Fear of Fours cover

Fear of Fours

Released

On their second album, Lamb had more money to spend, and they spent it on horn and string arrangements and a live backing band (trumpet, upright bass, drums). Singer Lou Rhodes shed the open earnestness of the debut, adopting a sneering, nasal tone that worked well with her jazz singer’s phrasing and floated lightly atop the grooves Andy Barlow constructed. “All In Your Hands” is a lost James Bond theme, Lamb attempting to out-Portishead Portishead (and succeeding); “B Line” dances on the line between jazzy and kitschy; “Ear Parcel” samples Charlie Parker without making a thing out of it. Bassist Jon Thorne is the album’s secret weapon, the crucial member without whom the whole thing would fall apart.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Busy Curious Thirsty cover

Busy Curious Thirsty

Spring Heel Jack
Collision Course cover

Collision Course

Various Artists
Parallel Universe cover

Parallel Universe

4hero, Mark Clair, Dennis McFarlane
Isolated Systems cover

Isolated Systems

ASC
Wormhole cover

Wormhole

Ed Rush, Optical
Aphrodite cover

Aphrodite

Aphrodite
A Grand Love Story cover

A Grand Love Story

Kid Loco
Timeless cover

Timeless

Goldie
68 Million Shades… cover

68 Million Shades…

Spring Heel Jack
Exorcise the Demons cover

Exorcise the Demons

Source Direct
Twoism cover

Twoism

Boards of Canada
Blue Lines cover

Blue Lines

Massive Attack