They don't sound anything like Portishead. I still haven't enjoyed the half-dozen tracks I know though. "Gorecki"'s intensity is surely genuine but also seems dreadfully heavy-handed.
― Tom, Monday, 18 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
If you can do so without crossing over into insipid acid jazz territory, it does.
― Dan Perry, Monday, 18 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Also their sound was very orchid-like, very much like a greenhouse, which I think is quite unusual and worth treasuring.
― Tim, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
'Gabriel' and 'Sweet' are both excellent singles, and there's at least three or four other half decent tracks.
They DO NOT sound like Portishead in the slightest. If anything, they remind me slightly of Mulu.
That is all...
― Zanny Gognet, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Josh, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
This is a very lovely statement, Tim, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what you mean by it.
― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 19 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I don't know if I'm explaining myself well here.
*cries*
Ned comes pretty damn close to what I mean.Some things I think can be heard particularly on the first three tracks + "Merge" and "Gold" on debut:
The beats are really *jungle* - whipping back and forth, fiddly- diddly things that are nonetheless both strong and integral groovewise. One of the problems with a lot of the over-intelligent jungle circa 95-96 is that they became too light'n'wispy to carry the groove. On something like "God Bless" the beats are like a shudder, a reflexive spasm, but the groove is utterly commanding, slyly stalking things. There's a balance between lazy grace and danger that says African savanna to me.
I'm always impressed by just how good the breakbeat manipulation on this album is. Especially on "God Bless" and "Gold" (my favourite tracks obv.) there's something very flowing about the rhythms that I can't put my finger on. Something about the interplay between the live bass and the breakbeats is... not natural sounding, but suggestive of natural forces. There's a paradox there that I don't know I can disentangle.
Also, the sounds on this album are *flushed* with heat: shimmering flutes, warm live bass, bright sparkly synth squiggles (bright, but if there is light here it's not clean white light. Greens, yellows, reds maybe). And Louise's slow, almost drawled vocals counters the fast pace of the music perfectly - she's like the sound of shoots growing, buds opening etc.
― Tim, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― JB, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― jml, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ambrose, Wednesday, 20 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dan Perry, Thursday, 21 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
which are worth tracking down?
― dh, Wednesday, 22 December 2004 10:54 (nineteen years ago) link
the Kruder and Dorfmeister remix of 'Trans Fatty Acid'
the Global Communication remix of 'Gorecki'
the Dillinja remix of 808 State ft Louise Rhodes 'Azura'
― Frankenstein On Ice (blueski), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 11:44 (nineteen years ago) link
― dh, Tuesday, 28 December 2004 17:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 28 December 2004 17:24 (nineteen years ago) link
Also, the Lamb versions of "X-Fatty Acid" and "Gorecki" totally pwn the remixes.
― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 18:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― Leeeter van den Hoogenband (Leee), Monday, 24 January 2005 06:32 (nineteen years ago) link
"Gabriel" is a track I should have nominated for that '00s poll. The whole What Sound album is one that pwns for the most part, and the title track would become a standard in several musical genres if done correctly.
