between darkness and wonder

lamb

koch records, 2003

Mood—At times dark and wonderful.

Sample: "Please"

Thoughts— Lamb got me through a 10-week trip to Europe.

I was doing the country-hopping hostel thing with two others, one of whom was an ex-girlfriend who I had planned the trip with before she was ex. As you might expect, it wasn't the smoothest trip in the world.

Luckily I had brought a Diskman and as many CDs as I could fit in a single travel case, which happened to be thirteen after I ripped out all of the cases guts to fit more in. One of those albums was Lamb's self-titled release. It was a truly amazing album that only grew on me as we sped through Italy on an overcrowded train.

Since then I've been a major fan of Lamb... their music feels like they truly are doing whatever they want and are not concerned about what anyone thinks. Their melodies are beautiful, sometimes floating over lush samples, sometimes fighting against harsh beats and a violent upright bass. Between Darkenss and Wonder is perhaps the tamest of their albums, taking a much calmer path to the ear.

The album's title is apt. Each song treads the space between dark, heavy ideas and bright, wonder-filled feelings.

The album is very cohesive, except perhaps for "Sun", which takes on a sort of island beat and feels more "poppy" than anything esle I've heard from them. If "Sun" was the first single I'd heard from the disk, I may have been turned off a bit, but knowing that it's the odd man out allows me to endure it.

Lamb obviously knows how to produce an album with a sense of freedom and abandon, which I really respect.

Recommended? Get Fear of Fours first. Then Lamb. Then What Sound. Then, if you're hooked, pick up this one.

Link—gorecki.co.uk

Tracklist
1. Darkness
2. Stronger
3. Sugar 5
4. Angelica
5. Till The Clouds Clear
6. Wonder
7. Sun
8. Learn
9. Please
10. Open Up
11. Hearts and Flowers