The Ladybug Transistor – Arriving at “Oceans In The Hall”

It’s no secret around here that I have a soft spot for indie pop and Brooklyn’s Ladybug Transistor ranks highly on my list of pillars of the psych-pop-saturated sound that slipped out of E6 and its adjacent offshoots. Their record, The Albermarle Sound, and its mix of the ornate with the ordinary; basement Tascams on a budget that birth Brill Building sounds, has remained one of the most captivating of the era. On an upcoming 25th Anniversary reissue of this landmark album, The Ladybug Transistor expands the record to include bonus tracks, alternate takes, rough mixes, and 4 track demos that fill in much of the mystery around the album’s lush landscapes. In the second edition of RSTB’s Arriving At, the band looks back at how their baroque beauty “Oceans In The Hall” came to life and included below is a playlist of the album version, a rough mix of the instrumental before the band wound their vocals around the piece, and Jeff Baron’s original 4-track demo. All versions also appear on the upcoming 25th Anniversary edition.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of pop songs with nimble acoustic fingerpicking, a string section and good melodies, à la “Everybody’s Talking,” “Ballad of Easy Rider,” and “Gentle on My Mind.” As a kid I found the Bee Gees song, “I Started a Joke” on a random Sixties vinyl collection in my parents’ basement. The song had always stayed with me and in the Summer of ’98 I decided to try and write up a tune inspired by it.”

“I holed up in my friend Chris Ziter’s basement one afternoon and pounded out the instrumental on my Tascam 1/2″ 8-track. The guitar parts in the “B section” were actually played percussively on a Fender bass, inspired by Carol Kaye’s work with the Beach Boys. I had no words or melody line for the verses, so I gave Gary the recording and he finished it. We were all really psyched when we heard his additions, including the trumpet lines and impressionistic lyrics, that seemed to be inspired by the Victorian house in Flatbush that we all lived in: Marlborough Farms. I played an old 1930s Martin Parlor guitar for the picking parts, and the instrumental lines were doubled with a pizzicato cello. San Fadyl’s amazing drum break in the middle, with a slight delay in the time signature, became a highlight of our live shows.”
– Jeff Baron

“We had released the “Today Knows” 7” single in the Spring of 1998 and were gathering songs for what became The Albemarle Sound album. “Today Knows” had pointed in a different direction for us, being a ballad with full string arrangements and I was starting to find my singing voice a bit more.”  

“Ladybug now had four primary songwriters in the band with our lineup of Jeff, Sasha, Jennifer and myself all contributing more or less equally. We mostly started off with basic ideas on our own, making somewhat crude 4-track cassette demos that we would then present to the rest of the band. “Oceans in the Hall” came together quickly. Jeff played me a tape of his instrumental demo and the framework was all there, notably the distinctive guitar hook in the chorus. I went to work on a basic vocal melody and trumpet part. I think my singing has got a touch of “Blue Moon” and the simple horn melodies were my attempt at Skatalites riff … we love old Studio One era ska and rocksteady!” 

“We recorded “Oceans” with the full band not long after, at our home and studio Marlborough Farms in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Our drummer San Fadyl had a genuine flair with his playing that elevated Jeff’s picking guitar and left us with a hypnotic bed to layer onto. Jennifer plays the bass and Sasha and Jennifer combine on backing vocals. Joe McGinty was our hero with the string arrangements. We did an afternoon session with him conducting a trio of violin, viola and cello. I think Joe picked up on the rocksteady feel as his string melody for the intro has a hint of “The Tide Is High” … no complaints there!”

“Lyrically I was trying to re-imagine our neighborhood and local park in Brooklyn in a Venice-like setting with canals and water lapping up to the front steps of our house. Ladybug had visited Venice the year before and came across the painting that we used on the album cover with the costumed figures standing on the waterfront. I kind of ran with the water theme and applied it to most songs on The Albemarle Sound.”

– Gary Olson

The Anniversary edition of The Albemarle Sound will be co-released by Happy Happy Birthday to Me and Merge. HHBTM will be releasing both CD and LP formats of this timeless indie classic with bonus tracks featuring b-sides, out-takes and demos on both formats. The CD will have bonus tracks on it physically, while the LP will include them digitally. Merge Records will be handling the bonus tracks on streaming services and digital outlets. The LP will have a very limited pre-order DELUXE version that includes a mobile, button set, and 12″ x 12″ silk screened print. To celebrate the reissue, The Ladybug Transistor will be touring both coasts east and west in December. 

Fall 2024 TOUR DATES


December 4, Medford, MA – Deep Cuts (with Lightheaded and Mark Robinson)
December 5, Keene, NH – Nova Arts (with Lightheaded)
December 6, Kingston, NY – Tubby’s (with Lightheaded and Kyle Forester)
December 7, Brooklyn, NY – Public Records (with Lightheaded
December 9, Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s (with Tony Molina)
December 10, Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios (with Tony Molina)
December 12, San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop (with Tony Molina)
December 13, Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room  (with Tony Molina)

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.