Those who fondly remember The Ladybug Transistor will want to tune into this solo debut from the band’s longtime leader and some permanent member Gary Olson. Not surprisingly, these 11 cuts boast the same warmly breezy vibes, ’60s pop trumpets and sweetly boyish vocals as the erstwhile Elephant Sixer’s lovingly regarded releases. Guess you can’t teach an old ladybug new tricks. Not that you need to, since the old ones still seem to work just fine. Whether you remember them or not.
THE PRESS RELEASE: “This album is a tale of two cities, or rather, two studios; one in Hayland, Norway and the other in Flatbush, Brooklyn and two brothers who came up with the idea making a record with indie rock wizard Gary Olson which now links the two locations. Gary Olson is the lead singer, main songwriter and plays trumpet with the band Ladybug Transistor who have released five albums on Merge Records. He is also producer and engineer at Marlborough Farms studio deep in the heart of Flatbush Brooklyn. Although the initial idea was to do simple recordings Ladybug Transistor fans will no doubt be pleased to find Gary’s signature exultant trumpet sound, the luscious strings and gorgeous pop hooks so favored by that band present in plenty on this album. The melodies are at once both delicate and strongly memorable and the lustrous production gives a sheen reminiscent of the best ’70s commercial radio and ’80s indie pop.”
