There's a fine line between retro and revital, between a cheap homage and a vibrant resurrection. You can listen to a lot of old records and mold fairly accurate xerox copies of great music from the past, or you can take those cues and refine them into your own vision of pop music's rich history. Plenty of bands have done plenty of both in recent years, especially with the latest infusion of Brian Wilson-esque production masterpieces and Beatle-esque straightforward pop. There's nothing new under the sun, and there's no greater proof of that than in the checkered history of music.

So when you hear a record like the Ladybug Transistor's The Albemarle Sound, it takes a good while to figure out exactly what's going on. Is this retro regurgitation, or a new twist on old spare parts? Is the band copying directly from the sixties pop notebook, or are they swiping selectively to form their own sound? Do they deserve scoffs for living in the past, or kudos for building on and refining old-school pop?

All of the latters and none of the formers. Albemarle Sound is evocative, yet not too derivative, full of clever homage and inspiration that never teeters over into cheap swiping. It should be required listening for any indie band leaders considering going the "retro" route and drawing heavily from pop's past for their band's musical sound. Instead of ripping off great sixties artists and music, it's worthy to stand alongside them.

It's also just great pop music, with a generally light feel that's often overcome by a relentless vibe of melancholy. Musically, Transistor has endless chops; the songwriting and peformance are refined and delicate throughout. They understand the mechanics of how the artform works, especially what is perhaps the greatest joy of classic pop tunes: the odd bends and twists they can take within the span of seconds. Opening with a jangly piano riff, "Meadowport Arch" suddenly bursts into a slightly lumbering waltz section on its chorus, with a funky rock chorus highlighted by some flirtatious licks on an electric guitar. Just when you think they'll head left, the Transistor takes a quick turn to the right and fakes out your ear.

"Today Knows," the album's first single, evokes the Beach Boys' "Caroline, No," offering sumptuous layers of strings and horns, gliding under and around lead singer Gary Olson's wistful vocal. The instrumental "The Swimmer" also might not be out of place on Pet Sounds, while "The Great British Spring" is pure Bacharachian bliss. From the Byrds-esque opening guitar lick on "Like A Summer Rain" to the pseudo-Morriccone feel of "Cienfuegos," Albemarle is not short on references to the past.

Yet this is still music from the late nineties, fresh and exciting, and it will reach your ears with all the delicacy of dewdrops on a blade of grass. Ladybug Transistor are not a band who rocks hard and bowls you over, and they certainly don't live in the past. Rather, they draw from that past to create a fragile musical landscape for the present.