Review: The High Llamas - Talahomi Way

Artist: The High Llamas
Title: Talahomi Way
Format: Full-length
Year: 2011
Label: Drag City
Genre: Bossa Nova'esque chamber pop
Rating: 58 / 100

The only reason for checking this band out was their name, yes, it might sound a bit silly but I couldn't imagine a band with a name like The High Llamas sounding dull. Well, as exciting as their name might be as gingerly their music sounds. The High Llamas make a kind of music which directly made me think of kind of orchestral non-melancholic version of Tindersticks, including the carefully appearing hints of jazz and lounge music, all mixed as smooth and slippery as possible.

People who read this blog more aften might know I have a kind of predilection for raw, youthful and energetic music, I can go totally mad on bands like Japandroids or No Age, still, I also really enjoy smooth jazz like early Miles Davis or bossa nova tunes from artists like Bebel Gilberto or Stan Getz. That special kind of relaxed, serene feeling I sometimes get from these "smooth" kinds of music is what I would have to feel to really enjoy a The High Llamas album, unfortunately, I didn't. This doesn't mean Talahomi Way is a bad album, it's actually pretty decent music, but as there is absolutely no punch, no impulse, be it musically or emotionally, this record might incline a bit towards mediocrity in my humble opinion.

If I had to describe this album to somebody else I would probably describe it as anti-rock 'n roll, because it basically lacks everything that made pop and rock music so big; the rebellion, the transmittance of emotion, anger or even love. My pleasure doesn't lie within gentle orchestra strokes, a carefully played clean organ, velvet vocals and prudent songwriting. Apparently there are quite some people who fell in love with their sound, so please don't be turned off from this album for my dislike of their sound, there are abviously a lot of people who do like it, and I could imagine any random person being one of them. This album contains just enough potential of really being loved by someone, that "someone" just isn't me.

If God would be called James McAwes0me, I would become a Christian,

Selwin.