Top 40 '90s albums, #32: The High Llamas — Gideon Gaye

This whole list of full of memories. That’s music for all of us, I assume. It’s memory encoded as melody, harmony and rhythm. I used to listen to this album walking around my small town on my big over-the-ear headphones, probably on a burned CD. I had only listened to a little bit of The Beach Boys, so I had only a passing realization the Gideon Gaye was deeply influenced by these albums that are touchstones for all of pop music. High school, you know?

When I later really dove into The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, I was struck by the similarities. I shouldn’t have been struck, I guess. I don’t know. I don’t think elitism does anybody much good, but I sure thought it did. Again, high school, you know? And so I wanted to understand music the right way. I wanted to love the best music. I wanted to have a great understanding of what made the music I loved what it was. The High Llamas helped disabuse me of that notion, though not until after high school.

Gideon Gaye is deeply inspired by Brian Wilson’s repertoire, and you need only look as far as “The Goat Strings” at the midpoint to find the album’s most overt references — the organ and string combination seal that particular track. And there’s plenty of glockenspiel work throughout, giving Gideon Gaye basically a full complement of “Let’s Go Away for Awhile” references. And you know what? The more I listen, the more oblique the references become, and the sillier I feel for my high school self. It’s not rational, and it’s not really justified. I don’t need to judge that kid. That’s sort of the same problem, isn’t it? Still, it’s not as if The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson references are anything of a secret.

This album has one of the greatest five-track runs to kick things off. “Giddy Strings” is a 30-second introduction with, uh, strings; “The Dutchman” is a great piano-led piece with beautiful harmonies; “Giddy and Gay” regularly just pops into my head regularly and really showcases the Vox organ; “Easy Rod” is a nice, relaxed interlude; and “Checking In, Checking Out” is just pop songwriting at its best.

What an album this is. I know I’ve poked fun at my younger self a bit, but I feel fortunate to have heard this album when I did — even if maybe I did things a bit out of order.