The High Llamas: C or D?

i'd like to hear that sdtk, but haven't gotten around to it.
in case anyone's interested i interviewed o'hagan around the time of can cladders: http://www.junkmedia.org/index.php?i=1997

I have a major soft spot for '90s High Llamas albums, but I feel like everything they've done in the past decade has suffered from diminishing returns. As a fan, I'll still listen to the new album, but I guess I just don't expect anything from them anymore.

Fantastic news. Excited. Love everything they've done.

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/dc469.jpg

Love the art.

I always find with the Llamas that their albums sound a much of a muchness until I've had them on a few times, and then suddenly it clicks and it becomes as essential as anyone else they've ever done. I've never understood the "lift muzak" accusation.

I think "Sailing Bells" and "Honeytrap" off Can Cladders might be my two favourite tracks of theirs. Perfect music to walk home to on a summer evening.

It's music of subtle complexity. On the surface, it might sound that way. But as I've become a bigger fan over the years, I've grown accustomed to Sean's arrangements and my expectations of hearing expertly layered music that comes with this otherworldly atmosphere is always met.

wow, this new one's really good, nice and tuneful. my favorite since buzzle bee

Sold my copy of Santa Barbara years ago, but I'm listening to clips on Amazon right now and I'm surprised how well (and fondly!) I remember all of these songs. They never did anything else that sounded like this, did they? I guess Gideon Gaye would come closest... (Sorry to revive and not mention the new album. The cover art is nice.)

Nope, can't think of anything like it, but Can Cladders is probably the poppiest thing he's done in ages.

http://thisispopshow.blogspot.ie/2013/02/this-is-pop-show-003-february-22nd-2013.html

"I don't believe them (Radiohead) for a second. I'm not vehemently down on them, as I am say Oasis, but I hate the way that that record ( O.K. Computer ) is supposed to be the greatest record of all time and so radical. I don't think there's anything radical about what they do. They're careful, well-honed cliches. The perfect marketing tool and I think those things need to be exposed. I mean I hate to sound so bitchy about it, but I think it's incumbent upon people to make that point".

*swoon*

Word Sean otm! I always knew Yorke was just a mediocre art student jerkoff. Yeah being a fucking bos-eyed twat might get you laid ... hmmm maybe an album of this type zzzzzzzzzz...... Contribution to modern music = 0 Radiohead fucking boredom deathray pulverising my head in the 90's = 100000000

The audacity of Sean O'Hagan to call something out for being a 'careful, well-honed cliche' is quite frankly obscene

Yeah that was my first thought too. I like some High Llamas now and again (especially Hawaii) but they're hardly the most original band ever.

I guess the difference is that the High Llamas wear their well-honed cliches on their sleeves.

The difference is that the High Llamas actually have some great songs.

I think Cold and Bouncy is extremely progressive music.

Look, I love the High Llamas, but O'Hagan's being dumb there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lei1FFjb4k

I really, really, really loved their last one.

So this is the "musical performance before it becomes an album" he alluded to:

Sean At The End Of The Road Festival.Woodland Library
01 September 2013

Sean is delighted to play a ,very early set , 11.30 on Sunday morning ,in the Woodland Library section at the festival. It will include a reading from a new new piece of narrative work called Here come The Rattling Trees.So its a solo performance with a literary edge set in a library created for the festival in the woods.... magical. Any one around at the time of the morning ? If you are please come along and make a great start to the day!!

sounds cool, are you going? i'd be into hearing an o'hagan solo performance -- do tapes of such things exist?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M790D51khiw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjon1Oj7t4Q

thanks! these are great.

seconded

Really wish I could hear the Pauline Detective OST. That was never released. Also thinking this might be nice:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrW0SbAYEx8

Directed by Tsuneo Goda (director of Domo-Kun) scored by Sean O'Hagan (2013)

i went to a fantastic o'hagan solo performance ca. 2001-02.

holy shit "sparkle up"

Wowie. How I wish I could've seen this

http://wearenoise.com/index.php/2013/11/review-the-high-llamas-felix-the-cat-triskel-christchurch-cork-13-11-13/

Such luxury.

Akin to getting an Indian head massage from Van Dyke Parks while playing Ludo with Rihanna and having Stephen Fry knit you burberry mittens.

Welcome To The Pleasuredome that was the Triskel Christchurch last Wednesday night. The High Llamas had us floating on lemonade rainbows, purring like tranquilised sea-lions, sporting the smiles of gameshow hosts.

The set-up was as simple as Johnny Giles’ mind. The punters were sitting happy in the pews. The band were sitting pretty on the stage. The Felix cartoons unfolded on a giant screen behind the stage. The music and cartoons merged in a feast for the eyes, Tiramisu for the ears; plush and luminous in lush and pluminous ways.

The five feline Felix flights of fancy were easy to sum up: Chameleon cat gets in a pickle – has a bright idea – uses tail as a switchblade or a mosquito net – sticks it to The Man – everybody hurrahs – end credits.

The soundtrack cannot be summed up with words. A contented sigh fits better… Aaaaah…

Once more for the non-believers… Aaaaah…

Aaaaaah…

When you knew the night couldn’t possibly be improved upon, The High Llamas played a twenty minute set from their peerless back catalogue.

Pigeon-headed people would put them in a “lounge music/easy listening pop” pigeon hole. Feed the birds poisoned bread ‘cos The High Llamas make glorious, clever, perfect music. ‘Triads’, ‘Bach Ze’, ‘Woven & Rolled’, ‘Rotary Hop’ were played. A clutch of classics: side 2 of Pet Sounds mixed with meringue dubstep and a dash of oblique Tropicalia.

