Lambchop's Kurt Wagner Embraces Choral Music on 'Punching the Clown'

Kurt Wagner, frontman of the US band Lambchop, releases their 32nd album 'Punching the Clown', featuring a ghostly choir and banjo played by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). The album marks a return to archaic, intimate songwriting after forays into electronic music and Auto-Tune. Wagner draws inspiration from Scottish lining out singing, a call-and-response tradition that influenced American roots music. The album forms a triangle between Wagner's voice, the choir, and Vernon's banjo. Wagner expresses a desire to disappear creatively, aiming to write songs for Lambchop without his own involvement. The article also reviews Lambchop's career from 1994 to 2022, highlighting albums like 'What Another Man Spills' (1998), 'Is a Woman' (2002), 'Mr. M' (2012, after Vic Chesnutt's suicide), 'Flotus' (2016, incorporating hip-hop), and 'Trip' (2020, a cover album). Wagner's goal is to make music he has never heard before, driven by research and preparation.