― Riot Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 24 January 2005 06:51 (nineteen years ago) link
Hello..We're sending you this note because you've subscribed to a LAMB database sometime in the past..EXCITING NEWS!!The band have recently announced a series of summer festival performances in the UK and Europe this summer 2009.Current dates are:May 24th - Istanbul Chill Out Festival, TurkeyJune 20th - Sofia Park Live Festival, BulgariaJune 26th - Glastonbury Festival, UK (Jazz Stage)June 27th - Jazz:Re:Found Festival, ItalyJuly 3rd - Sopron Volt Festival, HungaryJuly 12th - Cactus Festival, BelgiumJuly 16th - Marés Vivas Festival, PortugalJuly 18th - Pohoda Festival, SlovakiaJuly 31st - Raw Rhythm Festival, AmsterdamAugust 7th - Big Chill Festival, UK (Castle Stage)August 15th - Feest In Het Park, BelgiumAugust 23rd - Beautiful Days Festival, UKAugust 28th - Scene Festival, HungarySeptember 4th - Electric Picnic, IrelandAnd, performing under the pseudonym Baby Sheep, the band have also announced an intimate live show at the Concorde2 in Brighton on May 22. The show (their first, and possibly only, club show for 4 years) is a warm up show for the festival performances. As well as playing new arrangements of classic songs including Gorecki, Gabriel, Lusty & Trans Fatty Acid the show will incorporate experimental new projections and lights. The band have ensured ticket prices are low to give everyone value for money, so if you'd like to experience their full new show in an intimate environment, be quick and get your tickets from the links below...Ticket WebWe Got TicketsSee TicketsBoth Lou and Andy are nearing completion on their new solo albums... Further information on both can be found on:-www.andybarlow.net/www.lourhodes.com/www.myspace.com/lourhodes And - finally - we're preparing to release a live LAMB album and DVD containing footage from the band's 2004 show at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam, together with exclusive interviews with Andy & Lou.. The album and DVD will be available from September 2009... More information will be posted at:Lamb's Official FacebookLamb's Official MySpaceThank you for your time.....Lamb love...
We're sending you this note because you've subscribed to a LAMB database sometime in the past..
EXCITING NEWS!!
The band have recently announced a series of summer festival performances in the UK and Europe this summer 2009.
Current dates are:
May 24th - Istanbul Chill Out Festival, Turkey
June 20th - Sofia Park Live Festival, Bulgaria
June 26th - Glastonbury Festival, UK (Jazz Stage)
June 27th - Jazz:Re:Found Festival, Italy
July 3rd - Sopron Volt Festival, Hungary
July 12th - Cactus Festival, Belgium
July 16th - Marés Vivas Festival, Portugal
July 18th - Pohoda Festival, Slovakia
July 31st - Raw Rhythm Festival, Amsterdam
August 7th - Big Chill Festival, UK (Castle Stage)
August 15th - Feest In Het Park, Belgium
August 23rd - Beautiful Days Festival, UK
August 28th - Scene Festival, Hungary
September 4th - Electric Picnic, Ireland
And, performing under the pseudonym Baby Sheep, the band have also announced an intimate live show at the Concorde2 in Brighton on May 22. The show (their first, and possibly only, club show for 4 years) is a warm up show for the festival performances. As well as playing new arrangements of classic songs including Gorecki, Gabriel, Lusty & Trans Fatty Acid the show will incorporate experimental new projections and lights. The band have ensured ticket prices are low to give everyone value for money, so if you'd like to experience their full new show in an intimate environment, be quick and get your tickets from the links below...
Ticket Web
We Got Tickets
See Tickets
Both Lou and Andy are nearing completion on their new solo albums... Further information on both can be found on:-
www.andybarlow.net/
www.lourhodes.com/
www.myspace.com/lourhodes
And - finally - we're preparing to release a live LAMB album and DVD containing footage from the band's 2004 show at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam, together with exclusive interviews with Andy & Lou.. The album and DVD will be available from September 2009... More information will be posted at:
Lamb's Official Facebook
Lamb's Official MySpace
Thank you for your time.....
Lamb love...
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 17:26 (fourteen years ago) link
Was thinking about them the other day. That first album is still tops.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 11 May 2009 17:42 (fourteen years ago) link
Christ, I had totally forgotten this band ever existed! I think I still have their first album lying around somewhere, but I haven't listened to it in years. From what I remember the singer was quite good, but the beats were a rather bland appropriation of the drum & bass of that era. The Kruder & Dorfmeister remix of "Trans Fatty Acid" that appeared on K & D Sessions was better than anything on the actual album.
I think Nicolette managed to pull off the same trick (trip hoppy vocals with harsher/faster beats than in trip hop) much better on Let No One Live Rent-Free in Your Head, which came out around the same time. Maybe that's because she was working with better producers, like 4 Hero and Plaid?
