You're used to hearing about sheep herders and dog trainers, but not so much llama farmers. Maybe that's because Llama Farmers are a rare breed -- sowing a crop of completely original and eclectic tunes.

Bred in the halls of a Greenwich, England high school circa 1996, the quirky quartet -- made up of friends William Briggs and Brooke Rogers and Simpson siblings Bernie and Jen -- developed a deeply sophisticated sound for a bunch of sophomores: a sort of progressive grunge pop. Unfortunately, the Llama Farmers have since gone extinct, but their innovative and invigorating approach to alternative rock lives on.

The surviving album (and their debut LP for Beggars Banquet Records), Dead Letter Chorus, is anything but dead.

While the band may have been born in 1996, the unconventional use of electric rock instrumentation is hardly obsolete -- it is over-the-top awesome. And because of this extremely stylish use of plugged-up power, the band lives on.

Much like those beloved episodes of Saved By the Bell (maybe Blossom or Doogie Howser, depending on your generation), if something hits home hard, you remain a dedicated fan until the day you die. And so, while Llama Farmers may be off the modern-day market, they remain a staple set of alternative rockers.

Take, for example, Lull , which immediately pulls you in with the palliative plucking of strings and a solid stream of drumbeats, reminiscent of allure created by Alkaline Trio in "Radio" (from Maybe I'll Catch Fire). The Farmers feature similar punk influences throughout the rest of the album, in addition to indie and alternative hooks.

Noting legendary alt-rock band Nirvana (and others like Lemonhead and Sonic Youth) as a leading role model, and having played with the Foo Fighters and Green Day, this foursome fearlessly mastered music at a very young age -- and with a spin all their own.

Unlike their aforementioned forerunners, the Llama Farmers include occasional melodies materialized from the lungs and lips of a female (who also happens to be the lead bassist). The dynamic brother-sister duo deliver rich, resonating vocals in vivacious songs like Jessica and PVC .

For a number that's a little more mellow, check out Yellow -- peppered with self-deprecating lyrics like "I still can't believe how naïve I am."

This group of capricious adolescents cultivated thirteen tracks packed with inventive instrumentation, euphoric phrasing and enough energy to reap a huge fan base long after the Llamas dismantled.

Additional Tracks:
Get The Keys And Go
When We Were Friends