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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 / The fact that he can switch up styles so frequently and make solid records says something special about Bianchi - Pop Matters / His melodies have that wonderful undefinable quality that makes you want to hear them over and over again... Killer indie pop cuts - Babysue |
| The latest obsession is XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival, the latest release from Marc Bianchi, aka Her Space Holiday. i hadn't listened to hsh prior to the new album, but after going back in the catalog, it seems that xoxo is quite the stylistic departure from his previous work. it's a transition that is a result, if one is to believe the story so wistfully told on the official website, of a friend convincing bianchi to expand his creative horizons, to step outside his comfort zone, to make a revival out of something new: quot;you know," she said, "the thing with you is that you somehow managed to take a tiny percent of yourself--the smallest fraction--and turn it into your only equation. in this life, there are so many sides to everything. and that includes you. you have so many things waiting to come out...and yet you insist on building from only one part of yourself. you wouldn't point to your pinky and say this is my entire body. just like you wouldn't look at one branch and declare that this is a tree. but if you add all of the little puzzle pieces together, it makes up one entire picture. but right now, how you live, and how you create, you are just a little torn corner of a photograph. and i know deep inside you, even more so than me, you are dying to see what's in the rest of the frame." And so, gone are the electronic beats and computer wizardry, replaced by guitars, keyboards, and good old fashioned handclaps. thankfully, bianchi's remarkable ear for melody remains, as are lyrics that are also remarkable in their ability to stir up a depth of emotion out of rather simplistic terms. it's unmistakably light and undeniably catchy--a pure pop record, meaning it will remain to be seen how enduring an impact it has in the long term. but sometimes music is just about heart, and you have to go simply with what sounds good in the moment. and in this moment, xoxo sounds really, really good. so if you tell me that i'm doing it wrong, i'm gonna turn up the sound of these songs. - Sand Is Overrated |
1XLP/Not Yet Released