March 29 street date. High Llamas present "Hey Panda" - a modern pop music/deep listening experience that could only issue forth from their personal quadrant of the galaxy. "Hey Panda" projects soulfully through an enervating abstract of today's popular music; the sound of the Llamas' stately melodies and expressive ditties laid open - blissfully shattered - with drums and vocals hitting different, burning sounds and contemporary production twists pulling the ear at every turn. For the past few decades, High Llamas have trafficked in contemporary pop sounds directed toward the avant end of the spectrum as much as not. But here the message was clear. Llamas' composer-in-residence Sean O'Hagan was determined to let go. "Hey Panda" does just that, with a set of tunes reflecting on multiple levels how definitions change over the course of a lifetime, radiating an optimism derived from the diverse conundrums of today.
March 29 street date. High Llamas present "Hey Panda" - a modern pop music/deep listening experience that could only issue forth from their personal quadrant of the galaxy. "Hey Panda" projects soulfully through an enervating abstract of today's popular music; the sound of the Llamas' stately melodies and expressive ditties laid open - blissfully shattered - with drums and vocals hitting different, burning sounds and contemporary production twists pulling the ear at every turn. For the past few decades, High Llamas have trafficked in contemporary pop sounds directed toward the avant end of the spectrum as much as not. But here the message was clear. Llamas' composer-in-residence Sean O'Hagan was determined to let go. "Hey Panda" does just that, with a set of tunes reflecting on multiple levels how definitions change over the course of a lifetime, radiating an optimism derived from the diverse conundrums of today.
December 13 street date. For the Llamas' 1992 debut, Sean O'Hagan, working the sextant to navigate a post-Microdisney course in the musical world, posted them up as a guitar pop band (RIYL: NRBQ, Big Star, Steely Dan), with nine exquisitely crafted examples of the oft out-of-step sound. Had there been no more after this, "Santa Barbara" would still be a sought-after buried treasure by the perennial waves of voyagers seeking these sweet, jangling spices to this very day. First ever vinyl pressing!
December 13 street date. The brave foray of 1994's "Gideon Gaye" into conceptual art music produced a jaw-dropping reset on the 20th century pop perspective. The High Llamas engaged songwriting and production with an eye toward filmmaking. Digging through ephemera of choice vintages with post-modern zest, they struck a rich vein they could call their own - a kind of gothic Americana, formal aspects pushed to extremes. The spirit of discovery here can be vibrantly felt over 30 years later.
December 13 street date. The High Llamas discover America - yes, it had been done before, but not via their envisaged pilgrims' passage. Energized by the breakthroughs of their second album "Gideon Gaye", on album number three, 1996's "Hawaii", they went all-in, producing a wide-screen epic further exploring their unique agenda. The reference points multiplied, stretching through realms of classic pop and jazz, soundtrack music, exotica, and neo-Americana, while charting a journey through musical landscapes of abiding lightness.
December 13 street date. The remix album, with marvelously creative EDM remakes from some of the best powerbook players of the day: Mouse On Mars, Jim O'Rourke, Kid Loco, Schneider TM, Stock, Hausen & Walkman, Cornelius, and The High Llamas themselves. In addition to showcasing this emerging new generation of digital masters, the treatments here also highlight an oft-undersung aspect of The High Llamas' sound - the influence of Krautrock.
December 13 street date. After the high times and critical-mass arrangements of the previous two records, 1999's "Snowbug" exuded a breezy, spare, morning-after vibe. Edified by all manner of world-folk, classic Brazilian pop, and the first volumes of the "Ethiopiques" compilation series, the Llamas recorded in London with Fulton Dingley and in Chicago with Bundy K. Brown and Jim O'Rourke engineering at Electrical Audio and John McEntire mixing at Soma. "Snowbug" is an understated, underrated gem.
December 13 street date. Having passed - at least figuratively - through hundreds of years over the course of their previous two albums, on 1998's "Cold And Bouncy" the good ship High Llamas docked, fully loaded, into a congenial present moment for once in its life. Sean O'Hagan's continued work with Tim Gane and Stereolab caused a healthy dose of electronica to spike the Llamas' already heady brew, creating an apex of late 90s-style neo-exotica.
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