The High Llamas

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The High Llamas are a London-based musical project created by Irish-English guitarist and songwriter Sean O’Hagan after the demise of his group Microdisney. Although he writes and arranges the music and frequently uses the High Llamas moniker for his own personal musical efforts (e.g. remixes), the High Llamas are nominally a group, which usually includes Microdisney bassist Jon Fell and a rotating cast of others including keyboardist Marcus Holdaway and drummer Rob Allum.

Although the High Llamas’ output (including the eponymous debut album, technically credited to “Sean O’Hagan”) shows influences including pre-1950s American pop and folk, Brazilian jazz and bossa nova, film composers of the 1960s, and 1990s European electronic music, criticism of O’Hagan’s work most frequently includes 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 so expertly that O’Hagan was even recommended by Bruce Johnston to produce an eventually mixed Beach Boys comeback LP.

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indie pop, indie, pop, chamber pop, alternative
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Cold And Bouncy
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Can Cladders
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Hawaii
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Top Tracks

1	Glide Time full track	49
2	Homespin Rerun full track	47
3	HiBall Nova Scotia	41
4	The Sun Beats Down full track	40
5	Twisto Teck	38
6	Leaf And Lime	32
6	Over The River full track	32
6	The Old Spring Town	32
9	Literature Is Fluff full track	31
10	Nomads full track	28
10	Checking In, Checking Out full track	28
10	Three Point Scrabble full track	28
13	Bouncy Glimmer	27
14	Bacaroo	24
14	Janet Jangle full track	24

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Selenaru_Negrea wrote:
last month

It may be a pastische of The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach, but this stuff is so beautiful that all we should ask for is more pastisches like this. Anticipating highly the next High Llamas album!

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hotterthanjuly wrote:
last month

Can Cladders has some beautiful artwork. What a neglected album. I'm a sucker for Sean's orchestral grandeur.

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Airmaus wrote:
last month

Green Coaster is what I imagine a Brian Wilson / Harmonia collaboration would sound like.

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MamaLuigi wrote:
August 2009

And I agree, sdl1986.

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MamaLuigi wrote:
August 2009

Hawaii is a masterpiece and essential for road trips.

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sdl1986 wrote:
August 2009

You know, Can Cladders should be considered one of the top albums of the decade. So should Beet, Maize and Corn. It's funny how people love to trash the decade, when they're completely oblivious to all the great stuff that no one seems to talk about.

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Tassilito wrote:
August 2009

Unique sound, one of the most interesting bands of today, together with STEREOLAB;-)

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MamaLuigi wrote:
July 2009

I really like their newest album.

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VanderMUSE wrote:
July 2009

Beet Maize & Corn is so good, my favorite album :P

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sdl1986 wrote:
July 2009

One of the all time greats. Hawaii is a daily listening ritual.

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mountainhands wrote:
February 2009

Thank you for nice show at temple in Japan! I just recllected "Nomads" in memory. Sean played banjo in the song , I never forget it... Thank you very much for High Llamas.

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electroacoustiq wrote:
January 2009

Feb 12th at The Luminaire is the High Llamas' only London date of 2009, with support from Brussel's boy-girl duo and friends of the Llamas, Soy Un Caballo (think Sterloab, Air, Belle & Sebastian), who have collaborated with chief Llama, Sean O'Hagan, Will Oldham, Tunng, Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst and This Is The Kit. http://www.myspace.com/soyuncaballo http://www.wegottickets.com/event/41587

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remiii wrote:
October 2008

http://www.w-fenec.org/rock/high_llamas.html

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alexgopher wrote:
August 2008

'A unique collaboration between a musician and a painter: Sean O'Hagan/The High Llamas and Jean Pierre Muller' www.musicalpainting.com The best thing is... Musical Painting comes with a new album. The more i listen to it, the more i love it!

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Sessions_please wrote:
August 2008

YES! Keep it coming. <3 it.

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odyshape wrote:
August 2008

The High Llamas is like a micro-compressed ball of sweetness and wonder in the shape of a small and furry animal... a chinchilla, maybe.

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tunebug wrote:
July 2008

best band in the world. love to catch em live sometime

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NGC_1976 wrote:
July 2008

Check out the High Llamas megapost over at Video Pop: http://videopopmusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/halcyon-melodies-from-indie-pantheon.html

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moviescptending wrote:
March 2008

the Boo Radleys similar artist?? I think not!!

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TheMcEneaney wrote:
February 2008

why is it that all anyone ever does is talk about the beach boys' influence while totally disregarding the great debt owed to steely dan.

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