Following its inception in a converted bank in Holland nearly two years ago, through a protracted gestation period out in the sticks via some fine tuning in LA, Lamb’s latest opus – ‘Between Darkness and Wonder’ – has finally been born. And my how things have changed since the world of ‘What Sound’. When I first visited the farmhouse back In May it seemed contributions from Oddur, Nikolai and Jon were nudging the band towards a more pastoral vibe. Lamb’s tricky time signatures had been tamed, the usual creative conflicts tempered and Lou was jokingly referring to their time together as Lambstock. The peace and tranquility lasted about five minutes. When the new tracks were unveiled on their British tour a couple of months later it became apparant there’s a new undercurrent rippling through Lamb’s musical landscape.
Darkness is there brooding in the title, it’s mood rumbles though most of the material and it turns up time and time again in Lou’s lexicon of love. At times her poetry resonates with a longing and sadness so profound it’s almost like eavesdropping on a private conversation. When she delivers the line “…nothing you do can seem to break through this darkness smothering you. When it takes hold your heart turns cold/The very soul seeps out of you..” during hyperballad ‘Til The Clouds Clear’ you just want to put a protective arm around her shoulders. In the past where we’ve shared perfect moments with ‘Lullaby’ or fallen in love with ‘Gorecki’, in ‘Stronger’ we’re in turmoil from the opening line…"I’m so afraid something’s been broken now/Too much been said, to wipe it clean somehow…" Yet, ironically, Lou has never sounded so sure and self expressed. Instead of sticking with the Eartha Kitt purr, she swoops and soars, her voice working with great stealth and compassion.
This is the sound of Lamb exploring a wild dark spark and through all the painful soul searching a kind of peace and solidarity have emerged. Gone is the tussle between delicate, tremulous vocals and contrary electronics. Instead we get some kind of closure. Falling in love (as confessed to 15,000 people at a festival in Portugal earlier this year) has opened Andy up to the exquisite pain of getting vulnerable, and out of the confusion everything’s clicked into place. Whereas once he impatiently chased the bass determined to get Lou out of her head and onto the dancefloor, now he’s helping her articulate a swirling mass of emotions. No matter how acute things get there’s the core belief, that love really does conquer all, holding everything together.
As we emerge out of the darkness and through to ‘Wonder’ Lou muses …"Don’t know if god exists/But there’s some magic out there'" whilst in ‘That Thing’ she considers the 'true possibility that we’re all one". Yet even in the lighter moments there’s an intensity that grabs you by the earlobes and commands your full attention. It’s like there’s no time but present time. We need to feel passion and give unconditional love and access the magic in the everyday and we have to do it now. By the time the peaks and troughs of ‘Sugar 5’ are over you’re left reeling round the speakers. The only time Lamb veer away from their intent is on ‘Sun’ which is a glorious live favourite and is a step outside the rest of the album.
And ‘..Darkness..’ sounds so good. The production revels in the warmth and detail of the songs which are lush with harmonies, angelic orchestrations and a sound so intimate that at times I swear you can hear the wind rustle through Lou’s vocal chords. Genius samples such as the scratchy musical box which stutters through ‘Please’ and a charming piano loop liberated from what sounds like Debussey’s ‘Clare de Lune’ for instrumental ‘Angelique’, weave a romantic streak through the fabric of their music lending it a timeless, dreamy quality.
‘Between Darkness and Wonder’ marks a loss of innocence and a fall from grace, but having weathered the storm Lamb have grown in confidence and grandeur. This is not easy listening, but it is what music’s all about – it gets under your skin, takes hold and lingers long after the last track has faded. No longer content just to rock your world, this time Lamb are gonna blow you sky high.