Brooklyn’s Ladybug Transistor harnesses that much needed quality in music: harmony. A lot of bands do it, and for a while in the early 21st century I thought it was going to be a lost art, so I am glad to see it coming back. On their newest effort, Can’t Wait Another Day, the group dances in the summer sun with contributions from Jens Lekman, Roy Nathanson, Kevin Marker, Heather McIntosh and members of Aislers Set, Architecture in Helsinki, and label mates The Clientele.
Throughout the long player you can hear hits of the ’60s pop, ’70s folk and modern-day indie making this a great listen for fans of most genres. The combination of the double guitar leads and saxophone in the album’s opener, “Always On The Telephone” plays well into the chamber pop “I’m Not Mad Enough” and “Here Comes The Rain,” which features lovely male/female vocal harmonies. (The later is also a cover of Trader Horne’s original song.) “3 Days From Now” remains the catchiest, but there are other good-natured gems on there too such as the driving “This Old House” and horn-filled “Broken Links.” The record then ends with the soulful and slow “Lord Don’t Pass Me By.”
It should be noted that while the album might be summery, playful and upbeat, it didn’t end up all roses. In April, the band suffered a tragedy with the sudden death of their drummer due to asthma. Losing San Fadyl was a very sad event indeed. We are just glad that he was here long enough, albeit too short for our liking, to share his talent with us on Can’t Wait Another Day.
