel on Spinner.com. Every once in a while I'd hear a song that made me think, "Hey, this vocalist sounds like a more melodic Lou Reed or Leonard Cohen," and when I would click on the banner to see who it was, I'd always find it to be Lambchop. The resemblance to Reed and Cohen doesn't just stop with Kurt Wagner's gravelly (though quite appealing) vocals, either. The songs on the album are more intellectual than most modern music out there today. Take, for example, just the title of track 9, "Women help to create the kind of man they despise." I use this as an example of self-fulfilling prophecies when I teach social psychology to my undergraduates. For a thoughtful, mellow, enjoyable listening experience, give Lambchop a try.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Au Lait, April 12, 2004

By	Roger Robinson "latcho_drom" (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Reading reviews is so rarely helpful for the curious and uninitiated. The only way you'll ever know if you enjoy Lambchop's work here is to pick the disc up and listen. These two new albums are my first real exposure to the band and all I have to say is...if the earlier stuff is really that much better, then I've got a real treat in store.

Aw Cmon is the cream to No You Cmon's coffee. It's smooth and subtle and if played low enough is great for lounging. Turn it up, however, and you'll find yourselves wrapped up in the lyrics. These are not the non-sensical ear-catching melodies of The Cocteau Twins nor the eclectic story-songs of Bob Dylan, but Lambchop, nonetheless, belongs in such company. They have their own unique style of lyrics that's really unlike anything else I've encountered.

Maybe I'm a little too drunk...or maybe it's a little too early in the morning...but some of Lambchop's lyrics seem like they've been crafted by cutting up the fortunes from Chinese cookies and mixing the words around. The thoughts are a jumble of random details and disconnected phrases somehow glued together by Kurt Wagner's phrasing and the catchy tunes into something coherent, yet still surreal.

In short, Aw Cmon is an excellent album that can serve many purposes for the adventurous listner. Even the instrumentals are so finely crafted that you (nearly) won't lament the lack of KW's vocal rattle and hum. I reserve one star simply because, as good as this is, I feel Lambchop's potential is far greater than what's presented here. Perhaps, as some have stated in other reviews here, they reached it several albums ago...or perhaps the best is yet to come. Time will tell.

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than I was expecting., March 23, 2004

By A Customer

I have all of Lambchop CDs and I still can't figure out what they're about. When I heard that they were releasing two separate albums on the same day I serious wondered whether this was "jump the shark" time. It's not.

AwCmon continues on in the vein of Nixon and Is A Woman, toning down the excessive strings of the former while adding a few sonic elements that were missing on the later. The latest "twist" is that there are more instrumentals than 'chop fans are used to.

For the most part everything works, although I can't help feeling that Kurt Wagner has been rewriting and re-arranging the same song since, oh, 1997. (There is some serious self-plagiarization on No You Cmon, but I'll save that for another review). Somehow the production (top notch as usual) comes off as austere and glossy at the same time. The instrumentals are okay (Timothy Schmidt being the most satisfying), but when you consider that this is, taken with No You Cmon, for all intents and purposes a double album, they serve as filler.

Wagner's voice is again a problem. No falsetto, but he mumbles, grumbles and spits out lyrics in a muffled staccato voice a lot here. He sounds like he doesn't want to be heard on much of this release. No matter how he sings it sounds affected.

Oh yeah...songs. Not bad, it sounds like a lot of work went into the arrangments. Something's Gotta Give and I Hate Candy are pretty good, nice and smooth. Action Figure is another highlight. There may be better Lambchop albums, but for my money there is not a better 8 minutes of Lambchop music on record than the atmospheric Nothing But A Blur From a Bullet Train, immediately followed by Each Time I Bring It Up It Seems To Bring You Down, a magical song that interrupts itself after each verse with a Disney-esque fanfare. Those songs, plus the above mentioned Action Figure make this release worth the price. I just wish the other songs were as good.