Post Description

* Gold
         * All in your Hands
         * Heaven
         * Gabriel
         * Till the clouds clear
         * Ear parcel
         * God bless
         * Sun
         * Gorecki
         * Fly
         * One
         * B-line


Release Notes:

Mancunian downtempo/drum'n'bass duo Lamb were one of the first groups to add a
lyrics-based vocalist to steadfastly jungle-based productions. Unlike other
vocal-based groups (such as Everything But the Girl and the Sneaker Pimps) who
dabbled in rolling breaks as a quiet accompaniment to a clearly dominant vocal
lead, Lamb dwelled in brash musical contrasts and, occasionally, contradictions
that made their songs as musically complex and exploratory as they are vocally
catchy. Formed in 1994 by producer Andrew Barlow and vocalist Louise Rhodes (the
former an in-house engineer for So What management, the latter a daughter of
folk-singer parents and a budding songstress), Lamb nailed a contract with
Mercury subsidiary Fontana almost straight out of the gate.

The group's calling card, the "Cotton Wool" single, already showed field-leaders
such as Gerald Simpson and Fila Brazillia were on their side (each contributed a
remix). But if anything it was the untouched title track that illustrated Lamb's
commitment to keeping the music interesting (the track rows along on a thick
double-bass sample and absolutely brutalizing drum sequences) while filling it
out with a big dose of tunefulness. An additional single ("Gold") followed, with
Lamb's self-titled debut released in the fall of 1996 to widespread acclaim.
Like the previous singles, much of Lamb explores song-oriented deployments of
jungle, but the album also adds elements of downtempo and ambient-ish
electro-jazz as well. Rhodes went on to lend her vocals to Sheffield legends 808
State's Don Solaris LP (on the track "Azura"), and the success of Lamb's debut
also brought a fair amount of remix work their way. The pair also added touring
to their repertoire (Lamb's release was followed by a European tour with
labelmates Galliano), combining their electronics-heavy productions with live
instrumentalists. Second album Fear of Fours appeared in 1999, and consolidated
the band's appeal with forward-thinking electronica listeners. Another inventive
record, What Sound, landed in 2001, although American audiences were forced to
wait two years to hear it in a quietly released version on Koch. Between
Darkness and Wonder followed in 2003, and one year later Barlow helmed a volume
in the chillout mixtape series Back to Mine.