Discogs
Artist Biography
by Jason Ankeny
Led by vocalist/guitarist
Gary Olson, a onetime string stretcher and key inspector at his family's piano factory, indie pop unit
the Ladybug Transistor debuted in 1996 with the LP
Marlborough Farms, titled after
Olson's Brooklyn-area home recording studio. After a lineup change that left only
Olson and drummer
Edward Powers remaining from
the Ladybug Transistor's original roster,
Saturnine guitarist
Jennifer Baron and her bassist brother
Jeff were recruited prior to recording 1997's
Beverly Atonale, issued on Merge. After completing the LP,
Powers exited and was replaced by
Individual Fruit Pie drummer
San Fadyl. The group's wonderful third album,
The Albemarle Sound, which featured new member
Sasha Bell on keyboards and vocals, followed in 1999. Both
Bell and
Jeff Baron were also members of neo-psych band
the Essex Green at this time, as well as the alt-country outfit
the Sixth Great Lake.
The Ladybug Transistor's next album,
Argyle Heir, with its indie kitsch stylings, was released in spring 2001. After losing
Jennifer Baron and gaining
Julia Rydholm, the band decamped to Arizona to record its next album,
The Ladybug Transistor (2003), with
Calexico producer
Craig Schumacher. More lineup changes followed as
Bell left the band and
Jeff Baron became more of a satellite member. The band stayed fairly quiet for a couple years as the lineup sorted itself out, and
Olson spent time producing other artists. They returned in 2006 with the
Here Comes the Rain EP and followed up with the excellent
Can't Wait Another Day, which was released in June 2007 by Merge. The lineup for the album added keyboardist
Kyle Forester and guitarist
Ben Crum of
Great Lakes.
Sadly, mere weeks before the release of the album, drummer
San Fadyl,
a beloved figure in the indie rock community, passed away due to
complications from severe asthma. Before recording its next album, the
group's lineup shifted again with guitarists
Michael O'Neill and
Mark Dzula and drummer
Eric Farber added to the core of
Olson,
Rydholm, and
Forester. The band's seventh studio LP,
Clutching Stems, was released in June of 2011.
Tracklist
| 1 |
Here Is Your Space |
|
| 2 |
Rushes Of Pure Spring |
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| 3 |
Windy |
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| 4 |
The Swedish Libra And You |
|
| 5 |
This Order Is Tall |
|
| 6 |
Music For Tennis Courts |
|
| 7 |
The Wagging Tail (Single Space) |
|
| 8 |
Stuck |
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| 9 |
Forest Marching Song |
|
| 10 |
The Occasional |
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| 11 |
It Will Be A Lifetime |
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| 12 |
Thoughts Of You |
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| 13 |
The Swedish Libra II |
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