| It is generally quite easy to tell whether or not an album is good. You can listen to it a few times and perhaps occasionally add some songs into mix CD's you make for friends, or you can listen to a few tracks, decide it was a mistake and take it back to the store you bought it from. Her Space Holiday’s XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival however, is neither of these two options, because it is neither good nor bad. It is in fact outstanding, so much so that you become captivated by the melodies and lyrics so much that you loose track of time. Every time I find myself putting on XOXO, Panda, I find myself utterly mesmerized by it. Then again being a massive fan of Californian pop, I might be a bit biased. After having been around for 12 years, Her Space Holiday will be leaving behind the computer for a more analogue approach to XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival, as well as replacing the glooming overtone of previous albums for a more up tempo feel good vibe more akin to Californian pop records. XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival will be the 8th Studio album from Her Space Holiday, so the change in style may not be favoured by the more hard-core fans, but then again the change isn’t so overwhelming that they won't warm to it, because eventually they'll cave in. With XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival, Her Space Holiday is merely offering an insight as to what Californian Pop has amalgamated itself into. Many of the songs draw inspiration from classic Californian bands, No More Good Ideas for example is quite noticeably implementing a keyboard backing which wouldn’t go amiss in a Doors song, as well as having a very upbeat style akin to that of The Beach Boys. With XOXO, Panda, Her Space Holiday is merely offering an insight as to what Californian Pop has amalgamated itself into. The opening track The New Kid Revival offers some intro bars that might remind you of The Flaming Lips Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, although whether or not this is a good thing all depends on your personal taste. At the start of The Truth Hurts So This Should Be Painless, there’s a music box that plays a wee tune, now don't ask me why but this reminds me of Christmas, and reminds me even more so of Cliff Richard, so I'm assuming the two thoughts are connected, and as it stands I find myself skipping through this intro and in some cases skipping the song entirely. XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival has merely one fault other than it's occasional Cliff Richard intros, the fault being that it can become quite repetitive, and thus can be quite tiring to listen to for a long period. I know that's a complete contradiction of the first paragraph but it's very hard to explain. It's sort of like being hypnotized in a way, you can't help but fall into a relaxed state which you can’t do much about, and when you try to it takes all your energy to become motivated again. If you like bands such as Beulah or Modest Mouse, or if you're looking for a more upbeat version of Death Cab for Cutie then Her Space Holiday's XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival would certainly appease your taste. However, many can find Californian pop to be too breezy and sickly, so for those of you who prefer your music to have a more dark and depressing style, you might want to give it a miss. - AltSounds |
