Albums to watch

Mr M

Lambchop

Mr M

Eleventh studio album from the Nashville alt.country collective fronted by Kurt Wagner

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
City Slang
UK Release date
20/02/2012
US Release date
21/02/2012
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    Mr. M is exemplary Lambchop because its so unmistakably Wagner’s vision
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  2. 9.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    One of Lambchop’s finest, most cohesive, and easiest straight-through listens yet, despite its intermediate tendencies
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  3. 9.0 |   FasterLouder

    Pending future strokes of genius and with respect to albums like Nixon, Lambchop have created what will probably become their definitive LP
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  4. 8.5 |   Prefix

    Wagner thought Lambchop had one good record left, but it turns out he was wrong. Instead, Lambchop had its best one waiting for us
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  5. 8.3 |   Pitchfork

    Sounds like a bunch of guys tapping delicately on acoustic instruments from deep within a mausoleum, or the sound of wind blowing gently through the pages of an open book resting on a front-porch rocking chair
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  6. 8.1 |   Paste Magazine

    Wagner’s voice is the audio equivalent of honey-dipped cracked wheat—as apparent on all Lambchop offerings but perhaps braided here in a warmer, emotionally-constructive way
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  7. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    It may take some time to seep through, and those with short attention spans may be frustrated, but Mr. M will fill you with wisdom
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  8. 8.0 |   Spin

    Mr. Wagner has spent 20 years in a shroud of downcast, pillowy alt-country. Love only makes his depression prettier
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  9. 8.0 |   AU Review

    Dedicated to their friend, the late Vic Chestnutt, Mr. M is a worthy tribute
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  10. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    For those seeking the evocation of place and a representation of how places can make you feel – whether phantasmagorical or not – Mr M. can become an irrepressible jewel in their collection
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  11. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    At their core these are songs of isolation, desperation and the distance between people
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  12. 8.0 |   Beats Per Minute

    Manages to sound familiar while sounding entirely new, all the while making it clear that this is a sound only Lambchop could create
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  13. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Death is all around - but this is Lambchop, so the rough stuff comes wrapped in cinnamon
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  14. 8.0 |   Mojo

    It delivers softly and simply his often complex lyrics. Print edition only

  15. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Some of the best songs Wagner has ever put his name to
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  16. 8.0 |   Q

    Sad without losing sight of the potential for happiness. Print edition only

  17. 8.0 |   The Observer

    At its worst this understated quality produces the drear muzak of "Gar", but at its best – as on "Mr Met"
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  18. 8.0 |   DIY

    An understated kaleidoscope of beautiful arrangements, raw emotion and literate songwriting that is nothing less than moving
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  19. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Wagner's conflicting emotions are reflected in his band's fluid, conversational playing
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  20. 8.0 |   The Scotsman

    These soothing, snail-paced strolls are stealth compositions rather than arresting songs, with finely wrought arrangements
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  21. 8.0 |   All Music

    It's one of the most affecting works to date from a brilliant, one-of-a-kind ban
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  22. 7.5 |   Bowlegs

    Lambchop has always been a band of self-discovery and mutation, but the story and emotion behind this record might be too much to bear for some
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  23. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    They're like a weird quilt, Wagner and crew—warming us up again with kaleidoscopic patchwork
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  24. 7.0 |   The Quietus

    It washes you in sound, and if you let that sound wash over you, what it does is exquisite. But without opening up to the stream, it might just drain away
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  25. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The album is dedicated to the late Vic Chesnutt, and it’s a worthy tribute to that iconoclast: ethereal, melancholy, and just plain strange
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  26. 7.0 |   NME

    If this really is to be Lambchop's final album, it's an undeniably lovely one
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  27. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    A sound that hints at the style of big-band crooners: elegant strings laid over softly delivered lyrics
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  28. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    This isn’t an album that’s likely to change anything, but nor does it deserve to just pass by unnoticed
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  29. 6.0 |   The Independent

    As ever, it's Wagner's mix of the enigmatic and the demotic that dominates
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  30. 6.0 |   BBC

    The influence of Frank Sinatra’s September of My Years album will delight established fans, but those new to the band may find the fragility of the songwriting and subdued mood hard to embrace
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  31. 6.0 |   Scotland on Sunday

    It’s all beautifully crafted but with any joy muted beyond recognition
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  32. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    While Mr. M never comes close to a hoedown, it contains some of the most direct songs to have flown the Lambchop banner
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  33. 6.0 |   Evening Standard

    Lambchop prove to be even more horizontal than usual on this downbeat album
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  34. 6.0 |   Blurt

    With heart on his sleeve, Wagner opts for sobriety, but when those strings swell, the effect can be intoxicating
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  35. 5.0 |   No Ripcord

    The relative disappointment of Mr. M does suggest that Lambchop have become a little too comfortable
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  36. 5.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Some good musicianship and some heartful songs don’t make this an easy journey. Mr M is an honest but tough old ride
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  37. 4.0 |   State

    Lambchop need to stop now, or else strike out in a radically new direction. Otherwise it’ll just be the same ol’ same ol’ in ten years’ time
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