The High Llamas
The High Llamas | |
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Background information | |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | |
Years active | c. 1991–present |
Labels | |
Spinoff of | Microdisney |
Members |
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Past members |
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Website | highllamas |
The High Llamas are an Anglo-Irish avant-pop band formed in London circa 1991.[5] They were founded by singer-songwriter Sean O'Hagan, formerly of Microdisney, with drummer Rob Allum and ex-Microdisney bassist Jon Fell. O'Hagan has led the group since its formation. Their music is often compared to the Beach Boys, a band he acknowledges as an influence, although more prominent influences were drawn from bossa nova and European film soundtracks.
O'Hagan formed the High Llamas after the breakup of his group Microdisney. The band initially played in a more conventional acoustic pop style, but after he joined
History
Formation
In 1988, the Irish band
At this point, the band's style was conventional
After attending a Stereolab concert in the early 1990s, O'Hagan met the band's founders Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier. He became their keyboardist, initially as a temporary replacement, but O'Hagan was "allowed to make suggestions and the fun started."[9] His first record appearance was on the EP Space Age Bachelor Pad Music (1993),[10] and he remained a full-time member of the band until Mars Audiac Quintet (1994).[11] Influenced by his time with Gane,[9] O'Hagan decided to revamp his creative aspirations for the High Llamas.[4] In a 1997 article, O'Hagan spoke of the Beach Boys' 1966 album Pet Sounds as "the beginning of the great pop experiment, [before] rock and roll got hold of the whole thing and stopped it," and intended his new band to carry on in a similar tradition.[12] He continued to make guest appearances on later Stereolab releases.[11] Visser departed the group and was replaced by guitarist John Bennett.[5]
Gideon Gaye–Snowbug
In 1994, the High Llamas released
Although the shorthand description of the High Llamas usually involves phrases like "shameless Brian Wilson imitators," that's never really been the case. Even on their most overtly Pet Sounds-influenced album, 1994's Gideon Gaye, other influences, such as Brazilian bossa nova and European film soundtracks, are obvious.
—Stewart Mason, AllMusic[18]
Gideon Gaye was well-received from within the record industry, and it became a commonly recommended album among British
O'Hagan recalled that "we had everybody knocking the door down saying, 'here take the money and make the [next] record.'"
The High Llamas' American and British fanbase continued to grow.[17] Cold and Bouncy (1998) pushed the band further into electronics.[6] According to O'Hagan, it was named for electronica's "paradoxical" combination of "chill" or digital sounds and "boisterous" rhythms.[25] It was accompanied by Lollo Rosso (1998), an album consisting of seven remixed Cold and Bouncy tracks created by Mouse on Mars, Cornelius, Schneider TM, Jim O'Rourke, Kid Loco, Stock, Hausen & Walkman, and the High Llamas.[26] Snowbug (1999) featured Stereolab vocalists Lætitia Sadier and Mary Hansen.[27] The album was met with poor sales, and was their last before departing V2 Records.[14] A two-disc compilation, Retrospective, Rarities & Instrumentals (2003), collected tracks from their main discography up to this point. Additionally, it included rarities that had been released as B-sides or bonus tracks on Japanese and American editions of their albums, while one song, "Vampo Brazil", was a previously unreleased outtake from the Cold and Bouncy sessions.[28]
2000s–present
The High Llamas started recording for the Duophonic and Drag City record labels with Buzzle Bee (2000),[29] which saw the band experimenting more with their sound,[30] while Beet, Maize & Corn (2003) eschewed electric guitars and synthesizers in favor of string and brass arrangements.[31] The latter marked the arrival of an additional member, Pete Aves, on guitars and banjo.[5] Unterberger referred to Beet, Maize & Corn as "a high achievement for the Llamas with both critics and fans."[17] In The Rough Guide to Rock (2003), music critic Nig Hodgkins commented that despite "adventurous breakthroughs by previously obscure American bands such as Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips," the High Llamas failed to attract a comparative following and were seen as "a little too esoteric and experimental to threaten a mainstream that had once warmed to the strong melodies of Gideon Gaye."[14]
The band does not make a living, but my arrangements and collaborations just about do. ... So an unmarketable band does have consequences. Tours have to be underwritten and those days are gone I'm afraid. ... We never get to the U.S. now because it’s too expensive.
