Lamb (band)

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Lamb

Country United Kingdom
Years active 1996–2004
Genres Trip Hop, Drum & Bass, Jazz
Labels Mercury Records, Koch Records
Members Andy Barlow
Louise Rhodes

Lamb were originally a Mancunian duo comprising producer Andy Barlow (AKA the Hipoptimist) and singer-songwriter Lou Rhodes, however this pairing subsequently expanded to include bassist Jon Thorne, Icelandic guitarist Oddur Mar Runnarson, and Danish drummer Nikolaj Bjerre. London-based string trio Chi 2 Strings and trumpet player Kevin Davy are frequent guest musicians, and Chi 2 Strings co-wrote several songs on Lamb's fourth album. They released their first album, the self-titled Lamb in September 1996, and followed this up with another three albums and a cache of singles over the next eight years, culminating in the release of a greatest hits album, Best Kept Secrets, in June 2004. Lamb performed what was billed as their final live appearance at the Paradiso in Amsterdam in September 2004. This performance was filmed for a planned live DVD release; its release was expected in 2005, but as of mid-2006 it has not appeared. The band members have since been working on a variety of solo projects, but have not ruled out the return of Lamb at some point in the future.

Although getting their start in Manchester, UK, Lamb are more commonly associated with the Bristol-based trip hop sound that was popular during the nineties. Aside from trip hop, their musical style is a very distinctive mixture of jazz, dub, breaks and drum and bass, with a strong vocal element and, in their later works especially, some acoustic influences. While they were a hit phenomenon in the UK, they found limited success in other parts of the world, despite securing distribution. Portugal was an exception, however, and the band achieved a degree of crossover success in the country, including one major number one hit with "Gabriel," the lead single from 2001's What Sound.

The band are known for the highly experimental work they produce, a very distinctive production style, Lou's often very passionate lyrical style, and their particularly artistic videos, which draw on influences ranging from Cyberpunk through George Lucas' THX 1138 to Zen Buddhism. The 2004 DVD The Fall & Rise of the Fools Ark, a roadmovie by Dutch duo Dadara and Jesse for which Lamb and the Hipoptimist provided the music, is an animated roadmovie in the style of Monty Python and Yellow Submarine.

By far, their best-known track to date is "Gorecki," from their eponymous debut album and inspired by Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony, the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, although in Portugal, "Gabriel" is far more well-known. Part of the lyrics to Gorecki were used by Baz Luhrman for some of Satine's final lines in Moulin Rouge!, and the track is rumoured to have been covered by Nicole Kidman.

Both Rhodes and Barlow are very private people, and as such, next to nothing is known about their personal lives. It is known that Rhodes has two sons, Reuben and Solomon, and that she lives in a commune near London.

Contents

[edit] Trivia

The song Gorecki was recently used on the British Sci-Fi spin off Torchwood in the episode "They keep killing Suzie"

Also the song What Sound from the album of the same name was used in a television commercial for a charity supporting the Hearing impaired.

[edit] Discography

[edit] DVDs

  • 2004 The Fall & Rise of the Fools Ark (with Dadara & Jesse)

[edit] Albums

[edit] Solo

[edit] Singles

  • 1996 "Cotton Wool" (highest UK chart position: 76)
  • 1996 "Gold" (highest UK chart position: 132)
  • 1996 "God Bless" (highest UK chart position: 92)
  • 1997 "Gorecki" (highest UK chart position: 30)
  • 1999 "B Line" (highest UK chart position: 52)
  • 1999 "All in Your Hands" (highest UK chart position: 71)
  • 1999 "Softly"
  • 2001 "Gabriel" (limited edition)
  • 2003 "Sweet"
  • 2003 "Gabriel" (remix; promo)
  • 2004 "Wonder" (highest UK chart position: 81)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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