| · Corn fed Englishmen? What!?
In the midst of the current trend of a punk army of darkness, The High Llamas maintain a soft underground of perfect pop songs layered in orchestral sounds and all things baroque. This continues in their latest release, Beet Maize and Corn.
Filled with impeccable arrangements that bring to mind the glory days of Brian Wilson and his Beach Boys as well as late ’60s AM radio staples like The Association and Sagittarius, Beet Maize and Corn is filled with the most perfect sounds possible. It features lots of choral singing, banjos, melancholy strings and a brass section that would make Mr. Alpert and The Tijuana Brass weep.
The problem is, it sounds too perfect. Main Llama Sean O’Hagan knows his record collection and isn’t afraid to use it, but there is no soul to these songs. In the past, the High Llamas kept things fresh because they tempered their influence-heavy sleeves with some great songwriting. This was also tempered with some nice touches of electronic instrumentation. The Llamas have opted for a more analog sound here, but it doesn’t necessarily make it a better listen, as the songs just seem like homages to a more passionate original. New listeners to the High Llamas might want to start with more accomplished past efforts like ’94s Gideon Gays or the excellent recently released Retrospective, Rarities and Instrumentals, which offers a more substantial take on the Llamas’ archeological findings.
|
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.