Who? LadybiRdS mastermind Tyler Pursel — who also moonlights as keyboardist for emo’s favorite rap act, Gym Class Heroes — meant to put out an album of sparkling dance pop using a plethora of friends for vocals. But when New Jersey native Teeter Sperber (formerly of Ley Royal Scam) reported for duty, her sweet voice so totally clicked with Pursel’s musical vision that instead of one track, he made her LadybiRdS’ resident frontwoman. Regional Community Theater, the project’s debut album drops Sept. 18 via the Creep label.
What’s the Deal? Listening to Regional Community Theater is like being trapped inside a Nintendo version of Candyland, where eight-bit blurps, shiny werps and ticks, and apple-colored synth beats entertain the whole way to Candy Castle. At times, it’s as if LadybiRdS are really the Postal Service served up as a root beer float, tracks like “Shark Party” and “The Brown and Red Divide” bubbling and fizzing in lo-fi electronic glory. Say Anything‘s Max Bemis anchors the positively pop-tastic “Maxim and the Headphone Life,” while ex-Get Up Kid Matt Pryor helps Sperber counteract the sugar-overload setting in by the end with the sparse and soothing piano echo of “Cooper, Thanks for the Birds.”
Fun Fact: Before joining up with Pursel to bring LadybiRdS to life, Teeter Sperber already had quite a résumé — she’d previously worked at a summer snowboard camp, done A&R for Virgin Records, handled rock publicity, and hawked shirts for MerchDirect.
Now Hear This:
LadybiRdS – “The Brown and Red Divide” DOWNLOAD MP3
On the Web:
LadybiRdS at MySpace
weareladybirds.com
Talk: Is LadybiRdS ‘community theater’ performance ready for the big time?
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