It's probably critical overkill to point out that the High Llamas are the prime inheritors of the lush soundscapes that Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach perfected (each in his own way) during the '60s and early '70s. On the... more » other hand, it's also abundantly« less
It's probably critical overkill to point out that the High Llamas are the prime inheritors of the lush soundscapes that Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach perfected (each in his own way) during the '60s and early '70s. On the other hand, it's also abundantly
"I think this album is just great. I see a lot of people putting it down, and then comparing it to their past albums. I don't think you can compare this album with past ones, I think each one stands on its own and if you don't like this one than just listen to Gideon Gaye or whatever one you like. Personally, I think they just get better and better, and while I might not like this one as much as Snowbug, I think songs like New Broadway and Get Into the Galley Shop make this one as grand as any other. I also missed the string section a little but since this album had to be done cheaper than others it probably could not be afforded. However, the album is just as beautiful and wonderful anyways. If this is the direction the Llamas are headed in, then I cannot wait until their next full length. Those who think that they are getting too predictable or whatever, just shut up and keep listening to Hawaii or Gideon Gaye."
Buzzle Bee
10/04/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't get it. Everyone here is looking for that same old catch. Not as good as the old stuff? Each album is like a new band, with new tastes and ideas. Didn't anyone see the hidden meaning behind "The Passing Bell" where Sean O'Hagan clearly refers to laying down at the foot of the rye, and also the cover of the album is much alike to an old printing of the novel, the catcher in the rye. this is possibly thier best album. the fact that some of you cant stand a little change doesnt mean this album is bad. its just lightyears ahead of your mind."
After many listens, finally several straight through,
Jonathan Goldstein | New York, NY United States | 11/02/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album has revealed its subtle and magnificent grandiosity. Make no mistake about it, this is a highly ambitious and creative undertaking. This album is a frontier blazer. The first song is the single most beautiful and mesmerizing in the entire Llamas canon. The rest of the album follows suit. Every song is a sprawling work of art. Though it's their shortest album, its the High Llamas album of electronic epics. Yet another masterpiece from a band that is almost unable to create anything but masterpieces. Sean O'Hagan is the most talented and ambitious pop musician in the world right now. And has been for quite some time."
A lazy delight.
Spencer G. Dickson | Murray, UT United States | 11/17/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"So,okay, the High Llamas' songs all sound a bit samey. Their lyrics are nonsensical (but, you know, still kinda fun), and their chord progressions (which are admittedly more sophisticated than those found on the average Oasis album) are becoming more than slightly predictable. Yet Sean O'Hagen's ear for harmony, texture, serviceable melodies, and, yes, lush instumentation continues to fascinate, even though we've heard all this before. The High Llamas definitely have carved out their own niche, and fill it nicely. Aping Brian Wilson--arguably the greatest pop classicist of all time--and adding a dash of Stereolab-esque leftfield electro-acoustica is entirely admirable. O'Hagen's melodies could be stronger, and his songs could be more structured (they seem to meander aimlessly at times), but by now, all this is beside the point--which is to envelop the listener in a blanket of exotic pet sounds that will instantly transport him or her to a palm tree-lined avenue in midwinter Pasadena as the thrum of a convertible completes the feeling of dreamy ambience."