The Life and Times of the Creatively Stunted

The second song in our Superhero Songs list comes from a lesser know band, but one that is definitely worth exploring.

There was a period around 2001 when, for the first time in years, I became very open to new music. Not that my tastes were closed before, but during that period I began to explore a much wider variety of music that I ever had previously, and my musical tastes now are heavily reflective of the sounds I discovered over those 2 years. This exploration was mostly due to the amount of time I spent with a dear friend by the name of Jeff Fal. Jeff was into all kinds of music, but especially that which would be classified as “indie rock”. We would often sit around his house playing video games and listening to CDs. He was the one who introduced me to Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle and Sebastian, and a whole host of other artists who have become some of my absolute favorites. Among these giants were a ton of smaller bands as well. One of those was The Ladybug Transistor.

I remember the first time I head Ladybug Transistor’s “Argyle Heir” album. Their throwback sound, dominated by bouncing organ riffs and snare driven drum lines, were immediately pleasing to me, and I remember going out and buying the album after just a single listening with Jeff. I listened to it nonstop that summer, and even though it hasn’t been in my heavy rotation for a while, it’s an album I’ll often return to.

“The Reclusive Hero” was my favorite song off of Argyle heir. It’s beautiful interplay of organ, drums, strings, and woodwinds provide a perfect bed for the gentle, almost shy sounding vocals which run through the song. It is a song that immediately takes me back to a good place. A good time where my life was fairly uncomplicated. A brief pause before I made the decisions that have led me to where I am today.

17. The Ladybug Transistor - “The Reclusive Hero”