The High Llamas: Snowbug

Sean O'Hagan, the man behind The High Llamas, has a neat trick: He can make music eerily reminiscent of that made by The Beach Boys in the years following the groundbreaking Pet Sounds album. Unfortunately, each new release confirms that this is just about his only trick. Snowbug, his latest, is no exception, firmly establishing The High Llamas as a Kingdom Come for Brian Wilson obsessives rather than Led Zeppelin fans. With bouncing strings and xylophones, a richly layered soundscape with electronic touches, and almost but not quite catchy melodies occasionally attached to infantile lyrics, Snowbug is virtually indistinguishable from 1998's Cold & Bouncy. But despite all the flaws inherent to The High Llamas' albums, there's still something intriguing about Snowbug and the group's work as a whole that can't quite be written off as the result of stealing material from such a rich source. Maybe it's because Wilson left so much incomplete and unexplored, but O'Hagan always seems derivative in the most creative way possible. Still, Snowbug doesn't get him out of the corner he's painted himself into; despite occasional lively patches like "Green Coaster," this remains chill-out music for the musically discriminating. Last year's remix EP, Lollo Rosso—which brought in a wealth of new ideas courtesy of Cornelius, Jim O'Rourke, and others—demonstrated that there's a good deal more to do with O'Hagan's musical obsessions. Maybe next time out, he'll be the one implementing those ideas.