If there are any things that I love in this world as much as music, from a hobbies and interests point of view that is...I could list numerous things such as stand up comedy, classic horror movies, Jack Daniel's (endorse me, please!) and...panda's. Yes...I absolutely adore the fluffy bastards! I'm nearly 30 years of age and I will still want to cuddle a panda soft toy because it's as damn near as I will ever get to being near one...god they're adorable...so ultimately when I get an email regarding a band or project by the name of PANDA PANDA! my interest is already peaked...seriously I'm like a fucking meerkat...What? Panda's? Where?!?!? Yes Panda Panda! is an electronic music project by core member Caleb Ray, based in Oregon and he's just released a brand new album by the name "Cherry Blossoms"...let's see if his music is worthy of conservation alongside the bamboo-guzzling beauties...
We make acquaintances with "Well, Hello" and well, hello to you too sir! It's a brief little piece of music, very ambient, very charming and ultimately very peaceful...it acts as a nice introduction but really it doesn't gear you up for anything in particular, it's just a nice instrumental segment acting as an album opener which, can be appreciated in it's own right, nothing bad going on here, as first impressions go it's...nice..."Nacho" follows on immediately and it's safe to say that, despite it's name it's about as Mexican as haggis...but cultural cliches aside it's a solid, up-beat, synth-driven, electronic pop number and it flows with positive vibes. There's more energy and melody here but it's still an instrumental track and here we realize that this is more of a score than an album in the regular sense...if you're a fan of lyrics this might not be the album for you...
The title track has more of the same really, it's really delicate with the way it uses pop hooks alongside subtle cultural characteristics, combining wood-effect instruments and again, electronica, bridging a gap between classical and modern Japan (the cherry blossoms and panda are reference enough you don't need words) and it's been done very well...while "Lemonade" is pleasant, it may as well have been called vanilla...or ready salted. It's plain essentially, really quite run of the mill, despite it's inclusion of acoustic guitar, the same which can be said of "Sunset" really, which also includes a random spoken word intro with some, faux variety show feel to it, with no real explanation, likewise with the end of "The Undo Button", breaking the 4th wall if you will and, that's about as much there is to this record...
The sound quality is nice, this is lovely Summer afternoon chill-out music to be enjoyed in the garden with a cold glass of Pinot Grigio, perfect for unwinding with, not challenging, not abrasive or complicated in any way, this is 30 minutes of relaxation under blue skies and sunshine, while those little pink flowers sway in the breeze...however, panda's may be cute and cuddly but using the word twice doesn't score you double points, as no more than background music, this record can easily be forgotten and is more catered for a specific market. Still though...panda's....awwwwww (^_^) [3]
We make acquaintances with "Well, Hello" and well, hello to you too sir! It's a brief little piece of music, very ambient, very charming and ultimately very peaceful...it acts as a nice introduction but really it doesn't gear you up for anything in particular, it's just a nice instrumental segment acting as an album opener which, can be appreciated in it's own right, nothing bad going on here, as first impressions go it's...nice..."Nacho" follows on immediately and it's safe to say that, despite it's name it's about as Mexican as haggis...but cultural cliches aside it's a solid, up-beat, synth-driven, electronic pop number and it flows with positive vibes. There's more energy and melody here but it's still an instrumental track and here we realize that this is more of a score than an album in the regular sense...if you're a fan of lyrics this might not be the album for you...
The title track has more of the same really, it's really delicate with the way it uses pop hooks alongside subtle cultural characteristics, combining wood-effect instruments and again, electronica, bridging a gap between classical and modern Japan (the cherry blossoms and panda are reference enough you don't need words) and it's been done very well...while "Lemonade" is pleasant, it may as well have been called vanilla...or ready salted. It's plain essentially, really quite run of the mill, despite it's inclusion of acoustic guitar, the same which can be said of "Sunset" really, which also includes a random spoken word intro with some, faux variety show feel to it, with no real explanation, likewise with the end of "The Undo Button", breaking the 4th wall if you will and, that's about as much there is to this record...
The sound quality is nice, this is lovely Summer afternoon chill-out music to be enjoyed in the garden with a cold glass of Pinot Grigio, perfect for unwinding with, not challenging, not abrasive or complicated in any way, this is 30 minutes of relaxation under blue skies and sunshine, while those little pink flowers sway in the breeze...however, panda's may be cute and cuddly but using the word twice doesn't score you double points, as no more than background music, this record can easily be forgotten and is more catered for a specific market. Still though...panda's....awwwwww (^_^) [3]
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