Search - The Oohs :: Llamalamp

A classic

T. Cain | 07/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's something liberating about listening to a confident band performing at its best without apology and with the full expectation that the right people in their audience will "get it." If anyone else wants in, they're welcome, but the important thing is the band has satisfied itself and has shown some growth.



The Oohs have done just that with "Llamalamp," a step considerably forward from their excellent 2002 release, "Saturday Morning Dream."



As with many of the best power pop releases, part of the fun of "Llamalamp" is playing "spot the influence." It's clear The Beatles remain a touchstone for The Oohs (although unlinke others, these guys are as comfortable with "I Am the Walrus" as they are with "I Saw Her Standing There"). The Beach Boys and Four Seasons are vocal influences, and while they've abandoned some of the Queen/Electric Light Orchestra tributes they included in previous work, it's clear the members have continued to go through their album collections to find pieces to plunder.



What do all of these songs have in common? Uncanny craftsmanship. That's often a dirty word in modern music, but it's also why these songs will stick in your head after just a listen or two. Each and every one is constructed perfectly. And the production (credited to the band) makes each new listen a treat. There's enough buried in these mixes to keep the manic listener occupied for weeks.



The disc opens (and closes) with "Three-L," a grin-worthy sitar-based track that serves as a lead-in to "Pretty."



"Pretty" is a tour-de-force mega-mashup of tributes that becomes something new thanks to some creative ideas that don't go over the line to irritatingly clever. From the "Sgt. Pepper" overture guitar riff at the start to the phone ring and "Can you hear me now?" TV commercial sample, the song combines a series of "I recognize that" moments into an outrageously satisfying whole. Are those 1965 British pop harmonies clashing with 1967-style horn and sitar sounds? At almost five minutes, it still feels like a nice 2:30 pop song. It should have been twice as long.



"Get It Straight" is the centerpiece of the second half of the album, and arguably the best song The Oohs have ever produced. A heartfelt vocal (by Frank Huston), some tasty keyboard work by Brian Curtis and magnificent backing vocals by way of The Beach Boys (by Curtis, Brian Cutright and Jim Engel) perfectly frame the "let's try love again" lyrics. As with other songs here, you can pick out influences, but The Oohs' hybrid makes the effort original.



And here's the difference between what The Oohs do as compared with so many who THINK they do what The Oohs do. "Get It Straight" features a simple eight-bar guitar solo that's so tasteful and contextually perfect, it's impossible to imagine it any other way.



THAT'S what power pop is all about, and that's what perfect power pop songs can do.



"What Have You Done With My Girl?" shows these guys can't even write a throwaway tune without making it painstakingly catchy. With a base borrowed from the fast section of "You Never Give Me Your Money" and an attitude on loan from "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)," it's a song to make you laugh and marvel -- people simply don't write songs like this anymore. This shows they should.



The other influences apparent after a handful of listens:



You can almost hear Huston's heart breaking on "More Than Meets the Eye," which would be perfectly at home on a later-period Steely Dan album (except that the backing vocals are better, of course).



"Settle for Human" and "Emotion Left Unspoken" come straight from Todd Rundgren/Utopia territory, and Todd would be proud. These are warmer, more engaging tunes than many of his flights of fancy, the kind of songs that add depth and breadth to the quality of the album.



"That's What She Said" might as well have been included on "A Hard Day's Night." John Lennon could have sung it, but he could only hoped to have matched the amount of joy Huston brings to the tune.



"The End of Our Days" a nice little shanty that might be less of a song but for some superb keyboard work



On "Sunny Day," Herb Alpert meets The Raiders (that opening and closing riff is straight out of "Indian Reservation"), in a minor key.



One of the best albums of the year? Definitely. Fortunately, we have it now, so we can enjoy it for most of 2006."