Lamb's Louise Rhodes has no problem with sharing. "I suddenly find myself on stage now, in our first few gigs with the new material, being somewhat of a prowling sex kitten - and I just don't know what's going on," she laughs heartily. "I've realised that I'm laying bare my emotions and desires, and I suppose that's quite a personal thing. Although, I think that as soon as a song is on a record or performed live it becomes a bit more universal - common property almost."
With partner-in-music Andy Barlow, Rhodes has given birth to an exceptionally personal, and beautiful, second album. The duo's self-titled debut certainly hinted at the depths of what was to come, but Lamb's Fear of Fours further fleshes out their ideas with live instrumentation, sophisticated programming and more intense, emotive vocals on the part of Lou. The album's strength and scope is due not only to the respect and trust that has developed between the collaborators over time, but also to the birth that preceded the recording - that of Rhodes' son Reuben.
"I'd been going through some questioning about life before I became pregnant and had my baby. I started reading Zen Buddhism and it made a lot of sense to me - I certainly found a specific strength in that, and a new simplicity in life, which inspired songs such as 'Here' and 'Little Things.'"
Lou also found herself writing about her pregnancy, again choosing to share the experience with Lamb's audience. "I was overwhelmed by the sort of bizarre feeling of having this creature growing inside my belly and feeling him move around," she offers. "The lyrics in 'Little Alien' are actually me talking to him, asking, 'What it's like in there for you?' The idea with the music was to set the scene so that the listener almost becomes the baby. It's actually got Reuben's heartbeats in there as the rhythm track.
"I certainly found that the process of having a baby was like going back to square one again yourself. It was almost like a rebirth, as well as the baby's birth. I found myself feeling like I'd been run over by a juggernaut and then standing up and brushing myself off and thinking 'God, who was I?'"
With partner-in-music Andy Barlow, Rhodes has given birth to an exceptionally personal, and beautiful, second album. The duo's self-titled debut certainly hinted at the depths of what was to come, but Lamb's Fear of Fours further fleshes out their ideas with live instrumentation, sophisticated programming and more intense, emotive vocals on the part of Lou. The album's strength and scope is due not only to the respect and trust that has developed between the collaborators over time, but also to the birth that preceded the recording - that of Rhodes' son Reuben.
"I'd been going through some questioning about life before I became pregnant and had my baby. I started reading Zen Buddhism and it made a lot of sense to me - I certainly found a specific strength in that, and a new simplicity in life, which inspired songs such as 'Here' and 'Little Things.'"
Lou also found herself writing about her pregnancy, again choosing to share the experience with Lamb's audience. "I was overwhelmed by the sort of bizarre feeling of having this creature growing inside my belly and feeling him move around," she offers. "The lyrics in 'Little Alien' are actually me talking to him, asking, 'What it's like in there for you?' The idea with the music was to set the scene so that the listener almost becomes the baby. It's actually got Reuben's heartbeats in there as the rhythm track.
"I certainly found that the process of having a baby was like going back to square one again yourself. It was almost like a rebirth, as well as the baby's birth. I found myself feeling like I'd been run over by a juggernaut and then standing up and brushing myself off and thinking 'God, who was I?'"