Talahomi Way [CD]

"Yes Brian Wilson is still alive and his name is Sean O'Hagan" is pretty much the summary of what you'll read here and there about the man behind the High Llamas.
Partly true, but there's a lot more to this great musician.

When it comes to crafting impeccable melodies and arranging them in epic yet tasteful ways, no one beats O'Hagan. It's true the man has definitely cracked what made 'pet sounds' such a brilliant album and given his own interpretation of the formula times and times again since the early nineties, refining it at every iteration, including this one.

However if you're new to the band, Talahomi Way may not be the best introduction. Look into "Hawaii", "Beet, Maize & Corn" or "Can Cladders". These ones are probably best to get what the High Llamas ambition is all about: not being the beach boys of the 21st century, but giving a European point of view about a mythical America of the 60s (just have a look at the titles of the songs, they speak for themselves). It's not about reality, but how you wish reality could be like. Just more elegant, more stylish, more precious, more dream-like. That's the magic of the High Llamas, and they push it to the point that you believe it could be true.

Now, if you're already familiar with the High Llamas, of course with Talahomi Way you'll be in familiar land. But it's clear that Sean O'Hagan's recent collaborations with Tim Gane (from Stereolab) on a few soundtracks have had an influence on the Llamas sound. It's become more cinematic than ever. The earlier albums were a collection of great pop songs, the most recent ones, and especially this one feels more like the soundtrack of an imaginary film, where each song is a story connected to the previous and the next one.
That's what Talahomi Way brings to the discography. It's film music in disguise. And that's why it's so great again.

On a side note, it's well worth checking the very interesting interview that O'Hagan recently gave to Sock Monkey Sound podcast (April 6, 2011).

Poor old Sean O'Hagan- with almost every record he & his High Llamas release, the first comparison most people tend to reach for is Brian Wilson & his Californian Beach bums, which says more about critics than it does about O'Hagan & his individual style of writing. Sure, he's as familiar with 'Pet Sounds' as the next consumate songwriter, but his palate draws on much wider influences whilst making the music he creates wholly his own. Van Dyke Parks, Shuggy Otis, Edward Elgar & Jorge Ben are all star players in his dream team & this is no more apparent than on new LP 'Talahomi Way'.

'Berry Adams' is a blueprint in how to engage the listener, with its arrangement's gentle twists & turns that constantly surprise & delight the ears. The tastiest track on the album by far is the superb 'Take My Hand', a sing-along sea breeze of a shanty which leads us down to a warm, sun-kissed beachfront, far away from the hustle & bustle of South London; a deceptively powerful & catchy as all hell chorus invites us to run our fingers through the warm sand & turn our backs upon the daily grind so many of us endure. It could be any beach, Rio, Venice or even Southwold- the point here is a lyrical & melodic escapism which is surely what all the best music strives to supply.

O'Hagan's string quartet experiments from 2003's magnificent 'Beet, Maize & Corn' are showcased here in the moving instrumental 'Wander Jack, Wander' (as English as marmalade & a cup of Earl Grey), alongside the subtle wind instrument arrangements used to such great effect in the longing of 'Fly Baby Fly'.

There's always been a natural jauntiness to O'Hagan's writing, no more so than in the gentle melodicism of 'To The Abbey', probably the only time you're going to hear a harp on any new releases this year. He makes it sounds so easy.

Of course, there are the odd moments of California dreaming ('Talahomi Way' & it's Western harmonica springs to mind), but they seem to appear less & less in O'Hagan's work these days...which means all those critics are going to have reach for something other than their usual, knee-jerk West-Coast allusions. Sorry, boys...

The High Llamas - Talahomi Way (Drag City)
I lost track of Sean O'Hagan and The High Llamas sometime around "Cold and Bouncy" - I'm not altogether sure why. Before playing "Talahomi Way", I'd pondered how, with the passing of the years (13 in all), their music might have changed, but a couple of minutes into the opening track and there doesn't seem to be much change at all. O'Hagan's a master of breezy melodies and soft pop songs, and "Talahomi Way" comes with the anticipated quota of both.

That opening track "Berry Adams" might have been in production since the early `90s, with its indie Beach Boys arrangement and tropical aesthetic. One of the clear standout tracks "Fly Baby, Fly" is just wonderful, with it's `70s horns and dry, delicate air, and "To The Abbey" almost employs Divine Comedy-like jauntiness, but not quite. All in all, not too shoddy.