{"product_id":"the-high-llamas-snowbug-reissue","title":"THE HIGH LLAMAS - Snowbug (Reissue)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2LP - Black Vinyl housed in a Gatefold Sleeve.  \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe High Llamas\u003c\/strong\u003e were founded by \u003cstrong\u003eSean\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJon Fell\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMarcus Holdaway\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eRob Allum\u003c\/strong\u003e. After debuting as a tart and sweet guitar-pop act with a reasonably definable bent on Santa Barbara, Sean fell in with \u003cstrong\u003eStereolab\u003c\/strong\u003e. His adventures in their art-band collective, playing space-age bachelor pad music, profoundly influenced the delightful extremities that were to come. \u003cem\u003eGideon Gaye\u003c\/em\u003e was written and recorded on a small budget with almost military resolve. Shifting to a piano-based sound and obsessively chasing retro aspects of 60s and 70s production to dizzying new heights, The High Llamas put a marvellously austere frame around O’Hagan’s already-filmic song constructions. Light and accessible, the sound of \u003cem\u003eGideon Gaye\u003c\/em\u003e gobsmacked grunge-soaked listeners with its new twist on classic art-pop design elements.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpecial note should be made of the work of \u003cstrong\u003eCharlie Francis\u003c\/strong\u003e throughout the creation of the first three albums. As engineer\/backing vocalist\/synth player\/and co-producer, his long hours of dedication and commitment earned him the title of honorary High Llama.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLooking for greater distribution, The High Llamas signed to \u003cstrong\u003eV2\u003c\/strong\u003e — an arm of \u003cstrong\u003eUniversal\u003c\/strong\u003e — and next produced two widescreen epics for the 90s: \u003cem\u003eHawaii\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCold And Bouncy\u003c\/em\u003e. Hawaii (1996) charted an alternative path to and through America, discovering fresh iterations of exotica, soundtrack expressionism and jazz, forming a singular conception of neo-Americana in its exquisite sweep. It was not simply gorgeous; it utterly elided any concept of aggro; this was hand-made, non-heavy music at a new level of purity. One year later, \u003cem\u003eCold And Bouncy\u003c\/em\u003e delivered again, organically incorporating the glitch, dub and electronic inspirations burbling up from the underground into the Llamas signature sound. Respect here is due to co-producer \u003cstrong\u003eFulton Dingley\u003c\/strong\u003e’s contributions as programmer, engineer and mixer. Without shifting away from their pop-rooted songwriting, \u003cem\u003eCold And Bouncy\u003c\/em\u003e was also a grand example of the emerging electro-exotica of the late 90s.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollowing these releases, The High Llamas’ popularity was ascendant. They toured America in 1996–97, experiencing great heights on the indie charts, but without producing “hits” of the proportion that V2 required. O’Hagan’s arrangement skills were called upon by groups like \u003cstrong\u003eSaint Etienne\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSuper Furry Animals\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDoves\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eSondre Lerche\u003c\/strong\u003e. A remix album was mooted — to reach another growing audience demographic, perhaps? With \u003cem\u003eLollo Rosso\u003c\/em\u003e (1998), the assembled remixers — \u003cstrong\u003eMouse On Mars\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJim O’Rourke\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eKid Loco\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSchneider TM\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eStock\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eHausen\u003c\/strong\u003e \u0026amp; \u003cstrong\u003eWalkman\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eCornelius\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eThe High Llamas\u003c\/strong\u003e themselves — provided a scintillating trip through the cutting edge of avant electronics — yet another unique set of variations for the Llamas’ sound to filter though.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile this was happening, O’Hagan conceived another shift for the next album — a stripped-back sound, with lots of acoustic guitars, influenced by folk movements in Latin and world music. Stereolab’s \u003cstrong\u003eMary Hansen\u003c\/strong\u003e (forever remembered) and \u003cstrong\u003eLaetitia Sadier\u003c\/strong\u003e were drafted in to sing vocals, and sessions were split between London and Chicago, where \u003cstrong\u003eJim O’Rourke\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eBundy K. Brown\u003c\/strong\u003e engineered at \u003cstrong\u003eElectrical Audio\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eTortoise\u003c\/strong\u003e’s \u003cstrong\u003eJohn McEntire\u003c\/strong\u003e mixed it down at Soma. Snowbug was a lovely album, with great songs and sounds pirouetting away from the \u003cem\u003eHawaii\u003c\/em\u003e \/ \u003cem\u003eCold \u0026amp; Bouncy\u003c\/em\u003e phases with ease and elegance. It suffered the indignity of being released at the time that V2 had nothing more to offer to the band, and it passed under the radar as the Llamas passed out the door. Reissuing \u003cem\u003eSnowbug\u003c\/em\u003e for the 21st-century listeners is one of our great pleasures in this reissue campaign.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd with that, the 90s were over — but The High Llamas were only getting started. In the time since, \u003cstrong\u003eDrag City\u003c\/strong\u003e have issued six new LPs and a Sean O’Hagan solo album, all of which continue to bravely explore new territories within their sound, culminating in the music-for-theatre score \u003cem\u003eHere Come the Rattling Trees\u003c\/em\u003e and the incorporation of a bracing contemporary pop radio production style on 2024’s \u003cem\u003eHey Panda\u003c\/em\u003e. The High Llamas is still \u003cstrong\u003eSean\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eJon Fell\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMarcus Holdaway\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eRob Allum\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe’ll surely get to much-sought vinyl reissues for \u003cem\u003eBuzzle Bee\u003c\/em\u003e, Beet, \u003cem\u003eMaize \u0026amp; Corn\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCan Cladders\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTalahomi Way\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eHey Panda\u003c\/em\u003e down the road — but for now, do all of your senses a favour, and delve into the depth and breadth to be found in the ocean of sounds that The High Llamas sailed upon on their first voyages of new discovery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Drag City","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Gatefold Vinyl","offer_id":49445246927193,"sku":"SDZ-36338","price":44.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/High_Llamas_-_Snowbug_-_2024_Reissue.jpg?v=1728478484","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/the-high-llamas-snowbug-reissue","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}