Fear of Fours
1999 studio album by Lamb
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Fear of Fours is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Lamb. It was released on 17 May 1999 by Fontana Records and Mercury Records.[4]
| Fear of Fours | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 May 1999 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Trip hop[1] | |||
| Length | 55:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Lamb | |||
| Lamb chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Fear of Fours | ||||
Background
The title Fear of Fours alludes to the album's avoidance of the four-on-the-floor rhythm commonly used in dance music. Lamb's Andy Barlow later explained, "By the time we came to record Fear of Fours it felt like everything in 4
4 had been done ... I've always liked interesting time signatures. When you're in 7
8, or 3
4 even, you get a loop that you've heard a hundred times before and it can immediately have a different feel to it."[5]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[7] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [8] |
| Melody Maker | [9] |
| Mixmag | 4/5[10] |
| Muzik | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[1] |
| Q | [12] |
| Rolling Stone | [13] |
| Spin | 7/10[14] |
John Bush of AllMusic said that while Lamb's 1996 eponymous debut album "was practically a revolution in the development of a satisfactory fusion of singer/songwriter vocals and drum'n'bass", Fear of Fours "sets the bar much higher", praising Barlow in particular as "one of the most capable and inventive producers in the electronic community."[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0. | "Lullaby" (CD pregap hidden track) |
| 2:20 |
| 1. | "Soft Mistake" | 3:16 | |
| 2. | "Little Things" | 3:18 | |
| 3. | "B Line" | 2:46 | |
| 4. | Untitled (hidden track) | 0:04 | |
| 5. | "All in Your Hands" | 4:39 | |
| 6. | "Less Than Two" | 1:19 | |
| 7. | "Bonfire" | 4:23 | |
| 8. | "Ear Parcel" | 7:54 | |
| 9. | "Softly" |
| 3:56 |
| 10. | "Here" | 3:22 | |
| 11. | "Fly" | 5:13 | |
| 12. | "Alien" | 4:06 | |
| 13. | "Five" | 5:49 | |
| 14. | "Lullaby" |
| 2:57 |
| Total length: | 55:22 | ||
Sample credits[15]
- "Bonfire" contains samples of C. P. E. Bach: Cello Concertos.
- "Ear Parcel" contains samples of "How High the Moon", performed by Charlie Parker.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]
Lamb
- Andy Barlow – performance, brass arrangements (track 5)
- Lou Rhodes – performance
Additional musicians
- Nell Catchpole – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14), viola (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- David Clack – horn (track 5)
- Graham Clarke – violin (track 11)
- Kevin Davy – trumpet
- Tanera Dawkins – cello (tracks 5, 7, 14), string arrangements (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Alison Dods – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Alan Gibson – double bass (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Jimi Goodwin – guitar (track 3)
- Helen Kamminga – viola (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Alice Kinloch – trombone (track 5), sousaphone (track 5)
- Kathryn Locke – cello (tracks 5, 7, 14), string arrangements (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Ben Park – baritone saxophone (track 5), brass arrangements (track 5)
- John Rayson – viola (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Cathy Rimer – cello (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Crispin "Spry" Robinson – percussion (track 10)
- Niroshini Thambar – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Jon Thorne – double bass
- Matthew Ward – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Mikey Wilson – drums
- Anne Wood – violin (tracks 5, 7, 14)
Production
- Jim Abbiss – mixing (track 11)
- Andy Barlow – mixing (tracks 6, 13)
- Ian Carmichael – engineering, mixing (tracks 6, 10, 13)
- Alan Douglas – recording (tracks 5, 7, 14)
- Jared Hawkins – mixing (assistance)
- Lamb – production
- Al Stone – mixing
Design
- Rich Mulhearn – photography
- Jeremy Murch – photography
- Rick Myers – art direction, design
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] | 25 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] | 61 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] | 22 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] | 82 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 37 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[21] | 5 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] | 35 |
