The Goat Looks On... At Another One

Sean O'Hagan's Unabashed And Unapologetic Fixation 
With The Music And Style Of Brian Wilson And Burt Bacharach
(taken from the reviews of AMG contributors)
Friday, September 14, 2012
(for J. Riley and Magic Transister Radio)


Sean O'Hagan in a serious moment

In paraphrasing AMG music journalists, Richie Unterberger and Christian Hoard, the "comparisons of Sean O'Hagan and his High Llamas to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys are unavoidable, and not just from arcane critics. Anyone with a large enough Beach Boys collection will undoubtedly detect the uncanny resemblance to Wilson's music from 1966-1971. Songs with sophisticated melodies, beautiful harmonies and elaborate production, all with an emphasis on layered keyboards and lush orchestration. While echoes of 'Pet Sounds' and 'SMiLE' primarily dominate O'Hagan's music, bits of 'Smiley Smile,' 'Wild Honey,' 'Friends,' '20/20,' 'Sunflower' and 'Surf's Up' also pop up on occasion. Hell, even traces of 'Carl & The Passions' and 'Holland' too. As another major source of inspiration, the Irish musician and songwriter also claims Burt Bacharach to be a stylistic touchstone as well. And while it's probably critical overkill to draw attention to the resemblance once again, it's also abundantly obvious that O'Hagan and the High Llamas never seem to tire of mining Bacharach's hits and Brian Wilson's masterworks for new ideas.

AMG contributor, Tim Sedra elaborates further stating, "The High Llamas are not a band that has ever put a lot of stock in change. They have charted a course that has remained steadfastly true to their intentions of re-channeling late '60s Beach Boys records through a filter of Steely Dan-styled soft rock and electronic cleverness. Each record since their brilliant 'Gideon Gaye' has been a near carbon copy of the last, albeit an enjoyable copy, but still nothing that different."

Meanwhile, critic, J. Scott McClintock sees things a little differently saying, "Really, it's ridiculous, but what's the harm that a few myopic reviewers can't say anything more telling than "Sean O'Hagan is a Brian Wilson clone"? It's a darn high compliment, given the stature that Wilson has achieved, and it says more about those music critics' inability to see beyond their own "Top Ten albums of all time" than any creative shortcomings on O'Hagan's part. Over the course of their career, the High Llamas successfully combined '60s pop sensibilities with burbling analog synth accents and laid-back, West Coast vibes with a NYC session cat's journeyman aesthetic. Every Llamas album has embraced these creative styles in varying degrees: from the decidedly '60s Brit-pop bent of 'Gideon Gaye,' to the sprawling and breezy beaches of 'Hawaii,' to the warmly clinical brand of slickness displayed on 'Cold And Bouncy,' and on through to the detailed chamber pop of 'Beet, Maize & Corn.' The Llamas have succeeded at every slight stylistic turn they have taken. Now with the release of 'Can Cladders' and 'Talahomi Way,' O'Hagan and the Llamas are bringing it all together. Every stylistic element that has ever graced the grooves of their past albums is present here, with synth blurbs and Baroque-via-the-beach string arrangements holding equal footing throughout. Bacharach-ian backing vocals and Wilson-esque instrumentation hold equal ground with Motown rhythms and Steely Dan slick-ery, but now the whole thing is beginning to sound natural and familiar, rather than over-thought, forced and derivative."

Finally in his own defense, the High Llamas principle songwriter, Sean O'Hagan chimes in to declare, "I am a bit of a one trick pony, but I can only think that I've reinvented the trick a few times unwittingly. I just stick to what I know and don't clutter the sound with unworkable extra baggage. But I do love texture and harmony, elements that I use to invoke those who have influenced my band and from there, try to invent something new. Mostly that's a textured, haunting time for me, alone at the piano or with a nylon acoustic guitar.

And yes, of course I love the Beach Boys. I've been emphatically influenced by them as well as by Bacharach. But very lazy journalism has all but ruined us. When the guys take a pop at you and write their mush, they do it with an aggression that they feel comfortable with because we are 'nice intellectual guys' who will not bite back. It's a tragedy. If we'd stayed with the Beach Boys, we'd be lazy. But have they (the press) never heard Jorgé Ben or Milton Nascimento/Lo Borges? Shuggie Otis or Mingus? Benjamin Britten, Bob Lind, or Francois Du Rubaix? They and many more are the stuff we listen to and are influenced by. What's wrong with that? The Brazilian guys, Caetano Veloso and Lo Borges are important. They wrote advanced pop without sounding like hacks. Ennio Morricone wrote pop arrangements in 'B' movies that I constantly refer to. Gainsbourg had a way with gritty pop that again had great arrangements. You see it's not about being cool and being invited to the party. It's about chords. That's what keeps me happy. And outside music, I adhere to community responsibility and the harassment of immoral politics with militancy. I am not interested in after shows. A rant, I know, but most of the critics who plague us are shallow and lazy and have no politics apart from the politics of self-gratification."

And there you have it. Now you can judge for yourself with the two mixes offered below. As for me, I'm inclined to agree with McClintock. Although Sean O'Hagan unapologetically wears his influences on his sleeve, being compared to someone like Brian Wilson is a damn high compliment, and one that O'Hagan should be proud to embrace. Furthermore, it's been said a million times that 'imitation is the highest form of flattery.' So why not follow the lead of one of the best? Besides, who would you rather be likened to? A musical master like Brian Wilson or some bow and arrow toting numb-nut like Ted Nugent?

The dour looking High Llamas


The Goat Looks On... At Another One, Pt.1

1) Checking In, Checking Out
2) The Goat Strings
3) Up In The Hills
4) Black Balloon
5) Campers In Control
6) Double Drift
7) Sparkle Up
8) Literature Is Fluff
9) The Goat Looks On
10) Eht Taog Skool No
11) Period Music
12) Instrumental Suits
13) Ill-Fitting Suits
14) Recent Orienteering
15) D.C. 8
16) Doo-Wop Property
17) Theatreland
18) Island People
19) Incidentally N.E.O.
20) The Goat

The Goat Looks On... At Another One, Pt.2

1) Janet Jangle
2) Glide Time
3) Painters Paint
4) Hi-Ball Nova Scotia
5) Bouncy Glimmer
6) The Sun Beats Down
7) Dalton's Star
8) Sleeping Spray
9) Market Traders
10) Lobby Bears
11) Showstop Hip-Hop
12) Over The River
13) Banking On Karma
14) Hawaiian Smile
15) Hoops Hooley
16) Travel
17) Tilting Windmills
18) Homespun Rerun
19) Wander, Jack Wander
20) Boing Backwards



Source material for 'The Goat Looks On, Pts.1&2' come from the following:
Santa Barbara(1992)/Gideon Gaye (1994)/Hawaii (1996)
Cold And Bouncy (1998)/Snowbug (1999)
Buzzle Bee (2000)/Can Cladders (2007)/Talahomi Way (2011)