CD Pick
The Ladybug Transistor
THE LADYBUG TRANSISTOR
Merge Records
For a band bred in Brooklyn, the Ladybug Transistor is as sun-kissed as a chorus of "California Dreamin.' " The chamber-pop quartet doesn't so much give a nod to sunny '60s pop as a full-on wink. Their music can recall Yo La Tengo (in brighter days) or even Belle & Sebastian, but on its new, self-titled album, the band keeps the organs humming, the big horns blaring, and the tambourines shaking. It all makes for an album that is indie pop's ideal summer soundtrack, even when released, curiously, at the start of fall. Plus, they let their best-kept secret -- Sasha Bell on vocals -- shine on a few tracks. As a lead singer, Gary Olson manages to sound both droll and dandy, and the effect is charming. The intimate, twangy treatment of "3=Wild" sounds like a live set from the loneliest honky-tonk in Texas (or in this case, Tucson, where the band recorded the album with Craig Schumacher). Bell takes over on "The Places You'll Call Home," which is easily the album's high point with brisk guitar accompaniment and Bell's pitch-perfect delivery. A cover of Jackie DeShannon's "Splendor in the Grass" is a natural fit as the band melds homogeneous harmonies over layers of punchy drums, guitars, and a languid pedal steel guitar undercurrent. Themes of forlorn travel and a quest for home dominate "The Ladybug Transistor"; ultimately, it feels as though the band never finds it, but the ride there is half the fun. JAMES REED
