Last year, MJ Lenderman saluted a fellow indie singer-songwriter with an absolutely sick cover of This Is Lorelei's "Dancing In The Club." Lenderman's version came out on a deluxe edition of This Is Lorelei's Box for Buddy, Box For Star, and it stands as one of 2025's best songs. Now, Lenderman has done something similar for an indie songwriter from a completely different generation: Veteran Lambchop mastermind Kurt Wagner.
Earlier this year, Lambchop released the excellent album Punching The Clown. Today, Wagner announces a new EP called Demoed, which includes a bunch of different singers recording new vocals over the original Punching The Clown demo tracks. Fog's Andrew Broder, a longtime Lambchop collaborator, produced those demos. Besides Lenderman, the new singers are Alan Sparhawk, Circuit Des Yeux, Channy Leaneagh, Dan Wriggins, Lauren Auder, Flock Of Dimes, and more eaze.
The idea, as Kurt Wagner explains, is that he doesn't think his own presence is necessary for these songs to stand. Here's how he puts it:
I never knew what Herman Melville looked like until I was in high school. I just saw a picture in lit class and that was about it, nice beard. Prior to that, what Herman looked like was really not essential to my understanding or enjoyment of Moby Dick. It was distracting at best. I thought the work was the important thing. I mean, I still don’t know what Renoir looked like, but I bet he had a great beard. Great painter.
I used to fantasize that Lambchop would continue as an idea well beyond my participation. Over time, we’ve had at least two generations represented. A third now is beginning. And this is important to me, having the unique perspective and contributions from younger artists steering in the work we make. So i thought it would be nice, someday, that I might even step aside to watch and advise from the wings. Having a beard was never considered, but here we are.
This is to say that my idea of moving forward — aging with dignity — involves my disappearing from the notion of being the “dude,” the ego, entity, personality, figurehead, selfie guy, brand image. Who I am physically and how I appear becomes irrelevant. Allowing the concept and work to be the focus. My participation isn’t really necessary in the final presentation. Songwriting, “the song” implicitly allows for such a thing, or at least it did before pop culture insisted that it be part of the package. I mean, I get it, why that is and the way things are, but I've always felt it doesn’t have to be so, and there’s centuries of precedents to back this up.
Exhibit D: Andrew came up with the idea for a supplement to the new record. To ask artists we admired as both people and with unique voices to sing along to the initial guitar demos replacing me, thereby putting emphasis on their voices and the songs rather than my persona’s participation. A remix but backwards. Let’s admit it: Neil Sedaka was kinda goofy, but he sure could write a tune. I’m no Neil Sedaka, but I sure can be goofy.
We made a list of people to ask and sent them the demos along with the finished Punching The Clown album. We asked them to keep it simple and not overthink it, to keep it in the spirit of what a demo might be. Like a sketch for a painting, a demo. Sometimes they added other elements furthering their artistic involvement. It was their choice, their reaction to the premise and the tune.
Looking at it now, it does seem like one of those tribute records that happen after an artist dies or needs to raise funds for an operation or medical treatment. But I assure you, I am very much alive and all over what you hear here. Unlike cover versions of our songs, these are songs we made — I’m just not the singer. Jake, Haley, Alan, Channy, Dan, Lauren, Jenn, and Mari are.
For his part, MJ Lenderman has contributed a stripped-down, vulnerable version of "Weakened," the lush lead single from Punching The Clown. Below, check out Lenderman's take, the Lambchop original, and the Demoed tracklist.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Weakened (MJ Lenderman version)"
02 "A Doctor In The House (Circuit des Yeux / Alan Sparhawk version)"
03 "Stella (Channy Leaneagh version)"
04 "White People (Dan Wriggins version)"
05 "The New World Wave (Lauren Auder version)"
06 "Afterburner (Flock of Dimes version)"
07 "Andrew Jackson Asshat (More Eaze version)"
The Demoed EP is out 11/5 digitally and 2/5 physically on Merge.