High Llamas Biography
Although the High Llamas are nominally a group, they're pretty much the brainchild of singer and guitarist Sean O'Hagan. O'Hagan did some time in the London-by-way-of-Dublin band Microdisney, in which he was the songwriting partner of Cathal Coughlan. After Microdisney split in 1988 (Coughlan forming Fatima Mansions), O'Hagan released a couple of import-only solo albums before forming the High Llamas. The Llamas issued their debut, Gideon Gaye, in 1994 to high praise in the British press; it was released in the States a year later almost as an afterthought, with virtually no fanfare. Comparisons of the High Llamas/O'Hagan to Brian Wilson/the Beach Boys are unavoidable, and not just from arcane critics. Anyone with a large Beach Boys collection will detect the uncanny resemblance to 1966-1970 Beach Boys, with the sophisticated melodies, the beautiful harmonies, and the elaborate production, with the emphasis on layered keyboards and orchestration. Echoes of Pet Sounds, Smile, Wild Honey, and Surf's Up predominate, though O'Hagan also claims Burt Bacharach as a major inspiration. The Llamas began to build a bigger and bigger fan base throughout the late '90s (in the US as well as the UK) and O'Hagen's ever-shifting, ever-growing stable of side musicians made sure every album was as beautifully arranged and carefully conceived as the last. Subsequent efforts include 1996's gorgeously sprawling Hawaii, 1997's warmly clinical Cold and Bouncy, and 1999's chilly Snowbug. Buzzle Bee arrived the following year, featuring a more stripped-down sound and guest vocals from Mary Hansen from Stereolab. Before her tragic death in late 2002, O'Hagen had Hansen onboard for the Llamas' chamber-pop masterpiece Beet, Maize & Corn. Virtually eliminating the standard 'electric guitar, bass and drums' formula, Beet, Maize & Corn was full of lilting strings, warm horns and gently plucked classical guitars, and proved to be a high achievement for the Llamas with both critics and fans. Four years later, in 2007, O'Hagen and company revisited the sunny sprawl of Hawaii (as well as Cold and Bouncy's technical slickness) for the upbeat and lovingly crafted Can Cladders. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Cobalt 60 Biography: One of Jean Luc de Meyer's bands after he left Front 242, Cobalt 60 also includes programmer Dominique Lallement and has a similar sound to Front 242, though their industrial attack uses more guitar...
Soft machine Biography: Soft Machine were never a commercial enterprise and indeed still remain unknown even to many listeners who came of age during the late '60s, when the group was at its peak. In their own way, however,...
Setherial Biography: Founded in 1994 by guitarists Alastor Mysteriis and Devolthan, Sweden's Setherial tread the dark and unswerving path to black metal Hell also trafficked by fellow Scandinavian acts like Marduk,...
Xymox Biography: Dutch band w/ gloomy Gothic dance pop, All Music...
Lil scrappy Biography: Crunk practitioner Lil Scrappy was born Darryl Richards in the ATL. Discovered by BME Recordings and Lil Jon, Scrap built his rep throughout the Southeast before breaking nationally in 2003 with the...
Nightfall Biography: One of Greece's longest-running underground forces in extreme metal, Nightfall is primarily driven by vocalist/bassist/keyboard player Efthimis Karadimas, who first founded the group in his native...
Sly and robbie Biography: Theirs is the ultimate musical marriage, a partnership that, once formed, re-etched the very landscape of not just Jamaican music, but the entire world's. Such hyperbole is oftentimes rolled out by...
From first to last Biography: "Kill the lights!" a growling throat commands just seconds into From First To Last's monumental debut Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Bodycount. And it's in this darkness that FFTL's magnetic...