Diverse 'Nixon' shines in irony

We live in a culture of irony, which means that if you're going to imitate something from a bygone era, you had better do it with a smirk on your face. Lambchop understand this postmodern proverb as well as anyone, and on "Nixon," they exploit it for all it's worth.

Lambchop is led by Ken Wagner, who writes all of the group's songs and whose deep, soulful vocals are the main attraction on cuts like "The Old Gold Shoe" and "The Petrified Florist." But he's only half the story. Lambchop's twelve other members cover everything from guitars and drums to organ, pedal steel and horns - even a juno is thrown in for good measure. On "Nixon," the group is joined by a choir and a string section and, given this crowded lineup, the record might easily have come out sounding cluttered. Rather, everyone plays with more than enough restraint to allow the quiet charm of Wagner's songs to surface.

What's really remarkable, however, is how much utter cheesiness the band gets away with. Most of "Nixon"'s ten tracks sport string arrangements worthy of Burt Bacharach and horn lines borrowed from Tom Jones' greatest hits. It's sometimes hard to tell whether Wagner and company are making fun of their forefathers - mostly seventies country singers and white Memphis soulsters - or shamelessly imitating them.

In fact, while both the CD's liner notes and Wagner's lyrics allude to Tricky Dick's presidency, I'd guess that the album's title largely reflects Lambchop's nudging affinity for the music of the Nixon era: "The Distance from Her to There" could have been written by late-sixties pop-country guru Billy Sherrill and "You Masculine You" shows that Beck isn't the only one who's been mining blacksploitation movie soundtracks for material.

Wagner has insisted that Lambchop is just a country band which defines "country" somewhat broadly. But aside from some subtle pedal steel and the near-twang of Wagner's voice, the band's country roots (most members are Nashville natives) really aren't all that apparent.

Wagner's lyrics certainly owe a lot more to Lou Reed than Hank Williams. "The Butcher Boy" continues Wagner's fascination with the macabre that was first heard on "Soaky in the Pooper," a track from 1994's "I Hope You're Sitting Down." That song was about suicide in a bathroom; "Butcher Boy" tells the story of a girl who hangs herself and has her chest carved open by her father.

The rest of the record, of course, isn't nearly so dark. Most of Wagner's lyrics deal with mundane subjects like love and politics, and despite all of the styles they draw on, the dreamy, mid-tempo songs might sound a bit dull to some ears.

But there are lots of little thrills to be found on "Nixon." Wagner's voice is one of them; so are the kitschy horns on "Grumpus." And, as "Up With People" proves, even a group of postmodernists can make you dance.