Using the postmodern torch music of
Portishead as a foundation,
Lamb spin out into new sonic territories on their eponymous debut album. The group sports a heavier techno influence, incorporating the buzzing rhythms of drum'n'bass into their music in particular, yet they cut their modernistic electronic influences with a dark sense of melodicism. Most of the album is devoted to jazzy songs that are broken apart by
Andy Barlow's synthesizers and sampler and are anchored by
Louise Rhodes' seductive vocals, which prevent the electronics from becoming cold. It's sophisticated urban music, one that's miles away from the avant-garde sensibilities of
Tricky and the haunted romanticism of
Portishead, or even the pop leanings of
Sneaker Pimps and the soul-inflected grooves of
Morcheeba. Instead,
Lamb is classy, detached, and cool -- a more club-oriented and less melodic variation of
Everything but the Girl's
Walking Wounded. Although
Lamb may run a little long, it's one of the more hypnotic byproducts of trip-hop yet released. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine