“The New World Wave” by Lambchop

While trying (unsuccessfully) to hunt down a song that he heard on the radio one night, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner discovered “lined out singing,” a form of a cappella call-and-response gospel singing that originated in Scotland during the 1800s and was brought to America by Scottish immigrants. Inspired by the haunting choral arrangements, Wagner set out to make a record that emulated their effect, with the result being Lambchop’s seventeenth album: Punching the Clown.

Throughout the album’s twelve songs, Wagner is often backed by the Eau Claire Vocal Sextet, and their pure voices provide an intriguing contrast to his own roughhewn vocals, as well as the stripped down instrumentation (which features Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on banjo). The music is consistently striking, and even reaches theatrical heights on album highlight “The New World Wave.” Here, the sextet’s voices practically soar, imbuing Wagner’s homespun tale of disappointment and family struggle with an unearthly grace that gives me chills no matter how many times I hear it. (On a related note, I highly recommend reading Philip Sherburne’s beautiful review, in which he chronicles how Punching the Clown has become a lifeline in the midst of caring for his ailing mother.)

Punching the Clown is now available from Merge Records.