5 ’s opening track Another Language began as an instrumental piece. Vocalist Lou Rhodes was so inspired to write some lyrics to it – “there was something in the tune,” she says in the liner notes – that it finally evolved into the haunting epic it is now. That basically sums up the aptly-titled 5, the fifth studio album from revered trip hop duo Lamb.
Despite the tendency some of his contemporaries have of laying the synth and glitchy drums on thick like a glob of marmalade, producer Andy Barlow keeps the sounds consistent and hypnotic. The vocal stylings of Rhodes, and guest Damien Rice on the affecting duet Back To The Beginning, are the icing on the aural cake (damn, now I’m hungry).
Back to the music, the stripped-back Last Night The Sky is a nice return to basics, a la Gorecki. At 12 tracks and with none clocking in past five minutes, it is one of the leanest efforts in Lamb’s catalogue (now I feel like a kebab, I’ve gotta quit with these damn food references).
Those hungering for a new collection from these Manchester sound rebels, having waited nearly seven years, will be pleased to hear sumptuous yet minimalist cuts like the cinematic The Spectacle. The compositions do have a tendency to meander into ambient droning on Strong The Root and Butterfly Effect, overindulging a little too much on studio trickery and effects. The voice of enigmatic frontwoman Rhodes has transformed from mysterious and playful to something more travelled, but no less powerful for it on such tracks as the bittersweet Build A Fire.
Lamb may not be as edgy as the anarchistic whippersnappers that have emerged in their wake, but it’s heartening to hear these veterans return with a project that expands on their earlier work rather than merely cashing-in on it. This one’s a grower.
Best Track: Last Night The Sky
If You Dig These, You’ll Like This: Lamb LAMB, Hounds Of Love KATE BUSH, Extra Virgin OLIVE
In A Word: Hypnotic
