Nashville alt-country collective Lambchop will release its ninth studio album, "Damaged," Aug. 22 via Merge Records. The 10-track set is the second commercial release for the group in 2006, following the B-sides and rarities compilation "The Decline of Country and Western Civilization Part II: The Woodwind Years."
"I guess we recorded it in a few weeks in Nashville; it wasn't very long once we got into the studio. The electronica type stuff took the longest, but we had been working on the arrangements for awhile prior to going into the studio," group leader Kurt Wagner tells Billboard.com. "We had also played a good number of them live, and they had been played pretty well by then."
Similar to Lambchop albums of the past, "Damaged" features up to 17 members, including a string section on several tracks. The songs reflect more of the mood and length of 2001's "Is a Woman," with a mellow tone that continues to highlight Wagner's baritone voice.
"It was much more about making a concise 'one record' thing, as opposed to the vast array of songs [on previous albums]. The title 'Damaged' sort of sums up a tone in each of the songs, after I thought about it. It's also a great Black Flag record," Wagner says with a chuckle.
"I think they draw from my usual, super broad pallet of influences -- 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' some electronica music, Dylan, and even 'Deadwood.' I was fascinated by the way they use language. It's a typical western, but a lost style of American language, and I tried to see if I could speak that way in my lyrics." Fans can get a taste of the new material via "Paperback Bible," which has been made available on iTunes.
Wagner says that the second half of 2006 will find Lambchop busy touring in support of "Damage," starting this August in Europe. "Hopefully we'll do some U.S. stuff in September," he says. "It will be an interesting approach -- we're going to bring a string section with us this time and present [in the U.S.] what we've done in Europe before."
Here is the track list for "Damaged":
"Paperback Bible"
"Prepared [2]"
"The Rise and Fall of fhe Letter P"
"A Day Without Glasses"
"Beers Before The Barbican"
"I Would Have Waited Here All Day"
"Crackers"
"Fear"
"Short"
"The Decline of Country and Western Civilization"
"I guess we recorded it in a few weeks in Nashville; it wasn't very long once we got into the studio. The electronica type stuff took the longest, but we had been working on the arrangements for awhile prior to going into the studio," group leader Kurt Wagner tells Billboard.com. "We had also played a good number of them live, and they had been played pretty well by then."
Similar to Lambchop albums of the past, "Damaged" features up to 17 members, including a string section on several tracks. The songs reflect more of the mood and length of 2001's "Is a Woman," with a mellow tone that continues to highlight Wagner's baritone voice.
"It was much more about making a concise 'one record' thing, as opposed to the vast array of songs [on previous albums]. The title 'Damaged' sort of sums up a tone in each of the songs, after I thought about it. It's also a great Black Flag record," Wagner says with a chuckle.
"I think they draw from my usual, super broad pallet of influences -- 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' some electronica music, Dylan, and even 'Deadwood.' I was fascinated by the way they use language. It's a typical western, but a lost style of American language, and I tried to see if I could speak that way in my lyrics." Fans can get a taste of the new material via "Paperback Bible," which has been made available on iTunes.
Wagner says that the second half of 2006 will find Lambchop busy touring in support of "Damage," starting this August in Europe. "Hopefully we'll do some U.S. stuff in September," he says. "It will be an interesting approach -- we're going to bring a string section with us this time and present [in the U.S.] what we've done in Europe before."
Here is the track list for "Damaged":
"Paperback Bible"
"Prepared [2]"
"The Rise and Fall of fhe Letter P"
"A Day Without Glasses"
"Beers Before The Barbican"
"I Would Have Waited Here All Day"
"Crackers"
"Fear"
"Short"
"The Decline of Country and Western Civilization"
Up for Discussion