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Album Details

• Artist: The Ladybug Transistor
• Album: Can't Wait Another Day
• Label: Merge
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: mschmitt on 2007-06-09

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As mellow as it comes. The guitars feel like crashing waves upon a murky beach, the drums a steady yet distant pulse of a heartbeat, the saxophone a vibrant bird of prey claiming its dominancy, and the vocals your own mind chanting away in a glazed manner. This is The Ladybug Transistor, back from their self-titled 2003 release with a few less familiar faces onboard for Can’t Wait Another Day. Sasha Bell (keyboards, vocals, songwriting) has departed since 2003, and Jeff Baron’s (guitar) influence is hardly felt. In lieu of these losses, frontman Gary Olson has brought in vocalists Alicia Vanden Heuvel of the Aislers Set and Frida Eklund of Alma—in addition to Kyle Forester (keyboards) and Ben Crum (guitar), both from Great Lakes. The result is a slight shift from the sonic landscapes of The Ladybug Transistor. Instead, songs off Can’t Wait Another Day feel tight, as if little compact units moving about. Bringing the best of folky indie-pop to the game, Olson has moved closer to his earlier records, especially in tracks “This Old Chase” and “I’m Not Mad Enough.” A strong ‘70s influence is felt throughout every song, whether by the Beach Boys-like melodies in “Always On The Telephone” or vintage organs in “Terry.” Most of all though, Can’t Wait Another Day is jam-packed with well-crafted, mellow, summery indie-pop tracks in the spirit of Fleetwood Mac and Belle & Sebastian. Olson proves once again strong, despite the shifting number of musician support, in The Ladybug Transistor’s sixth studio album.

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