Lamb: 5 - Album Review

Lamb
5
Rating: Meh

Lamb, the duo comprised of multi-instrumentalist Andy Barlow and vocalist Louise Rhodes, were one of the first bands in the late 90s to make a go at marrying more traditional song structures/vocals to techno and drum and bass tracks. Finding a mid ground between the noir balladry of Portishead, the cutting edge experimentation of Maxinquaye-era Tricky, and the true pop of Sneaker Pimps and Everything But The Girl, Lamb were like your quirky cousin at Thanksgiving dinner that you never quite knew what they would say or do. Lamb's self-titled debut was almost restlessly experimental, featuring some pretty insane, broken beat compositions for traditional pop music, and yet it all was grounded by the husky, inspired vocals of Rhodes, who came across like a techno blues godhead at times. Tracks like "Cotton Wool," "Lusty," and the gorgeous "Gorecki," were stunning singles that solidified their reputation as a band to look out for. Follow up Fear of Fours, was a slight retreat from the treasures of Lamb, focusing a little too heavily on Rhodes voice and not backing it with anything truly satisfying. By 2001's What Sound and 2003's Between Darkness and Wonder, Lamb had essentially shot their proverbial wad and were shooting blanks. The musical landscape changing from the experimentation of drum and bass to less vocal driven genres like dubstep, 2-step, and funky, leaving Lamb nowhere to really go. Having thought them disbanded, they have now released their 5th album (originally released spring of 2011 in the UK and here via download; it is now getting a proper physical release here in the US), simply titled 5, which begs the question, what type of Lamb are we getting? Unfortunately, it is difficult to say. While 5 has some memorable tracks, for the most part it is rudderless and schizophrenic. Bouncing from semi-experimental electronica experiments, traditional pop songs, folk-esque tunes, fuzzy guitar tracks, and many different hybrids in between, it is difficult to get a foothold with the album, even though Rhodes' voice does tie things together very nicely. In fact, I would say the one standout thing about 5 is the total control she has over her voice, never becoming too overwrought as she has done in the past.

Of course, as always, the tracks that stand out for me are the more restless tracks. Lead off track "Another Language" had me scared initially, starting off with bland, new age keyboards, but eventually, as Rhodes voice glides along the programming, the percussion gets weirder, the keyboards squeltchy and wet, dark synths rise from underneath.



"Butterfly Effect" haunts with discordant electronics burbling, playful drum programming, and a quiet vocal that strangely descends into a weird chorus of "la la la's" that somehow works as a counterpoint to the sinister nature of the track.



"Last Night The Sky" begins solely with Rhodes' commanding voice, adding vaguely Asian keyboards and percussion, which leads to a late song swirl strings and pounding drums.



But aside from these tracks, the remaining numbers ping pong back and forth from one style to the next, never really achieving anything transcendent. "Build A Fire" attempts to add fuzzy/crunchy guitars to the mix, and just seems ill advised.



"Existential Itch" contains dated electronics that peg it directly from the 90s.



And there are several Goldfrapp-ian electro-folky numbers that, while focusing on Rhodes' gorgeous voice, musically are not interesting enough to maintain interest. "Rounds" meanders under a almost soporific musical bead of burbling synths and plinking guitars. "The Spectacle," meant to be the "important" track on 5, again highlights her voice, but the pianos are practically inert. And most egregious is the stunning banality of Lamb's collaboration with Damien Rice, "Back to Beginning," which comes across more silly than filled with portent.



Admittedly, I didn't have high hopes for 5 when I first starting listening to it. While I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the tracks, the lack of any through arc (lyrically or musically) or any sort of experimental playfulness made the album, by last track's end, feel like an effort. It is never a good sign when you think you are near the end of a record and you realize your are merely halfway through. As my friend Adam mentioned, what you have here is a good EP's worth of material trapped in a bloated whale of a record. If you like the less ambitious records in Lamb's catalog, I think you will most likely appreciate 5. For me, I still long for the weird days of "Lusty" which was only vaguely hinted at here.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.