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MH-260 Her Space Holiday - XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival  Putting some space between himself and the computer that has provided the basis for so much of his recent work, Marc Bianchi has taken the last two years to focus on what got him into music in the first place, writing connective songs and working out the layers of sound he hears in his head. The results are a new persona, XOXO, Panda, and the reinforcement of the feelings of personal and artistic freedom that drive his music. Loose and carefree arrangements of guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, shakers, glockenspiel, and drums lay the foundation for vocal storytelling sing-a-longs. XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival is a brilliant calling card for Her Space Holiday’s newly awakened alter-ego, and a watershed moment in his growth as a songwriter and performer. |
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| Reviews Summary |
| Guitar pop songs that are as charming as they are simple - Rolling Stone / That he can switch up styles so frequently and make solid records says something special about Bianchi - Pop Matters / Melodies have that wonderful undefinable quality that makes you want to hear them over and over... Killer indie pop cuts - Babysue |
| Marc Bianchi has spent over 10 years designing and redesigning a new persona through each album Her Space Holiday has released. After Young Machines came out with a wide spread appeal (placing #2 on College Media Journal’s top 200 list) the artist seemed to have found his niche in indie electronica/pseudo-hip-hop. Shortly after Mush Records released a remixed version of Young Machines featuring The Album Leaf, Dntel, and others, Her Space Holiday came forth with a new album titled The Past Presents The Future. The album was just a rehash of the same formula introduced in Young Machines, with no real way to distinguish itself from the crowd. Three years have passed since then and not a peep was made from Marc and Her Space Holiday. Sleepy Tigers EP introduces a real change in Her Space Holiday’s future sound, along with Marc’s new persona as XOXO Panda. Gone are the ways of hazy electronic sounds and softly spoken rhymes only to be replaced by every instrument that he could possibly find and carry into the recording studio. This EP paints an almost scary picture of a sunny day skipping through fields while holding hands with your high school lover. The songs are simple in that catchy way that causes you to begrudgingly whistle along while you wonder why you can’t just convince yourself to listen to something else. As most EPs go, Sleepy Tigers is also the single that paves the road to the full length album XOXO Panda and the New Kid Revival. The New Kid Revival opens up about 10 steps behind the tone that Sleepy Tigers sets. I will say that this is a good thing though. The gloomy electronic white boy pseudo rap has still been replaced by real instruments, but the happy good times let’s all dance and clap and hum along indie pop has been toned down a couple notches to a level that keeps you teetering right below Happy Tree Friends mode. The New Kid Revival reminds me of a mix between Coconut Records and Islands. I can’t say that this album is anything monumental, or that it will even make a splash in the wide ocean of indie music, but I am still excited to hear more from Marc in the future… Which I’ve been waiting to say for about 4 years now. - Daybu |
