High Llamas -‘Talahomi Way.’ (Drag City)
Musically, for those who have not heard them, The High Llamas sit somewhere right between Brian Wilson and Stereolab (mainman Sean O’Hagan and ver ‘labs Tim Gane have collaborated, and the latter mixed this), with a bit of sixties jazz scattered lightly over proceedings. This is their ninth album, though their first for four years.
Quite simply, it is an utterly gorgeous album. Beautifully summery, and it’s been getting quite a few plays around these parts over the last few weeks. Twelve tracks in total, it flows from start to finish. The only downsides to the album are that O’Hagan’s voice can be quite far down in the mix at times, to the extent I wasn’t quite sure which tracks were instrumentals at first, and if on too quietly, more so than many other albums, the gorgeous subtleties can be lost.
But on at a decent volume, this album runs gently from opener ‘Berry Adams’ to closer ‘Callin Up, Ringing Down’ and provides a perfect spring and summer soundtrack. Soothing and joyous, this album should be heard.
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Talahomi Way is released on April 18 on Drag City.