The High Llamas

Can Cladders

(Drag City)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

Just in time for warmer days, Can Cladders is a buoyant album from The High Llamas that calls out to soundtrack the peaceful stretches of a long spring road trip—or just a lazy day curled up with a journal.  “We say hi to the rivers and the mountains,” Sean O’Hagan & Co. cheerfully announce—about a dozen times—on “Rollin’.”  It’s an unabashedly feel-good album for feel-bad times.

A Beck-ish, Tropicalia-style vibe starts the album on “The Old Spring Town,” which, like much of what follows, features a light back-and-forth between O’Hagan and a female vocalist (a role filled by Winnie Asmah, Tania Degale, Sylvia Arthur and Kelsey Michael).  O’Hagan’s vocal is not the strength of his game—he sings in a voice that is pleasantly airy and emotive, and while his vocal melodies are often quite catchy, he somewhat lacks a personal stamp as a singer—so the extra coos and doo-wops are welcome additions; there are never too many cooks in the kitchen.

Musically, O’Hagan is generally unimpeachable (newcomers to his work will be interested in his resume, which includes collaborations with Super Furry Animals, Stereolab, and Sondre Lerche).  Occasionally, Can Cladders overplays the lullaby card, with the gentle orchestrations and breezy melodies bleeding into one another. 

“Bacaroo” is one standout, lifted by another hummable harmony vocal (something along the lines of Isobel Campbell), and the juxtaposition of a stately string section with a surprisingly funky organ.  Another highlight is “Dorothy Ashby,” one of the more emotionally affecting pieces on the record—a wistful melody paired with lines about “music’s sad and gentle fall.”