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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 |
| Taking cues from the Postal Service, brothers Mike and Jared Bell took a piecemeal approach to Lymbyc Systym's latest, Shutter Release, exchanging ideas and recordings from their home bases in Austin and Brooklyn, respectively. That collaborative process adds some serious weight and density to the duo's third LP, which expands upon 2007's Love Your Abuser in every regard. That's thanks in part to contributions from San Marcos' This Will Destroy You, neoclassicists Slow Six, and Austin's Balmorhea, most notably in the banjo-assisted nostalgia of "T-ball" and "Bedroom Anthem," which swells unexpectedly from a beat-assisted acoustic guitar melody to a climax of horns and drums. The sweeping opener "Trichromatic" and rushing title track transcend the laptop post-rock tag, while the dreamy "Interiors" and "Kubrick" filter sparse piano, percussion, and xylophone through the magnetic ambience of the Western Vinyl canon, the latter adding shimmering guitar feedback. That melding of electronic and acoustic is the key to Shutter Release, an album rich with kitchen-sink-included instrumental Polaroids that slowly develop and reveal their narrative streak. - Austin Chronicle |
