at a glance...

Hometown: London, England
Year Formed: 1992

Members:
Sean O'Hagan -vocals, guitars, keyboards
John Fell -bass
Rob Allum -drums
Marcus Holdaway -various instruments

Bands in the Family:

Stereolab, Mercury Rev, Mouse on Mars, Tortoise, The Boo Radleys, Palace

Notes:
The spotlight of The High Llamas falls squarely on Irishman Sean O'Hagan. During the '80s O'Hagan and keyboardist Cathal Coughlan performed as Microdisney. The duo dabbled in a heady blend of melodic rock, often orchestrated and intriguingly arranged but set against contrasting angry, bitter lyrics. Microdisney recorded three LPs for Rough Trade, and two for Virgin (UK) but remained a cult band and only to disintegrated in 1988. O'Hagan's first solo LP was called High Llamas (the name came from a magazine picture of a Victorian hot-air balloon) and was a collection of vignettes and demos that reflected an obsession with Alex Chilton's rougher work and the nether regions of American music. By 1992 The High Llamas were a full-fledged four-piece group and recorded a 4-track mini LP, Apricots, released on Plastic Records. Re-titled Santa Barbara, Mute Records released the record with four extra tracks to bump it up to a full length LP. However, it was 1994's Gideon Gaye that provided the critical breakthrough, garnering high praise from NME, Mojo and Q. The Llamas outdid themselves with Hawaii (1996), which drew comparisons to Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Park's legendary unreleased masterpiece Smile. Finally settling down with new label V2 in 1997, the Llamas recorded and issued Cold and Bouncy, which featured broader influences from Krautrock to Brazilian instrumental music.

To the uninitiated, The High Llamas' art pop may come across as anachronistic, especially when lead Llama Sean O'Hagan has professed an affinty for the likes of Brian Wilson, Jimmy Webb, John Barry, Francis Lai, Henry Mancini, Phil Spector and Ennio Morricone; not the best set of influences to try and impress a melodically challenged modern rock audience with.

After last years' relative dip in form with Cold and Bouncy, the Llamas appear to have abandoned the electronic experiments to concentrate on what they do best -pop experimentation of the highest order. Roughly translated, the Llamas deal with a pot-pourri of sounds, instruments and styles ranging from French pop, Brazilian rhythms, acoustic instrumentation, wah-wah pedals, nylon guitars, and vibraphone. The vocal contributions of Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen have given the High Llamas a totally fresh dimension. From the tender opener “Bach Ze” to the melancholic closer “Cut The Dummy Loose”, Snowbug is a sumptuous feast for pop fans eager for a musical and intellectual challenge.

Like The Flaming Lips and The Wondermints, The Llamas may very well be the purest progressive pop for the next century, where a mere reliance on guitar-bass-drum format is generally resisted. Instead, high ambition and an insatiable curiosity provide the motivation for The High Llamas' unique blend of strong tunes and sophisticated presentation. The future is here.

If you like The High Llamas, check out:

The High Llamas Hawaii
Wondermints Bali
Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin
Tortoise TNT
Mercury Rev Deserter's Songs

-- Kevin Mathews

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