—Sean O'Hagan, 2016[20]
In 2014, the High Llamas premiered a theatrical play,
In 2019, Drag City released O'Hagan's second solo album, Radum Calls, Radum Calls. During an interview to promote the record, he commented that the High Llamas were not defunct and that he was attempting to secure the rights to the band's work from Universal Music Group, "who are extremely reluctant to do anything with our catalog, and I’ve really been wanting to get them remastered and pressed on vinyl, and maybe do an expanded series like Stereolab have done. If we can get that to happen, we’ll tour. ... Then we might use that as an opportunity to officially retire—it would be a great way to close that book, don’t you think?"[38]
Members
Current
- Sean O'Hagan – lead vocals, keyboards, guitar
- John Fell – bass
- Rob Allum – drums
- Marcus Holdaway – keyboards, vibraphone
- Dominic Murcott – vibraphone, marimba
- Pete Aves – guitar
Former
- Anita Visser – vocals, guitar
- John Bennett – guitar
Discography
The High Llamas discography | |
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Studio albums | 10 |
Compilation albums | 1 |
Remixes | 1 |
Studio albums
Title | Release |
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Santa Barbara |
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Gideon Gaye |
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Hawaii |
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Cold and Bouncy |
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Snowbug |
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Buzzle Bee |
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Beet, Maize & Corn |
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Can Cladders |
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Talahomi Way |
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Here Come the Rattling Trees |
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Hey Panda |
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Compilation
Title | Release |
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Retrospective, Rarities and Instrumentals |
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Remix EP
Title | Release |
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Lollo Rosso
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References
- ^ Murray, Noel (6 December 2011). "A year in song (40 great tracks in 40 sentences)". The A.V. Club.
- ISBN 978-1-59486-320-2.
- ^ a b Caldwell, Rob (18 January 2016). "The High Llamas: Here Come the Rattling Trees". PopMatters.
- ^ ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ a b c d e The High Llamas. "About Us". highllamas.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017.
The High Llamas may have started in 1991.
- ^ a b c d Page, Tim (10 January 1999). "The High Llamas: A Different Breed". The Washington Post.
- ^ "The Year in Music - Subculture of the Year". Spin. Vol. 14, no. 1. January 1998.
- ^ Murray, Noel (16 October 2014). "A beginner's guide to the sweet, stinging nostalgia of The Beach Boys". The A.V. Club.
- ^ a b Popshifter (30 January 2011). "Painters Paint: The Definitive Career-Spanning Interview (to date) With The High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan (Snowbug and Buzzle Bee)". Popshifter. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8264-8217-4.
- ^ a b McClintock, J. Scott. "Sean O'Hagan". AllMusic.
- ISSN 0028-7369.
- ^ a b "High Llamas". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85828-457-6.
- ISBN 978-0-7679-1873-2.
- ^ a b c Sexton, Paul (23 September 1995). "High Llamas Hope to Scale U.S. Market". Billboard. p. 22.
- ^ a b c Unterberger, Richie. "The High Llamas". AllMusic.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Checking in, Checking Out". AllMusic.
- ^ Broome, Eric (March 1998). "The High Llamas". Mean Street.
- ^ a b c d Woullard, Clayton (4 March 2016). "The Goat Looks In: Interview with Sean O'Hagan of the High Llamas". Clay the Scribe. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-910742-74-7.
- ^ ISSN 1074-6978.
- ^ "Signal to Noise". Signal to Noise. 2007.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hawaii". AllMusic.
- ^ Westlund, Joshua (April 1998). "The High Llamas - Cold and Bouncy". Spin. 14 (4).
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Lollo Rosso". AllMusic.
- ^ "Snowbug Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Retrospective, Rarities & Instrumentals". AllMusic.
- ^ "The High Llamas". Domino Publishing Company. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Hoard, Christian. "Buzzle Bee". AllMusic.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Beet, Maize & Corn". AllMusic.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Harvey, Eric (21 February 2007). "Can Cladders". Pitchfork.
- ^ Neyland, Nick (4 May 2011). "Talahomi Way". Pitchfork.
- The Huffington Post. 24 July 2013.
- ^ Peepshow (15 May 2014). "Living On A Farm / Yo Gabba Gabba" – via Vimeo.
- ^ Ham, Robert (20 January 2016). "Here Come the Rattling Trees". Pitchfork.
- ^ Kyle, Joseph (25 October 2019). "Pull Up A Chair For A Spoken Gem: A Conversation With Sean O'Hagan". The Recoup. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
External links
- Official site
- The High Llamas on Facebook