Customer Reviews

Argyle Heir

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Argyle Heir" does not offer nearly as many pop hooks as its predecessor, "The Albemarle Sound," but it is still a fine album by almost any standard. Here's the way I think of it: If "The Albemarle Sound" is a sweet roll, "Argyle Heir" is more like a scone or an English muffin. I should mention that I like sweet rolls (and their musical equivalents) better than scones or English muffins. However, that does not mean that I would like to eat a sweet roll for breakfast every single morning.

The only truly great pop song on "Argyle Heir" is "Perfect for Shattering"--an incredibly catchy yet evocative song along the lines of the previous album's "Meadowport Arch," but with a steadier backbeat.

There are plenty of subtler pleasures awaiting the patient listener, however. "Echoes" is a dreamy tune that utilizes a bent guitar note in the chorus, just before Gary Olson sings, "The fields are perfectly sown." It's a quintessential Ladybug moment. This is a band that often sees beauty in the way that humans alter the landscape--a rare sentiment in modern music. They sing not of forests, but of gardens and beautiful old houses.

Other standout tracks are "Wooden Bars" (I am intrigued yet ultimately mystified by this notion of "counting the feathers on every bird," which is mentioned in this song and one other) and "The Reclusive Hero." The latter is built around a herky-jerky riff that is played on some sort of keyboard instrument, maybe an electric piano, with violin and flute adding countermelodies.

It is the arrangements, after all, that make "Argyle Heir" hold up so well to repeated listens. The musicianship of this band (as well as the related bands The Essex Green and the Sixth Great Lake) is well above the level we expect from indie rockers.

There is nothing punk rock or revolutionary about the Ladybug Transistor. Their sound is unapologetically retro, and any good Marxist would hate the lyrics, which seem to allude mostly to either wealthy people or childhood memories (or, perhaps, childhood memories of wealthy people). But, in their own way, the band does remind us of the freedom that exists in our minds, and of our capacity to appreciate beauty where we find it. And that's good enough for me.

Fourth record in, and the LT just keeps getting better. I though BEVERLY ATONALE was okay; ALBEMARLE SOUND had five or six absolutely great songs, and made my personal top 25 of 1999. ARGYLE just continues to build on the foundations laid with the previous release. It shows the band to have so utterly absorbed their influences in the intervening years that they no longer can be dismissed as hollowed-out ironic retro-pop imitators, but rather iconoclastic, truly original composers of their own right.

First off, if you have two working ears, you'd never in a gadjillion years compare ARGYLE HEIR to anything in the Echo and the Bunnymen catalog...(still don't get that reference in the Amazon.com review, but whatever). This is clearly influenced by SMILE-era Beach Boys, with dollops of Left Banke, Zombies, Bacharach/David, and even some Byrdsian Cali-western moves. For those frightened by Scott Walker imitation rumors, Gary Olson happily drops any trace of basso profundo after the first track, settling into a much more comfortable, easygoing boyish delivery after that.

The songwriting is well done and original, although you'll hear echoes of tunes like "Sloop John B", "Downtown", and "Pretty Ballerina" peppered throughout. The LT is smart enough to not stick with an appropriated riff too long before twisting the whole thing around and heading for a completely different melody line. My favorite thing about the songs are the plentiful music passages that just seem to appear out of leftfield and smack you upside the head with their lovely, winsome beauty.

What an interesting disc to listen to, as well! Harpsichords, strings, mellotrons, trumpets, etc. are used tastefully throughout to add to a sonic whole that is quite simply charming. This is a fun record to listen to, and rewards repeat and attentive listens. The best retro-sounding pop album I've heard since the Olivia Tremor Control debut.

Let me begin by saying - with much saddness - that I had a great deal of trouble locating this release at local indie-record shops(in Los Angeles, mind you!). Not even the big guys like Virgin Megastore or Tower seemed to have it.. moreover, when I mentioned the name "Ladybug Transistor" to store clerks, they looked at me with crossed eyes and very furrowed brows. "Who??" was the common response. This is a small tragedy, really, because Ladybug Transistor are one of America's finest folk-pop ensembles of the past decade. While mainstream culture touts and trumpets the glory of faddish acts like N*Sync and Britney, wonderful artists like Ladybug Transistor get brushed aside, or worse, go totally unknown for years. That said, I am convinced that the perfect pop craftsmanship of their unforgettable songs will lift them from general obscurity, for music this great can go unnoticed for only so long. Their last release - the fantastic & inspired "Albemarle Sound" - showcased a growing maturity and depth to their music that precious few modern bands can ever hope to match, rival, or surpass. Songs like "Oceans In the Hall," "Six Times," "Meadowport Arch," "Today Knows," and "The Swimmer" displayed a dazzling use of melody, harmony, texture, and indeed, veritable pop genius. That set Ladybug Transistor upon a pop pedestal - and as such, I had high hopes for this record. The opener, "Fires On The Ocean," is a jangly guitar lover's treat, and it quickly recaptures the magic that was seemingly so easily wielded and crafted on previous records. "Echoes" is another classic ladybug moment. Great guitar work, great hooks, and of course, the always fabulously warm vocals of Gary Olson. "Wooden Bars" finds the Ladybugs reaching dizzying heights of pop grandeur, and the single "Brighton Bound" reminds us that this is also a band worthy of hits (indie hits, anyway). While "Argyle Heir" isn't the perfect pop follow-up to "Albemarle" that I was secretly hoping for, it is a step in the right direction, and shows definite progress and growth within the band. What I've noticed is that you've got to pay attention to the details - the string flourishes in "Catherine Elizabeth," the Bacharach horn and new-wave groove in "Wooden Bars," San's interesting drum patterns, the classic guitar line in "Brighton Bound," and naturally, Master Olson's intriguing lyrics. Then again, this is an album of amazingly precise and brilliant details, so they're hard to miss! I look forward to the next masterpiece..

their dreamy orchestral sound does borrow heavily from loungy 60s greats, especially Burt Bacharach. but it's beautiful stuff. deliberate, but not ironic in a scare-quotes way, and retro, but not in a packaged, band-wagon way. they are sincere with a smile and it sounds good. I only just got this album, but already it is reanking with their previous two efforts. perfect for (easy) summer listening. oh, by the way, this Brooklyn-based band did the music for an Errol Morris-directed Citibank television commercial, so hopefully they'll get more mainstream recognition soon. this band is doing their own good thing and I like it.

