Lambchop - Aw C’mon/No You C’mon

’s 6th and 7th albums respectively, this double release of ‘Aw C’mon/No You C’mon’ is essentially a concept album contrasted with a more twee Belle and Sebastian. If you can imagine such a thing.

Lambchop’s countrified roots are clear, unlike Kurt Wagner’s gravelly vocals which are mostly incomprehensible. ‘Drenched in strings’ according to the press release. They weren’t kidding. The first CD of the two is mellow and acoustic, yet with little variation it soon becomes tiresome. The plodding rhythms of the songs mean that ‘Aw C’mon’ disentegrates into blandness after a while - forget your ‘best chill out album in the world ever…part 472’ gubbins, this would easily send you to sleep.

‘No You C’mon’, however, is apparently the ‘experimental’ bit of this release, and it definitely shows. What’s that, a change of pace? Add some speed and some guitars, and the weary balladry is swiftly forgotten. Tracks such as ‘Nothing Adventurous Please’ and ‘Jan’ break up the orchestral insipidness to make this second album actually worth a listen. Even the Vic Reeves-club-singer style of ‘Shang A Dang Dang’ provides a giggle, if nothing else.

Fans of the band will probably love this double album, being as it blends essential Lambchop with something a little bit different. Otherwise, the only songs of note belong mostly to the latter CD. Just a shame you can only buy them as a two piece set, really.