The Ladybug Transistor: Can't Wait Another Day

Can't Wait Another Day marks The Ladybug Transistor's transition into the furniture-rearranging period of its career. Having built a solid, not-soon-vacated structure of lightly orchestrated retro mood pieces, bandleader Gary Olson is now making only minor changes, like introducing a new directness on songs like "I'm Not Mad Enough," which deals honestly with tricky emotions over a rock-steady beat. The pastoral indie-pop outfit might reconsider whether every song still needs the trademark fillips of bullfighter horns and pumping strings. Still, any young rock band with a yen to get rich should consider plundering this album for cover material. As pop craftsmen, the members of The Ladybug Transistor remain pretty peerless.