The High Llamas

Musical style

The High Llamas' output (including the eponymous debut album, technically credited to "Sean O'Hagan") showed influences including pre-1950s American pop and folk, Brazilian jazz and bossa nova, film composers of the 1960s, and 1990s European electronic music. O'Hagan's work most frequently included references to Brian Wilson's psychedelic period and/or kitsch lounge revival. Although O'Hagan sometimes expresses discomfort at reviewers' claims of derivative works, he generally wears his influences on his sleeve, even naming several more recent songs after the composers and pop musicians who most inspired that particular track (examples: "Bach Ze", "Pat Mingus", "Shuggie Todd"). The Beach Boys' influence on O'Hagan is most obvious on the expansive, cinematic 1996 album Hawaii, a musical spaghetti western on themes of tourism and colonialism. It blended elements of Pet Sounds, Smile, and Wild Honey such that O'Hagan was recommended by Bruce Johnston to produce an aborted Beach Boys comeback LP. O'Hagan had played on some The Beach Boys dates. The High Llamas had previously provided a backing band for Arthur Lee's Love in the mid 1990s.

The High Llamas' own musical arrangements vary according to album, but marimbas, nylon-string guitars, and heavily reverbed pounding tack pianos are often featured. For a period in the late 1990s, O'Hagan's work was often marked by distinctive vintage synthesizer "gurgling" or "bouncing" effects, first explored and developed in Turn-On, his experimental collaboration record with members of Stereolab. The High Llamas' albums are also notable for frequent guest appearances by members of that band, with whom O'Hagan once played guitar, and for whom he often contributes string and horn arrangements.

The High Llamas infrequently tour and only release an album every few years. Since the group was dropped by V2 Records they have made it clear that their records are personal projects that do not support them financially. O'Hagan frequently does arranging and production work for artists like The Boo Radleys, Doves, Super Furry Animals, and Sondre Lerche, and percussionist Allum has worked with Turin Brakes and the Lightning Seeds. Their work for V2 is anthologized on the compilation Retrospective, Rarities and Instrumentals, and they continue to record for Duophonic Records (UK) and Drag City (US). Can Cladders saw a slight return to form in 2007, plus some favourable touring. In 2008 O'Hagan teamed up with the artist Jean Pierre Muller to publish Musical Paintings Vol. 1. The film soundtrack "La Vie D'Artiste", with Tim Gane of Stereolab, followed. Talahomi Way (Drag City, 2011) was released on 11 April 2011 in the UK. It has received very good reviews, generally making a return to O'Hagan's form of the mid 1990s. The band successfully toured the United Kingdom in May 2011. They toured Spain in July 2011, and then played The Headstock Festival on 12 September 2011. Two gigs followed in Japan in late September. Four gigs have been lined up for December 2011 in Norwich, Milton Keynes, York and Edinburgh. The High Llamas produced the music for the play "Here come the rattling trees", about everyday life in Peckham. The music to this was released on 29 January 2016. The album has received warm favourable reviews.

Discography