Where has the time gone? Has it been eight years since the last High Llamas album? It's not that Sean O'Hagan hasn't been busy otherwise; there was, among other things, that wonderful solo record right before the world shutdown. But there's always something special with a new High Llamas release, and Hey Panda, out this week on Drag City, is special too.
The familiar High Llamas-kind of hooks are here, which means the record is lovely as hell, yes, but there's also a lot of pep in these 2024 selections. "The Grade" and the title song are nearly bouncing with promise, while the smart "Stone Cold Slow" deftly blends keyboards and what sounds like a banjo to anchor one of this record's most inventive numbers. Similarly, "Toriafan" harnesses the same sort of cleverness in service of an achingly beautiful melody. Busy with electronic effects, the song is like a whole album wrapped up in three minutes.
Things go into new directions for the Llamas on "How the Best was Won" and "Hungriest Man", two collaborations with Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy). There's a percolating inventiveness in the sounds buttressing the spry "How the Best was Won", and more than a hint of fairly contemporary pop and R-n-B. Those styles take the spotlight on the sexy "Hungriest Man", a neat mix of Maxwell-ish down-tempo seduction and Sly Stone-style studio wizardry. There's layers here, enough that the tune isn't just a straight pastiche, but underneath the clever bits, there's a real slinky slow-burner on this O'Hagan/Oldham jam, and one with one of the best hooks on a record rich with them.
One of the most crammed-with-ideas offerings of Sean O'Hagan's career as leader of High Llamas, Hey Panda surprises and charms. I found myself smiling as I played this, the way I used to with late Nineties Super Furry Animals records, where a stylistic choice or melodic flourish took things to a higher level. Fans of the beautiful and buoyant sides of the High Llamas pop proposition will find lots to love here on this 2024 serving.
Hey Panda by High Llamas is out this week from Drag City.
[Photo: Simon Russel]