Sean O'Hagan | |
|---|---|
 O'Hagan performing in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1959 (age 64–65) [1] Luton, England [2] |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, synthesizers, guitar |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) 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 (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and for his work during the early 1990s with the English-French band Stereolab.
O'Hagan was born in England to Irish parents, moving to Cork as a teenager. [2]
He is a founding member of the Irish indie band Microdisney, alongside Cathal Coughlan; the band initially formed in Cork but was based in London from 1982 until their split in 1988. [3]
He released a solo album titled High Llamas in 1990, which would become the name of a band he subsequently formed. The High Llamas were influenced by the Beach Boys, Ennio Morricone, Antonio Carlos Jobim and avant-garde electronica. He has also collaborated extensively with Stereolab, he was an official member from 1993 to 1994, and is credited as a guest musician on later releases. [3]
In 1996, O'Hagan collaborated with Tim Gane of Stereolab as Turn On, releasing an album of the same name on Drag City Records. [3] They also worked together on the soundtrack to the film La Vie d'Artiste. [3]
On 27 November 2017, it was announced that O'Hagan and Coughlan would reform Microdisney for a one-off concert in the National Concert Hall, Dublin on 2 June 2018. The concert sold out, and was followed by gigs in Cork and London. Coughlan died in 2022.
In the mid 1990s, Brian Wilson was attempting to organize a comeback album with the Beach Boys and his collaborator Andy Paley. [4] After Wilson's bandmate Bruce Johnston heard the High Llamas' 1996 album Hawaii , an unsuccessful attempt was made to instead coordinate a collaboration between O'Hagan and Wilson. [5] Some of the songs that later appeared on the High Llamas' 1998 album Cold and Bouncy were then briefly under consideration to be recorded by the Beach Boys. [6]
One of the reasons that the collaboration never happened, by O'Hagan's account, was interference from Wilson's wife Melinda and former wrestler Joe Thomas, who was ultimately chosen to produce Wilson's 1998 solo album, Imagination . [5] [7] O'Hagan, who thought Wilson's musical talents were best served at reclaiming his title as a "20th-century avant-garde pop genius", had voiced objections to Thomas' desire to instead break Wilson into the adult contemporary market. [5] According to O'Hagan, he attended one meeting with Wilson and two with the Beach Boys, but Wilson's "camp" was unable to reach an agreement with the other Beach Boys. [8] He said of Wilson in a 2001 interview,
I didn't go out of my way to meet Brian, and I wouldn't have wanted to. I'm happy enough to have been influenced by [him] [...] He's not mad, but [...] I asked him what sort of record he wanted to make and told him he could have strings and brass, and I was witness to him running around his house shouting "Too much!" and "You're blowing my mind!" over and over. [9]
A post attributed to Wilson on his website wrote that O'Hagan was "a real sweet guy, but I didn't think I needed him to show me how to do the things I had already done 30 years earlier". [10] Johnston surmised that "Brian was a little intimidated by Sean, in the same way that Gershwin may have been intimidated by Oscar Levant." [9]
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Studio albums and soundtracks
Stereolab appearances
Other appearances
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 French 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 art movements. While performing, they play in a more feedback-driven and guitar-oriented style. From the mid-1990s, the band began to draw from funk, jazz and Brazilian music.
Mary Therese Hansen was an Australian-born guitarist and singer. She joined the London-based avant-pop band Stereolab in 1992. As a member, Hansen recorded six studio albums from Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements to Sound-Dust.
Microdisney were an Irish rock band formed in Cork in 1980. They were founded and led by songwriters Cathal Coughlan and Sean O'Hagan (guitar). Originally typeset as Micro Disney, the band had become Microdisney by the time they had relocated to London in 1983 and signed to Rough Trade Records. Between 1983 and 1986 the band recorded six Peel Sessions for BBC Radio and released their debut album for Rough Trade called Everybody Is Fantastic.
Dots and Loops is the fifth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 22 September 1997 and was issued by Duophonic Records and Elektra Records. The band co-produced the album with John McEntire and Andi Toma, and recording took place at their respective studios in Chicago and Düsseldorf. It was their first album to be recorded straight to Digital Audio Tape and produced with Pro Tools. The album explores jazz and electronic sounds, and is influenced by bossa nova and 1960s pop music. Its lyrics address matters such as consumerism, the "spectacle", materialism, and human interaction.
Timothy John Gane is an English songwriter and guitarist who co-founded Stereolab with his then-partner Lætitia Sadier.
Cathal Coughlan was an Irish singer and songwriter from Cork, best known as the frontman of the band Microdisney, formed with Sean O'Hagan in 1980. Their second album The Clock Comes Down the Stairs reached number one in the UK Indie Chart. They developed cult followings in the Irish and UK indie music scenes before breaking up in 1988.
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. She was born in the east of Paris and spent time in the US as a child. 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.
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.
We Hate You South African Bastards! is the second album by the Irish band Microdisney. It was re-issued on CD with the title Love Your Enemies to reflect post-Apartheid South Africa. The album consists of early recordings of Microdisney before they moved from Cork to London.
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.
Crumb Duck is the first collaboration between Anglo-French indie band Stereolab and cult avant-garde unit Nurse With Wound, first released on 10" vinyl on the Clawfist label in 1993.
Chamber pop is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other components drawn from the orchestral and lounge pop of the 1960s, with an emphasis on melody and texture.
Space Age Batchelor Pad Music is an EP by the alternative music band Stereolab, originally released in March 1993. The release became an underground hit, and led to the band securing its first major-label record deal.
Fantasma is the third studio album by Japanese musician Cornelius, released on August 6, 1997, on his label Trattoria. Cornelius envisioned the album as "a one-on-one experience between the music and the listener. ... It starts with you entering into the journey and ends with you returning to reality." It peaked at number six on the Oricon Albums Chart and number 37 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. Three singles were issued from the album: "Star Fruits Surf Rider", "Free Fall", and "Chapter 8 – Seashore and Horizon –".
Chemical Chords is the ninth studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab, released on 18 August 2008 by 4AD and Duophonic Records.
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.
Kaught at the Kampus is a live compilation 12-inch EP conceived and organised by Irish promoter Elvera Butler, and released in 1981 on her Reekus Records label. A showcase of then emerging Cork city punk and post-punk bands, it contains tracks by Nun Attax, Mean Features, Urban Blitz and Microdisney
High January is the ninth album by Canadian music artist Marker Starling, released on 24 April 2020. It is composed entirely of original material, being produced for the first time by Sean O'Hagan, whose previous work with Stereolab, The High Llamas and Microdisney brought extensive experience to helping achieve a fully-realized Marker Starling sound. Laetitia Sadier, also of Stereolab, contributes vocals to two tracks, "Waiting for Grace" and "Starved for Glamour".
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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