Snowbug

This is where everything comes together for The High Llamas. Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen of Stereolab guest here — The High Llamas’ Sean O’Hagan was an ancillary member of Stereolab for much of the nineties — and the album’s partly recorded by Chicago experimental luminaries Jim O’Rourke and Bundy K. Brown and John McEntire. It positions The High Llamas at the centre of a community of like-minded creative souls, sharing ideas and community. O’Hagan seems particularly smitten with Brazilian music here, which is no surprise, as bossa nova and Tropicália are rife with intriguing, rich chord changes, something O’Hagan loves. But there are plenty of great, inspired moments here — see the Stevie Wonder-esque funk miniature, “Daltons Star.”