― Tuomas, Monday, 11 May 2009 17:55 (fourteen years ago) link
I don't know that I would ever use the word "bland" to describe "Cotton Wool".
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:00 (fourteen years ago) link
I just looked up the CD and it's playing in my stereo right now, this actually sounds better than what I remembered. It's still not as good as the Nicolette album, and the K & D remix of "Trans Fatty Acid" is still better than the original, but the album sounds better than what I remembered. Maybe I was too young to get it back in the 90s?
The singer sounds kinda like Björk, doesn't she? I remember when I first played that K & D remix to a friend, she asked me if it was a new Björk song.
― Tuomas, Monday, 11 May 2009 18:09 (fourteen years ago) link
I think the production on the first two records are pretty good. Agree that the vocals are kind of breathy approximation of Bjork meets Beth Gibbons, but I don't really have a problem with that.
― Alex in SF, Monday, 11 May 2009 18:34 (fourteen years ago) link
Alex, that description of the vocals nails it; I was trying to figure out a way of articulating how the Björk comparison didn't quite work and it's because of the Beth Gibbons component.
I never actually heard the Nicolette album so I'm not going to comment on that; I do think the first two Lamb albums before Lou went into breathy unsupported la-la land are really, really fantastic. (The other two are just okay for me, dawg.)
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:37 (fourteen years ago) link
Also, Lamb live in concert is one of my favorite shows of all time, particularly the version of "Ear Parcel" they did.
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:40 (fourteen years ago) link
Nicolette's 'Dove Song' is what i would've liked Lamb to aim more for altho they came close enough at times. still like 'Ear Parcel' and 'God Bless' ('Gorecki' less so since it was used in Torchwood ha).
― Hard House SugBanton (blueski), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:42 (fourteen years ago) link
I really, really love the awkward stutter-stompy stuff they did, like "Lusty" and "Cotton Wool".
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:47 (fourteen years ago) link
:-D
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:53 (fourteen years ago) link
DanTM
Still, kinda resent it when bands return to the stage after making such a dramatic point of a departure from it.
Was in attendance for what was supposed to be Lamb's final Glastonbury set in the Avalon tent and got quite choked up i did.
― N1ck (Upt0eleven), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:53 (fourteen years ago) link
lol at some of the points where she falls out of the key on that Youtube video, but still it is awesome
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:54 (fourteen years ago) link
I like that Nicolette record btw, but it sort of feels a bit too many hands in the cookie jar kinda produced to me (much like Post) whereas the esp. first Lamb album feels like a more coherent whole.
― Alex in SF, Monday, 11 May 2009 18:58 (fourteen years ago) link
"Wicked Mathematics" is A++, obv
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, 11 May 2009 18:59 (fourteen years ago) link
First Nicolette album OTOH is completely awesome.
― Alex in SF, Monday, 11 May 2009 19:00 (fourteen years ago) link
I saw them in NYC (Mercury Lounge, I think) supporting Fear of Fours. They were terrific. Didn't much like the last couple of albums, though.
― unperson, Monday, 11 May 2009 22:05 (fourteen years ago) link
Any opinions on the new album?
― Moka, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 08:37 (twelve years ago) link
New album? Didn't know they were back as a going concern. I'm interested to hear it, even if they did go out on a bit of a dull note. The first three records are great.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 4 May 2011 11:01 (twelve years ago) link
http://open.spotify.com/album/0nT1jIOBeOteLWKWzf4Aw2
playing this now, it's really, really GREAT
― Rob Based and DJ EZ God (DJP), Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:31 (twelve years ago) link
It really is.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:35 (twelve years ago) link
it is so great to hear Lou have a voice again
― Rob Based and DJ EZ God (DJP), Thursday, 18 August 2011 15:48 (twelve years ago) link
http://open.spotify.com/track/7DH7BPebIo33EwETjrORll
holy hell this song
― Rob Based and DJ EZ God (DJP), Thursday, 25 August 2011 15:31 (twelve years ago) link
Always kind of suspected that my writing these off as trip hop also rans may have been wide of the mark and this album strongly suggests that it was. amazing album.
