It’s been more than three years since the High Llamas last put out a CD. In that time, the music industry has become even more fractured, and blogs have garnered the power to make or break a band. This could be a good thing for the High Llamas, always a favorite of critics, never a favorite of record stores.
The Llamas have released a handful of albums since the early 90s that are steeped in old-fashioned orchestral arrangements and 60s-era pop harmonies. With each outing, they’ve amassed more and more comparisons to Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys (or Smile-era, say some).
It must be frustrating to hear the same comparisons disc in and disc out. Perhaps that’s why Can Cladders (Drag City) has moved even further from a rock sound.
The guitars, percussion, and occasional electronic sounds in which the Llamas have dabbled all take a backseat to a more classical string sound. Swooning violins and a harp give an airy lift to songs like “The Old Spring Town” and “Honeytrop.” The harp is at its dreamiest on “Dorothy Ashby.”
Lead Llama Sean O’Hagan sings about a nightclub full of “folk who fare above us all,” where they “feel the music sad and gentle fall.” A “music lost and found, from another day” is a fitting description of this gorgeous song. O’Hagan isn’t gonna bring sexy back, but the brainy girls and the sensitive boys will revel in it – especially on their music blogs.
– Lori Barrett
High Llamas (Drag City)