Sean O’Hagan may be a tad greyer around the temples than back in his mighty Microdisney days but his ability to wring winning, ringing melodies from his guitar remains undiminished. If there’s a finer guitarist alive I’ll lick the leaves from their heart-shaped swimming-pool wearing a polka-dot toga.

Kudos to Cork Film Festival for being able to arrange such a magnificent show. Gratitude to the Triskel for being the greatest arts venue in Ireland. Plaudits to Felix for being funnier than Family Guy.

Love to The High Llamas for being.

Why is there no footage?? :(

http://digthattreasure.blogspot.com/2013/12/resonance-fm-111213-sean-ohagan.html

This has an excerpt of a song fromm the play.

dud

nah they're great. in lieu of new music from them, some of the recent Arp album kinda scratched the high llamas itch this year: https://soundcloud.com/arp-music/high-heeled-clouds-1

I forgive you, Paul.

The band is petered to play which leads us to believe a giddy-mellow resonance will permeate throughout the evenings' bopping festivities. Following a one-off in the New Age town of Hebden Bridge, The High Llamas will perform original music to 5 Felix The Cat films live at the Sheffield Doc/Fest on June 15th! What does the future hold for the High Llamas? More music, more music, of course! Their new musical narrative, Here Come The Rattling Trees, is being recorded and will debut live/theatrically sometime in the near future; til then, grab tickets to see them live for the first time in an age, long live High Llamas!

4/25/14 The Islington London United Kingdom

5/3/14 The Islington London United Kingdom

6/7/14 The Trades Club Hebden Bridge United Kingdom

6/15/14 Sheffield Documentary Festival Sheffield United Kingdom

I'd really like to see the Felix the Cat performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS6m-7asmK4

Email to mailing list last night:

Here Come The Rattling Trees

We would like to announce that the new High Llamas release is a show called Here Come The Rattling Trees. The initial performances will be followed by a conventional physical release.

These performances will take place at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Soho, London from October 20th to October 25th 2014. Information detailing ticket purchase will follow very shortly. We are excited by this new event in the band's existence and hope you join us in the experience.

Here Come The Rattling Trees is a new departure for us, a piece combining spoken word and music which will be performed by the band and three actors. It explores the theme of urban renewal in South London through the response of a series of characters to the rebranding of their local leisure centre. What emerges is a very contemporary tale. New songs, and a brand new score.

New 7" Single on Ghost Box

Sean O'Hagan has joined Jon Brooks from The Advisory Circle to release a single on Ghost Box as part of the labels Other Voices release series. Sean and Jon collaborated on both songs , 'Calibair' and 'Mulclair'.

The record can purchased from Ghost Box as a 7" single or a download.
http://www.ghostbox.co.uk

Sounds interesting, although I'm hesitant about the "spoken word" bit.

BTW: I really can't wait to hear the collaboration with Jon Brooks. What an awesome idea. I ordered the 7", but it hasn't arrived yet.

The collaboration is great. I could use an entire album like that.

And I can't get enough of this song lately:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j3O4X0CkWw

I only recently noticed how nice the nylon string guitar sounds.

that's definitely one of my favorites, I think Snowbug may well be their best album overall

I've never seen that video before. Is Mary Hansen pushing those moons around? I miss her so much.

I do as well. I think that she would've sounded great on Can Cladders. She always sounded great.

Lately, my favorite Mary vocal is her bit on the second half of "Double Rocker."

"Long Life Love" is a really good one featuring Mary.

I won't say that he hasn't come up with lyrical passages I enjoy, but Sean has written some real bizarre duds. "Bobby's Court" is inexplicable

I strongly recommend this if you haven't heard it

http://www.musicalpainting.com/en/home.php

I think it's one of the most cohesive projects he has worked on

Found this on the High Llamas forum. No one else has written about it:

I was at the last show on Saturday. I can see the comparison with 'Say Hi...' but thought this was far superior. Coe's dialogues can be pretty cringe inducing. Sean decided to go with all monologues and the writing was fantastic throughout. Must have been a pleasure for the actors to recite. Also, I was surprised by the range of subjects/voices covered. I didn't expect a tale about getting lost while jogging in Canberra! The songs punctuate the stories within each monologue. A couple of potentials for the HL canon, inc. the title song (which was repeated as the final encore), The rest were OK. But it's not the music I took away really, more a new respect for Sean the author. :)

Never thought of Sean as a writer. I'd love to hear this.

http://www.stereogum.com/1841897/the-high-llamas-here-comes-the-rattling-trees/mp3s/

London pastoral poppers the High Llamas haven’t released an album since 2011’s Talahomi Way, but last year their long-time label Drag City teased that the band was working on a new “musical narrative” project called Here Comes The Rattling Trees, and they’ve played a few shows around the UK throughout 2014. billed under that title. Today we’ve been given the first recorded music from the project in the form of a title track. The release is being billed as “Music From The Original Stage Production,” which means that it’s probably tracks culled from those live performances, and more performances could be coming in the future. Check out the first track and tracklist for the new record below.

cool!
randomly heard a sondre lerche track this week and thought, hey this sounds like high llamas -- and of course o'hagan did the strings.

Re: "it’s probably tracks culled from those live performances"

In fact, it's the whole show reproduced in album form. Tracks titled as "(x) Recalls" are the monologues.

The song on soundcloud is good, but it's a very wispy version! The arrangement when they performed it in the show was much punchier. (Not that High Llamas recordings can often be described as 'punchy', I'll grant you)

Oh wait, track times on the Drag City website - http://www.dragcity.com/products/here-come-the-rattling-trees - suggests those "Recalls" tracks are very short.

So, not the whole monologue :(