― ewar woowar (or something), Thursday, 13 November 2014 19:05 (nine years ago) link
never got into the debut - not even Gorecki ever really did it for me - but this single is good. WIll ahve to check out the album
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Friday, 14 November 2014 10:48 (nine years ago) link
Heard the single and thought it was excellent.
Poised to splash big pounds on the vinyl - I should make the jump?
― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Friday, 14 November 2014 11:01 (nine years ago) link
I would say yes. I haven't only because there's currently no space in my place for a record player.
― the farakhan of gg (DJP), Friday, 14 November 2014 15:01 (nine years ago) link
Just listened to the new album, quite nice indeed.
― TAKING SIDES: HUMANS VS. GUACAMOLEEE (Leee), Sunday, 23 November 2014 01:24 (nine years ago) link
just listened to the global communication mix of gorecki three times in a row. gonna play it again now.
― brotherlovesdub, Monday, 24 November 2014 22:35 (nine years ago) link
Criminally underrated as fuck, particularly Fear of Fours.
― Turrican, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 18:47 (eight years ago) link
lou rhodes is a genuinely great singer
― nomar, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 18:49 (eight years ago) link
Oh, absolutely... and Barlow should be more recognised for his production work than he is, too!
― Turrican, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 19:03 (eight years ago) link
This group is brilliant top to bottom
― I Am Curious (Dolezal) (DJP), Wednesday, 4 November 2015 19:12 (eight years ago) link
I think they are to trip hop what Curve was to shoegaze, positioned as third wave wannabes or alsorans to such a degree that a lot of people either missed out or refused to recognize how great they were.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 19:15 (eight years ago) link
Yeah, I guess there's more than a grain of truth in that, but at the same time I think that "trip hop" is a bit of an ill-fitting description for them. I'll concede that there's some traits, but I dunno... there's something about their music which often feels quite apart from that.
― Turrican, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 19:20 (eight years ago) link
Oh, I agree, just as Curve never aimed for the shimmering, dreamy beauty that is a hallmark of so much shoegaze and yet were categorized as such all the same. They were a lot more aggressive and rhythmically interesting, same with Lamb.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 4 November 2015 20:40 (eight years ago) link
Lamb was dubbed trip-hop only due to their setup of keyb/programmer guy + female vocalist. Laika was similarly unfairly pigeonholed. I always thought of both in the context of other post-rock (in S. Reynold's original definition) bands like Disco Inferno, Bark Psychosis, Insides, Long Fin Killie/Bows (hell the Too Pure catalog). All those great 90s bands that were responding to the exhaustion of guitar rock and tentatively exploring outside the box while the weeklies were lauding regressive Britpop.
― Sanpaku, Thursday, 5 November 2015 03:35 (eight years ago) link
I dunno - for me Lamb is definitely trip-hop and there's nothing wrong with that. Their last album slayed and I realy need to find more time to spend with it.
― licorice oratorio (baaderonixx), Thursday, 5 November 2015 11:12 (eight years ago) link
tuomas and blueski are correct in their judgment that the K&D mix of "Trans Fatty Acid" owns like few remixes in history and everyone in the universe needs to listen to it. that song's been a part of my life for a decade and a half now; in this time, the same friend who turned me on to this mix was also responsible for my appreciation for Wong Kar-Wai. also he later allegedly faked his own death in order to drop off the internet more or less entirely, although since he may have been caught fakin' he might have needed to try harder.
my point is: the K&D Mix is really really good
― grinding like a jolly elf (jamescobo), Thursday, 5 November 2015 12:28 (eight years ago) link
K&D mix has none of the soured, paranoid stank of the original, so I'll hold with the original.
