Singer Lou Rhodes and producer Andy Barlow barely knew each other in 1995 when their two-song demo caught the attention of Fontana Records. From the very beginning, the two musicians (both from Manchester, England) clashed over the group’s sound: Lou came from a folk background and wanted to write lush, intimate songs while Barlow (a studio engineer by trade) was interested in jungle music and drum-programming. This juxtaposition is what makes them so unique: while other trip-hop groups dabbled with vocals, Lamb wrote powerful songs with oftentimes cold and brutal electronic elements that served the arrangement and not vice versa.
Their debut single and signature tune “Cotton Wool” plays off a jazzy double-bass sample, with aggressive double-time drums constantly fighting with Lou’s tender, angelic singing.
A self-titled debut album appeared quietly in 1996, a big U.K. hit that made little to no impact stateside. The duo experimented with jazz and live instruments on 1999’s Fear of Fours and third album What Sound appeared in 2001. Their biggest hit yet, “Gabriel” topped charts in multiple European countries.
The group’s sound gradually shifted away from pre-programmed beats to an acoustic, adult contemporary pop sound on Between Darkness and Wonder in 2003. The disc would prove to be Lamb’s last; Lou and Andy played their last show together in September 2004. The two worked on separate solo projects—Lou released a solo album, Beloved One, in 2006 and Andy worked with new band Hoof—before reuniting for a series of festival shows in 2009.
While groups like Massive Attack used song structure to showcase their production skills and Everything But the Girl toyed with processed beats to enhance their songs—Lamb successfully merged the two worlds of pop and electronica in a way that hadn’t been accomplished previously. Today it’s easy to take for granted, but in the mid-90’s, a DJ and a folk singer created a brand new sound that bands are still trying to replicate today.
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