Fear Of Fours Missouri

Fear Of Fours

Lamb

Mercury Records, 2000

REVIEW BY: George Agnos

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/09/2000

Lamb are a British coed duo - Lou Rhodes (probably short forLouise) and Andy Barlow, that are part of a trendy movement inmusic known as electronica. The most celebrated group in this fieldis another British band called The Chemical Brothers. The music ingeneral can be described as follows: cool, rhythm-heavy songs withlots of electric keyboard sampling, plenty of percussion, and adreamy style of singing. Lamb and their recent CD, Fear Of Fours, is no exception to this. However, I thinkthey do bring more to the table than my stereotype of thegenre.

The biggest strength that Lamb brings to Fear Of Fours are the arrangements. They play around withthe sound by adding a string section on a few songs, a horn sectionon others, and in some cases both, particularly on the song "All InYour Hands."

The arrangements are also the big star of the CD's tour-de-forcecalled "Ear Parcel". This instrumental piece manages to combine indifferent sections, a big dance beat with new-age mellowness andyet somehow make it work. Add a sampling of jazz great CharlieParker's rendition of "How High The Moon" to the mix, and you'vegot an impressive, imaginative piece of work.

The musicianship is better than I might have expected, andparticularly outstanding is Jon Thorne playing the double bass, andit is on many tracks where his bass lines are the driving force tothe music. And he is adept at changing styles to suit the changingstyles of the music.