This post-punk jug band not only remembers when country wasn't cool, but revels in the era when folks like Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry ruled the pop charts. Mastermind Kurt Wagner uses pop-country as a jumping-off point for the skewed, sardonic observations about life in these post-postmodern times, delivered in his wry, half-spoken baritone. Wagner's characters have a decidedly pulp fiction feel about them- -particularly the ones sketched in "The Man Who Loved Beer" and "The Scary Caroler"--and his bandmates provide suitably sepia-toned landscapes for said eccentrics to play out their stories. The seamless manner in which the players make offbeat instrumentation-- heavy on the trombone, lap steel, and banjo--sound so natural and kitsch-free is the icing on the cake, and a guarantee that you needn't be a hipster to appreciate Lambchop. --David Sprague