― :wq (Leee), Thursday, 5 November 2015 18:39 (eight years ago) link
I really, really love the awkward stutter-stompy stuff they did, like "Lusty" and "Cotton Wool".― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, May 11, 2009 6:47 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― admiral tub-a-lub (HI DERE), Monday, May 11, 2009 6:47 PM (6 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
^ this, This, THIS!
The "awkward stutter-stompy" stuff and their use of meters other than 4/4 is a big part of the appeal of Lamb for me, although I love their more floatier, more "beautiful" tracks too. But man, those awkward beats.
― Turrican, Friday, 6 November 2015 22:14 (eight years ago) link
Come to think of it, Lamb and Laika were both equally predisposed toward odd time signatures. "Fear of Fours" indeed.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 6 November 2015 22:15 (eight years ago) link
'Lusty' is 101% fucking amazing.
― Turrican, Friday, 6 November 2015 22:15 (eight years ago) link
I love how Fear of Fours tried to actually avoid having a track 4 by using 7 seconds of the outro of 'B Line' (track 3) to make up track 4 on the CD, so the next song proper starts on track 5.
― Turrican, Friday, 6 November 2015 22:18 (eight years ago) link
Heh that's pretty good.
― brimstead, Saturday, 7 November 2015 01:11 (eight years ago) link
The middle part of 'Cotton Wool' where Lou sings in harmony with herself, before the thundering fucked-up beats kick back in = wonderful.
― Turrican, Sunday, 8 November 2015 21:43 (eight years ago) link
A claim to fame, I helped with the sound effects on the B-Line video years back and got to hang out with them for a day, they were lovely people.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 8 November 2015 21:55 (eight years ago) link
Really!? Nice one!
I think I only saw two Lamb videos on TV back in the '90s, 'B-Line' was one of 'em and 'Cotton Wool' was the other, both once each. 'B-Line' was definitely the better of the two!
― Turrican, Sunday, 8 November 2015 22:06 (eight years ago) link
I just went to look it up on Youtube and it's not there, which suprised me, but then I found a fairly scuzzy version on Vimeo
― MaresNest, Sunday, 8 November 2015 22:10 (eight years ago) link
Yeah, I just did the same!
― Turrican, Sunday, 8 November 2015 22:11 (eight years ago) link
My SFX in pop videos hall of fame.
Lamb - B LineDeus - Instant StThe Bluetones - Autophilia (for which I managed to sneak my mates band coming from a car stereo at the beginning iirc)Gorillaz - Dere
― MaresNest, Sunday, 8 November 2015 22:16 (eight years ago) link
"5" is so good.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 26 April 2016 15:53 (seven years ago) link
suddenly had an urge to play In Binary and this album still rules
― ¶ (DJP), Thursday, 15 December 2016 20:08 (seven years ago) link
"Doves and Ravens" is a thing of beauty!
― Everything Moves Towards The Sun (Ross), Thursday, 15 December 2016 20:57 (seven years ago) link
I COULD WRAAAAP YOU UUUUUP IN COOOOTOON WOOOOOOOOL!
*amazing stuttery fucked up beats*
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Sunday, 3 December 2017 18:25 (six years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Mb5ya7wOE
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Monday, 4 December 2017 04:26 (six years ago) link
fuck yes
― In a slipshod style (Ross), Monday, 4 December 2017 04:30 (six years ago) link
Ended up on yet another Lamb kick yesterday after reading that Barlow apparently did some work on the new U2 LP?
― Gholdfish Killah (Turrican), Monday, 4 December 2017 08:23 (six years ago) link
like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdu1sdFOtiE
― nashwan, Saturday, 16 March 2019 22:48 (five years ago) link
Hmm, I dunno. Might grow on me. Crusty video is a bit distracting. I do love that Lamb, after disappearing for some time, returned ever engaged and ambitious.
So Barlow did produce several tracks on the most recent U2 (the only one I've never heard)? Are they any good?
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 17 March 2019 12:44 (five years ago) link