Lamb's latest album '5, was released on 5 May 2011.
Jon Thorne again lends his potent double bass to the mix, and Damien Rice turns in a stunning duet on ‘Back To Beginning’,’ but the nucleus of ‘Five’ is stringently and unmistakably Lou and Andy. ‘Another Language’ begins with a chorus of sampled wine glasses, swelling gently with ethereal strings and staccato bass notes before Lou drops her poetry over skittering, shifty rhythms. Inspired by a character in Colum McCann’s novel Let The Great W...
Lamb's latest album '5, was released on 5 May 2011.
Jon Thorne again lends his potent double bass to the mix, and Damien Rice turns in a stunning duet on ‘Back To Beginning’,’ but the nucleus of ‘Five’ is stringently and unmistakably Lou and Andy. ‘Another Language’ begins with a chorus of sampled wine glasses, swelling gently with ethereal strings and staccato bass notes before Lou drops her poetry over skittering, shifty rhythms. Inspired by a character in Colum McCann’s novel Let The Great World Spin, ‘She Walks’ is a haunting narrative that throbs with intrigue, while ‘Strong The Root’ pops and bubbles with a mix of organic beats and slaps of doumbek. “Takes a tree to make a leaf. Strong the root underneath,” she coos. The lyric could easily stand as a commentary on Lou and Andy’s creative reawakening. It was also the first track completed for the album.
On ‘Existential Itch’ Lou exposes a coquettish, playful tone that recalls shades of Fear Of Fours’ ‘B Line’, but behind the sharp rimshots, hi-hats and funk synth lies a deeper theme that Lou revisits throughout the album: a restless hunger for something that feels slightly out of reach.
“Perhaps the dreamer has been hitting against the hard knocks of life and come to a place of wondering if she dare dream anymore,” says Lou. “It all sounds a little dramatic I guess, but it's definitely there and very much a fuel for the writing process on this album.”
The sentiment returns on ‘Rounds’, as Lou’s vocals fall like layers of gold dust over a hypnotic, finger-plucked guitar melody. The story comes full circle on ‘Five’s closing song, ‘The Spectacle’. Supported only by subtle atmospherics and a series of patient piano chords, Lou delivers a parable of self-discovery that speaks volumes about her own journey and the journey she and Andy have embarked upon.
“There’s something about the message of that song that resolves the whole album,” Lou explains. “The idea of struggling to find something that was already ours. Despite the existential grappling that was so much a part of the process for me, and which formed much of the lyrical content, this album was definitely waiting to happen. I truly felt Lamb would come together again when there was something new to say.”
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