Blue Notes

As obscure projects go, a solo album from a member of Lambchop released on the ofshoot of an independent label from Glasgow has got to rank pretty highly.

Blue Notes really does give the old ‘we make music for ourselves and if anybody else likes it it’s a bonus’ cliché new meaning. Lambchop may have country leanings, but Burch is completely and utterly steeped in the stuff. Recorded in – where else? – Nashville, the album is imbued with the spirit of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Beautifully recorded, the collection is a reminder of the potency of a musical genre destroyed by the naffness of showbiz. Burch’s voice quivers through it all, adding poignancy to the suitably miserable lyrics – you’ll believe a member of Lambchop can love and lose. It’ll probably sell about twenty three copies but, believe me, feeling bad never felt so good.