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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 |
| In an instrumental spaceship, there's no room for back talk. Brothers Jared and Michael Bell release their third complete album (not counting remixes and joint EPs) and it's a calm but varied soundscape of slow polyrhythmic drumming and gentle melodies. That's "gentle" not in the sense of "hippy-dippy folksy" gentle, but "thoughtful, intelligent, and intriguing" gentle. Tempos vary, certainly, but if they run fast, it's not to exhaust you but to exhilarate. "Trichromatic" starts with a quick sound check of the drum kit and begins a well-paced journey with keys and a few weird noises subtly filling in the background. "Ghost Clock" might be the chimes for a town square clock in Logan's Run, except that after the hour is chimed, the guitars kick in for a more urgent droning period of inner reflection. The slow pacing of "Interiors" recalls Swedish art films of the '60s while "Bedroom Anthem" subtly remakes Mrs. Robinson's theme from The Graduate. All this leads up to title track "Shutter Release." This complex piece begins with a slow and simple chime pattern, but then takes off with an urgent drum beat that is soon overcome by a melodic chase through a digital meadow of a '90s animated music video. Lymbyc Systym provides electronic music that neither bores you like an over-long Kraftwerk set, nor freaks you out with weird pseudo space sounds. It's thinking man's electronica, and hearkens back to the structured jazz of two generations ago. - Ink 19 |
