Cold And Bouncy

A sideways swerve, in some respects, for The High Llamas. If they’d been known, somewhat reductively, for albums like Hawaii, where you can hear High Llamas leader Sean O’Hagan’s love of sixties groups like The Beach Boys and Love, Cold & Bouncy reached much further; there’s a blissed-out, bubbly tone here, with electronics working their way into the songs: imagine what might happen if Mouse On Mars had decided to collaborate with Steely Dan. O’Hagan’s arrangements feel lusher, more confident than ever, particularly on the mesmeric instrumental, “Glide Time”; he’s self-taught as an arranger, which is one reason why the music here takes such unexpected turns. It’s exciting to hear his logic playing out across these songs.