| Buzzle Bee | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 October 2000 (U.S.) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:49 | |||
| Label | Duophonic Drag City Records [1] | |||
| Producer | Fulton Dingley, The High Llamas | |||
| The High Llamas chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| Pitchfork | 6.0/10 [4] |
Buzzle Bee is a studio album by English musical project the High Llamas. [5] [6] It was released in 2000 on Duophonic. [3]
Exclaim! wrote: "Buzzle Bee proves that the Llamas have established a signature sound and much of it is faultlessly beautiful. There's a sense, though, that it's also an apex; if their music isn't to become as comfortable as all those Beach Boys comparisons are tiresome, some genuine surprises will need to occur next time." [7] NME wrote that "'The Passing Bell' is brilliant Capri-Sun pop – and O’Hagan knows it, because he lets it meander on beautifully for ten minutes. After that, we’re at the mercy of his wayward desire to say nothing of any consequence in the style of Holland-era Brian Wilson with sunstroke." [8]
All songs written by Sean O'Hagan.
Some editions of the album include the song "2 Part Byke" (6:04).
The High Llamas
Songs written by Sean O'Hagan and arranged by the High Llamas. All music played and arranged by the High Llamas with Dominic Murcott on vibes and marimba, Pete Aves on 12-string guitar and John Bennet on slide guitar. John Teffer played tenor sax and flute and Andy Ramsay played modular synth. Fulton Dingley is heard on electronic bits and pieces. Mary Hansen and Susan James sang backing vocals on "Get Into the Gallery Shop" and "Tambourine Day". Hansen sings on "Switch Pavilion" and "Tambourine Day". The chorus on "The Passing Bell" is Emma Carter, Kelsey Michael, Jo Haynes, Mary Hansen and Susan James.
The album was recorded by Fulton Dingley and mixed by Fulton Dingley and the High Llamas except "Bobby's Court" which was recorded by Dominic Murcott and mixed by Murcott and O'Hagan. It was recorded and mixed at Blackwing Studios London except "Bobby's Court" which was recorded at Pinny Sound.
Cover design by M2. [9]
Stereolab are an Anglo-French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's sound features influences from krautrock and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetitive motorik beat with the use of vintage electronic keyboards and female vocals sung in English and French. Their lyrics have political and philosophical themes influenced by the Surrealist and Situationist movements. On stage, they play in a more feedback-driven and guitar-oriented style. The band also draw from funk, jazz and Brazilian music, and were one of the first bands to be dubbed "post-rock".
Sean O'Hagan is an Irish singer and songwriter who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo in Microdisney and for his work during the early 1990s with the English-French band Stereolab.
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The Last Broadcast is the second studio album by British indie rock band Doves. The album was released by Heavenly Recordings on 29 April 2002, and went straight to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's first single "There Goes the Fear" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3, the band's highest-charting single to date, despite being released and deleted on the same day. Two further singles, "Pounding" and "Caught by the River", were also successful, charting in the Top 30. The Last Broadcast garnered critical acclaim upon its release, and was a shortlist nominee for the Mercury Prize in 2002.
Lætitia Sadier, sometimes known as Seaya Sadier, is a French musician best known as a founding member of the London-based avant-pop band Stereolab. In 1996, while Stereolab was still active, she formed the side project Monade. In 2009 – the same year Stereolab became inactive – she ended the Monade project and began to perform solo work under her own name; her current band is known as the Lætitia Sadier Source Ensemble. She has frequently performed guest vocals and collaborations with other artists.
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Mars Audiac Quintet is the third studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 2 August 1994 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records.
Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night is the sixth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 21 September 1999 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records. The album was largely co-produced by Stereolab, John McEntire, and Jim O'Rourke.
Margerine Eclipse is the eighth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 27 January 2004 in the United States by Elektra Records and on 2 February 2004 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records. The album is in large part a eulogy to former band member Mary Hansen, who died in 2002.
The First of the Microbe Hunters is the fifth EP by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 16 May 2000 in the United Kingdom by Duophonic Records and in the United States by Elektra Records. Its title makes reference to the book Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, in which the first chapter is dedicated to Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek, named "the first of the microbe hunters". Its tracks were re-released in the band's 2021 compilation Electrically Possessed.
The High Llamas are an Anglo-Irish avant-pop band formed in London circa 1991. They were founded by singer-songwriter Sean O'Hagan, formerly of Microdisney, with drummer Rob Allum and ex-Microdisney bassist Jon Fell. O'Hagan has led the group since its formation. Their music is often compared to the Beach Boys, a band he acknowledges as an influence, although more prominent influences were drawn from bossa nova and European film soundtracks.
Edith Frost is an American singer-songwriter who describes her music as "pensive countrified psychedelia".
Octopus is the third album by the British band The Bees, released in 2007. Octopus was self-produced in the band's own basement studio, The Steam Rooms, on the Isle of Wight.
Can Cladders is a studio album by London-based musical project The High Llamas. It was released in 2007 on Drag City.
Hawaii is the third studio album by the Anglo-Irish avant-pop band the High Llamas, released on 25 March 1996 on the band's Alpaca Park label. The arrangements of Hawaii incorporate more electronic sounds than its predecessor Gideon Gaye (1994), while its lyrics loosely address themes of nomadism, nostalgia, film and musical theatre, and the effects of colonialism. The record peaked at 62 on the UK Albums Chart for a one-week stay. In the United States, the album was issued with a 40-minute bonus CD containing material that was previously unreleased in that region.
Gideon Gaye is the second studio album by the Anglo-Irish avant-pop band the High Llamas, released in 1994 on the Brighton-based Target label. Notable for anticipating the mid 1990s easy-listening revivalism, the album's music was influenced by Brian Wilson, Steely Dan, Brazilian bossa nova and European film soundtracks, and was recorded with a £4000 budget. It was met with high praise by the British press. Q dubbed the LP "the best Beach Boys album since 1968's Friends". In the US, the album was indifferently promoted.
Cold and Bouncy is the fourth studio album by Anglo-Irish avant-pop band the High Llamas, released on 27 January 1998 by V2 Records. According to bandleader Sean O'Hagan, the title refers to electronica's "paradoxical" combination of "cold" or digital sounds and "bouncy" rhythms.
Here Come the Rattling Trees is the tenth studio album by Anglo-Irish avant-pop band the High Llamas, released on 22 January 2016. It is an adaptation of a 2014 theatrical play that the group premiered at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London's Covent Garden. The play originally featured a cast of actors and actresses, but the album only features instrumental and vocal performances.
Snowbug is an album by the Anglo-Irish band the High Llamas, released in 1999. It was a commercial failure.
Susan James is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Pasadena, California known for rock, folk, psychedelic folk and experimental music.
