Cold & Bouncy

1980年代、ジャングリー・ポップとポスト・パンクのミクスチャーで一時代を築いたマイクロディズニー。その首謀者だったショーン・オヘイガンは1991年、新たにハイ・ラマズというバンドを立ち上げました。純粋無垢なインディ・ポップから始まりステレオラブ、ジム・オルークと出会い、シカゴ音響派へイギリスからの回答と言わんばかりの独自路線ポスト・ロックを編み出しました。今回DRAG CITYよりそんな黄金期の90年代6作品が一挙LP再発!

前作『HAWAII』の路線を引き継ぎつつ、親交を深めていたドイツのマウス・オン・マーズ方向な電子音が飛び交う1998年問題作『COLD & BOUNCY』。エキゾチカ、ラウンジ・ミュージック、ソフト・ロックの新しい側面を聴かせたばかりの所にソリッドなエレクトロニカが混ざってきて、今まで聴いた事がない歪だけど美しいポップがここに! "Homespin Rerun"の場所や時間から切り離された唯一無二感を是非!

Cold and Bouncy is an accurate description of the High Llamas' music, in many ways. On the surface, it's light and airy, with sprightly or sighing melodies, sometimes quite detailed, but that very attention to detail keeps the music at an emotional distance -- it's easy to admire Sean O'Hagan's skill, but a little more difficult to be moved by it. Still, there's a lot to be said for being evocative, which the High Llamas certainly are. Like its predecessor, Hawaii, Cold and Bouncy floats between involved instrumentals and songs, relying on texture more than actual songwriting. O'Hagan is beginning to break away from his Brian Wilson obsessions, even if echoes of SMiLE and Pet Sounds are evident throughout the record. However, it sounds more than ever like original work, thanks to a subtle incorporation of retro-electronic textures, straight out of his work with Stereolab. Those keyboards open the sound up just enough to make Cold and Bouncy the group's most inviting release since Gideon Gaye, but it still suffers from O'Hagan's meandering tendencies. While it's not the marathon of Hawaii, the album still runs way too long, lasting well over an hour. Instead of adding depth, the length makes O'Hagan's ideas difficult to assimilate, and by the end of the record, it sounds like he only has variations on a handful of themes. But when the album is consumed in small doses, however, O'Hagan's flair for arrangement and sonic detail burns brightly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine