Search - High Llamas :: Santa Barbara

Only necessary for High Llamas completists

04/25/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Santa Barbara purportedly was a lost album of 1992 that only within the past few years has been unearthed and re-released. Its merits are few. One that cannot be overlooked is the catchiness of the pop tunes that it contains. The female vocals of track number four "Market Traders" are a nice touch and had not been seen again until the 1999 High Llamas release Snowbug that contains lead and supporting vocals from Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen of Stereolab. Another worthwhile feature of the album is its accessibility, something that is not always maintained on the epic-length album Hawaii and the electronica-tending Cold and Bouncy. However, when one looks beyond the addictiveness of Santa Barbara, not much remains beyond its skeletal poppiness. Of course, it is nice for High Llamas fans to compare it along developmental lines to the lush, intricate albums released starting with Hawaii. Its value is thus similar to that of the 1990 Sean O'Hagan release called High Llamas. Ultimately, though, it is not recommended as introductory material for new listeners."

Got on a whim and it's been a very pleasant surprise!

srgranger | California United States | 04/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Try the little clip of "Travel". Not enough really to give you a whole view but it may do. I really didn't know much more than some friends thought they were alright and mentioned High Llamas. The liner notes on the CD say it's not representative of the average Llamas' disc, but this one is good. Nice pop songs with a humourous twist. I keep thinking of XTC, Beautiful South, and a touch of REM. Nothing campy though the second track might get a bit trite. It does grows on you. The whole disc seemed to get stuck in my head after a few listens. Definitely a good sign."