The Ladybug Transistor - Like a Summer Rain

Here's a more fitting summer song for the recent conditions. Not really for today though, as things have really cleared up. Nice call with the isolated thunderstorms, weather guy.

Now the phrase "Elephant Six" and "awesome" go pretty much hand in hand. When someone familiar with this collective thinks about it, four names usually come to mind- Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Of Montreal, and the Apples in Stereo. That's the big four. I'd then say there's a pillar below that, held by two other respectable bands, Beulah and Elf Power. Below these are all the other elephant six bands...to name a few, The Musical Tapes, The Essex Green, Dressy Bessy, and the Ladybug Transistor.

I've only heard one Ladybug Transistor album, 1999's The Albemarle Sound, but it's an album I love. Like you'd expect, it's very influenced by 60's pop, so much so that if it wasn't for the production you can imagine hearing this album in 1968. However while influenced, it never seems derivative of that era. Rather than trying to sound like the Beach Boys or the Zombies or Love, they seem to transform into the form and existance of the period itself and just simply make music. This song "Like a Summer Rain" is the only song on the record that's a cover. The original was a minor single by surf group Jan & Dean in 1966. I've never heard it so I can't compare them. But 'tis good.

The Ladybug Transistor - Like a Summer Rain

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Ladybug Transistor @ Merge Records