FuturePrimitive

LAMB- Lamb LAMB- Best Kept Secrets(The best of 1995-2004) Almost 12 years after their debut this disk managed to capture my attention once again. Though the group has since disbanded and Louise Rhodes has managed to go solo as a folk musician, one cannot deny that her penchant for crafting songs in the folk tradition began here. The album is rooted in jazzy electronica and fat double bass lines but Lamb were more than Drum and Bass or trip hop fodder. Their debut easily beat out Portishead’s sophomore release and Everything But The Girl’s Drum and Bass-lite productions. They supplied stand out edgy production and endearing lyrics by Lou that would balance out Andy Barlow’s menacing and complex production. Not since the release of Nicolette’s “Now is Early” had there been a Jungle/Drum n’ Bass fusion album so ahead of it’s time. (Yes I went there.) Hearing the sounds of this album years later the production is still original and challenges any new trend of music that’s come out in recent years. It’s not about the genre as much as it is about the attention to detail and craft. While the follow up ‘Fear of Fours’ still retained the production values of their debut. Rhodes went through some growing pains vocally. Attempting to sound much like the vocalist mentioned above at the cost of losing the innocence and plaintive singing style that made her songs digest so well. Don’t get me wrong, more than half the songs are choice but it was clear some exploration was taking place by both members. That is why there greatest hits package “ Best Kept Secrets” is worth while as well.(shameless plug) Rhode’s honed her vocal skills and came full circle for the remaining two albums they released. And while I stopped with Fear of Fours. Hearing the remaining released cuts from subsequent LP's makes me want to resume purchasing long players like “What Sound”. “Gabriel” is one hell of an electronic ballad! But I digress...Tracks like “Gold” which incorporate double bass, hard beats and playful vibes are hard to resist. Opener “Lusty” is just as futuristic and ethereal now as it was 12 years ago. Also the classic 'Gorecki', their most moving track, canonized in the movie Moulin Rouge (which I didn’t care for with it’s fast paced MTV style cinematography) as being the electronic music contribution to the storybook of pop music confirms their complex rhythms have not fallen on deaf ears. Folk-y tracks like “Zero” and “Feela” belie Rhode's true musical aspirations. She's written moving heartfelt songs that are simplistic and uncluttered by beats allowing for their depth and longing to be felt. They were also a foreshadowing, a blueprint of what has become of earth mother Rhode’s music career, resulting in her solo- “Beloved One” on her own Infinite Bloom label. Lamb is a trip into the past worth taking.