| Showtunes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 21, 2021 | |||
| Length | 31:06 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Jeremy Ferguson | |||
| Lambchop chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Showtunes | ||||
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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]
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]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10 [10] |
| Metacritic | 79/100 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [12] |
| The Arts Desk | [13] |
| Beats Per Minute | 78% [14] |
| God Is in the TV | 10/10 [15] |
| Loud and Quiet | 9/10 [16] |
| musicOMH | [17] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| The Observer | [18] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [19] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [20] |
| Spectrum Culture | 80% [21] |
| Under the Radar |    [22] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [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]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [23] | 75 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [24] | 24 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [25] | 8 |