Double the musical fun

Music Row
By Brian Rademaekers

You know Philly is rocking town when you can find Clientele and Ladybug Transistor playing — together — on a Monday night.
Both bands are indie rockers well on their way to building a repertoire of classic albums, so being able to see them play on a night when there usually is nothing going down is damn near sublime.
And while the Clientele and Ladybug have their own fantastic sounds, they somehow seem to make perfect tour mates, a fact no doubt not lost on their shared Merge label. Together, these two bands are the epitome of a niche in the indie genre defined by delicate harmonies and mesmerizing atmospheric pop. Sharing that family tree are other greats like Galaxy 500, Felt, and, further back, Love.
Ladybug got a jumpstart on Clientele, coming out of the Brooklyn scene in the mid-1990s. Their first official album, Marlborough Farms, came out in 1995. Named as a nod to their Victorian mansion recording studio and musicians’ hangout, Marlborough Farms is kind of a magical place that is to the indie generation what Big Pink was to ’60s rock fans.
Right from the start, Marlborough Farms got the world hooked on the lush sound of Ladybug, defined by the ultra-mellow baritone of front man and founder Gary Olson. With Olson’s crooning backed by wonderfully innocent melodies reminiscent of the Byrds and Velvet Underground, Ladybug launched a world tour that set the stage for more than a decade’s worth of precious albums.
Their most recent work, Here Comes the Rain, was an EP released last fall. The ’Bugs used it to show off a more folksy side that drenched the Mamas and the Papas in patchouli and brought in the Beatles for a decidedly nostalgic sound.
On Monday, you can expect to hear those songs and a load more that will be on their forthcoming album, Can’t wait another day, to be dropped in early June. That album, the first Ladybug release to be recorded outside of Marlborough Farms’ confines, featured contributions from a solid list of some of the best musicians on the scene right now, notably some of whom are also in Clientele.
Whether that recorded collaboration will lead to an onstage melding (perhaps a Ladybug-Clientele lovefest encore?) of the two bands is uncertain. But it is further proof that these musicians are a natural match and an incredible double bill.
Clientele first put down tracks two years after Ladybug got their start, and built up a fan base by releasing seven-inch singles from their home base in the green hills of England’s Hampshire. It wasn’t until three years later that the four-piece Brit-pop ensemble with a penchant for psychedelia put out a full-length album.
In 2003 they put out another LP, The Violent Hour, but gained their biggest success through the 2005 release Strange Geometry. That work saw them make a transition from being a band that largely got attention from underground music mags to being featured on the soundtrack of a Hollywood blockbuster starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
That upward trend is being carried on with this year’s work, God Save the Clientele, to be released the day after their appearance at Johnny Brenda’s this Monday. Fans will hear the same enchanting songwriting of Alasdair MaClean, but, if the two pre-released songs are an indication, this work should prove to be more upbeat and groovy than their previous works.
Also, look and listen for the contributions of the latest addition to the band, multi-instrumentalist Mel Draisey. The waifish blonde will be throwing in a nice dose of violin that is bound to give the already tightly composed songs a more refined sense of orchestration.
With shiny new songs to show off, Ladybug Transistor and Clientele will be filling Fishtown with some beautiful sounds. They’re groovy, laid back, languid and downright dreamy. It’s a perfect double bill, and one not to be missed.
Sadly, this will be Ladybugs’ first show without drummer San Fadyl, a member from the very start. Fadyl died just last week after suffering a massive asthma attack. All the more reason to go out and give his band mates a little extra cheer. ••

Here are the details . .

Who: The Ladybug Transistor and The Clientele
What: Two superb and seasoned indie bands championing the beauty of dreamy harmony.
Where: Johnny Brenda’s, Frankford and Girard avenues in Fishtown.
When: Monday, May 7, at 9 p.m. Tickets, $12 at the door.