{"product_id":"the-silent-boys-lightning-bugs-are-smiling-cd","title":"The Silent Boys - Lightning Bugs Are Smiling (CD)","description":"\u003ch1\u003e\"Lightning Bugs Are Smiling\" is the new album from The Silent Boys.\u003c\/h1\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLightning Bugs Are Smiling\u003c\/i\u003e finds Richmond, Virginia indie-pop veterans The Silent Boys continuing a musical story that stretches back to the mid-1980s. Bandleader, vocalist and songwriter Wallace Dietz originally formed the group during the heyday of college-radio guitar pop, drawing inspiration from the jangling, melodic post-punk associated with the C86 era and labels such as Postcard and Factory. The Silent Boys became regulars in Richmond's downtown rock clubs before Dietz dissolved the band in 1991 as family responsibilities and career moves scattered its members. Recordings from that first incarnation subsequently surfaced on indie-pop compilations during the late 1990s, prompting Dietz to reform The Silent Boys in 1999 and begin a second, remarkably durable chapter of recording. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat persistence eventually produced albums including \u003ci\u003eOne Step Closer\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePrincess By the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBy the Light of the Moon\u003c\/i\u003e and 2022's \u003ci\u003eSand to Pearls, Coal to Diamonds\u003c\/i\u003e. The latter connected the band with French indie label Too Good To Be True, which introduced their music to a broader international audience. For \u003ci\u003eLightning Bugs Are Smiling\u003c\/i\u003e, Too Good To Be True joins forces with U.S. indie-pop label Shelflife Records, giving a band that spent years embracing a 'willfully obscure' existence a new platform for its lovingly crafted guitar pop. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDietz is joined by several longtime collaborators. Original member John Suchocki supplies lead guitar and backing vocals, bringing the distinctive surf- and jazz-tinged guitar lines that have long colored the band's songs, while John Morand's drums give the new material a danceable retro pulse. Grant Oliver, also Dietz's bandmate in The Grain Hoppers, plays bass, at times evoking the melodic propulsion of New Order. Newest member Dan-O Deckelman contributes keyboards throughout the album--the first Silent Boys release to feature keyboards on every track--and his atmospheric textures reinforce the record's unmistakable connection to '80s indie pop. Deckelman also produced, engineered and mixed the album at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond, with Justin Perkins mastering at Mystery Room Mastering. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcross 10 songs including 'Soul Of The Sea,' 'Clocks,' 'The Whistle Blower,' 'Let's Pick Up At The Chorus,' 'Think Of Me,' 'Jackie Blue,' 'Number 7,' 'Six Milk Bottles,' 'Over The Rainbow' and 'Where Have My Dreams Gone?,' \u003ci\u003eLightning Bugs Are Smiling\u003c\/i\u003e combines dreamy jangle pop, melodic guitar interplay, retro keyboards and Dietz's thoughtful songwriting. 'Soul Of The Sea,' written by Carlie and Wallace Dietz, evokes coastal memories through images of halyards, seagulls, crab boats, sandy shores and sunsets, while the album as a whole continues the group's longstanding dialogue with classic British and American underground guitar pop. More than four decades after The Silent Boys first emerged from Richmond's club scene, \u003ci\u003eLightning Bugs Are Smiling\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates how naturally their C86-inspired aesthetic fits within today's renewed appreciation for melodic indie and jangle pop.\u003c\/p\u003e    \u003ch2\u003eTrack Listing\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cul\u003e        \u003cli\u003eSoul Of The Sea\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eClocks\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eThe Whistle Blower\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eLet's Pick Up At The Chorus\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eThink Of Me\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eJackie Blue\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eNumber 7\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eSix Milk Bottles\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eOver The Rainbow\u003c\/li\u003e                  \u003cli\u003eWhere Have My Dreams Gone?\u003c\/li\u003e          \u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003ch2\u003eAdditional Details\u003c\/h2\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLabel:\u003c\/strong\u003e Shelflife\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenre:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pop\/Rock\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e English  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRun Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e 45:00 mins\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRegion:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0       \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelease Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 11\/06\/26\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUPC:\u003c\/strong\u003e 759159696724\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"SHELFLIFE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50517837152505,"sku":"LIFE238CD","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0815\/4889\/files\/LIFE238CD.jpg?v=1790084843","url":"https:\/\/mvdshop.com\/products\/the-silent-boys-lightning-bugs-are-smiling-cd","provider":"MVD Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}