Take the less easy elements of easy listening, siphon off the kitsch factor, sprinkle in strings, woodwinds and brass and what you end up with is the soft but not shallow sounds of the Ladybug Transistor. This six-piece mini orchestra hails from Brooklyn but its musical recipe has more in common with overseas counterparts Belle & Sebastian, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and the Apartments than what usually gets cooked up in the States. Bright and bouncy melodies are undercut by sardonic lyrics and Gary Olson's warm, deadpan voice, which is both charming and mysterious. This is progressive music as it was meant to be - incorporating the beauty and sweep of the classics into the popular form, but managing to steer clear of the overly arch pretentiousness that has kept so much of "prog rock" from being truly engaging. Strange, ambitious and remarkable, "Argyle Heir" will fill the space between your ears with technicolor air.

Their sound is indeed close to Belle and Sebastian, but perhaps even closer to the Monochrome Set, or Jarvis Cocker fronting some 60s bubblegum band. But these folks are sensitive and earnest whereas the Monochrome Set were often just plain silly. The mix of instruments, trumpet and woodwinds, adds a nice touch to the reverby guitar and effete vocals. Well worth checking out.

I've seen some pretty bad reviews for this album on this site and I think these people are missing the point. The Ladybug Transistor obviously loves pop music of the sixties. That being said, if that isn't your favourite style, then why the heck would you even give this a listen? However, if you love Brian Wilson compositions, Burt Bacharach, Walker Brothers, Phil Spector, Belle & Sebastian, The Heavy Blinkers, heck, even the Byrds and so on and so on....pick this up immediately. In fact, pick up the previous album Albemarle Sound as well. Sure, they sometimes take things a little too far, sacrificing linear song structure just to show that they can switch time signatures and tempos with ease. The melodies are sweet and cheerful, and the lyrics are introspective and vague without sounding pretentious. If you love melodic pop music, with interesting chord changes and lots of waltz-y interludes and a somewhat baroque feel.....buy this.

Let me begin by saying - with much saddness - that I had a great deal of trouble locating this release at local indie-record shops(in Los Angeles, mind you!). Not even the big guys like Virgin Megastore or Tower seemed to have it.. moreover, when I mentioned the name "Ladybug Transistor" to store clerks, they looked at me with crossed eyes and very furrowed brows. "Who??" was the common response. This is a small tragedy, really, because Ladybug Transistor are one of America's finest folk-pop ensembles of the past decade. While mainstream culture touts and trumpets the glory of faddish acts like N*Sync and Britney, wonderful artists like Ladybug Transistor get brushed aside, or worse, go totally unknown for years. That said, I am convinced that the perfect pop craftsmanship of their unforgettable songs will lift them from general obscurity, for music this great can go unnoticed for only so long. Their last release - the fantastic & inspired "Albemarle Sound" - showcased a growing maturity and depth to their music that precious few modern bands can ever hope to match, rival, or surpass. Songs like "Oceans In the Hall," "Six Times," "Meadowport Arch," "Today Knows," and "The Swimmer" displayed a dazzling use of melody, harmony, texture, and indeed, veritable pop genius. That set Ladybug Transistor upon a pop pedestal - and as such, I had high hopes for this record. The opener, "Fires On The Ocean," is a jangly guitar lover's treat, and it quickly recaptures the magic that was seemingly so easily wielded and crafted on previous records. "Echoes" is another classic ladybug moment. Great guitar work, great hooks, and of course, the always fabulously warm vocals of Gary Olson. "Wooden Bars" finds the Ladybugs reaching dizzying heights of pop grandeur, and the single "Brighton Bound" reminds us that this is also a band worthy of hits (indie hits, anyway). While "Argyle Heir" isn't the perfect pop follow-up to "Albemarle" that I was secretly hoping for, it is a step in the right direction, and shows definite progress and growth within the band. What I've noticed is that you've got to pay attention to the details - the string flourishes in "Catherine Elizabeth," the Bacharach horn and new-wave groove in "Wooden Bars," San's interesting drum patterns, the classic guitar line in "Brighton Bound," and naturally, Master Olson's intriguing lyrics. Then again, this is an album of amazingly precise and brilliant details, so they're hard to miss! I look forward to the next masterpiece..

If you haven't heard the Ladybug Transistor, you might be surprised at how polished and transporting their sound is. This is their finest album, perfecting the Albermarle Sound with great tracks like "Perfect for Shattering" and the strident "Reclusive Hero." Mature songcraft, and certainly worthy of wider attention.

Certainly, you can hear the Mamas and the Papas as an influence in this album. For me, the fact that they don't sound like most of the pop rubbish available today is a plus.

Of all the Ladybug Transistor albums to date, this is the most polished and best produced. Argyle Heir is an expansion of the sound that they were developing in "The Albemarle Sound," their previous release. There are several good songs on this album, such as "Echoes," "Catherine Elizabeth," and the instrumental "Fjords of Winter." The other songs are well-produced as well, and there aren't any real bombs on this album.