|
|
|
Her Space Holiday - Xoxo Panda & The New Kid Revival
| Lostatsea |
|
Marc Bianchi is proof that, yes, there is life after emo. And though Bianchi crossed-over genres ten years ago, his nostalgia for things emo[tional] has unexpectedly resurfaced. Under the moniker Her Space Holiday, Bianchi established himself as a hardcore-kid-turned-indietronic soundmaker. With his sixth full-length album, XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival, comes a divergence from his defining brand of electro-infused indie-rock to unapologetic, cadenced pop. Bianchi's new direction allows him to explore some uncharted territory; channeling his inner love-struck teenager, he creates a fervently hopeful and infatuated alter-ego. A departure from 2005's melodramatic The Past Presents the Future and 2004's dreamy The Young Machines, XOXO strays from the ambience and spaciness of Her Space Holiday's previous works. In an attempt to reinvent, Bianchi abandons his reliable tech toys in favor of a stompy pop sound with folky undertones. Scrapping the computer-produced droning, he opts for guitar, banjo, mandolin, shakers, and glockenspiel in the album's full band arrangements....full text |
|
|
| Allmusic |
| A short time after the release of two rather experimental EPs (Let's Get Quiet, Vols. 1 & 2), bedroom knob twiddler Marc Bianchi returned with a decidedly less clinical Her Space Holiday outing, 2008's XOXO, Panda and the New Kid Revival. Here we find the man taking a turn from the insular, pastoral, electronic-based template of some 15-plus prior releases to a more organic, immediate, and rough-around-the-edges approach. The synth-pads, dreamy string atmospherics, and meticulous sonic perfectionism that normally mark a Her Space Holiday outing have been largely replaced with semi-in-tune guitars, loose percussion, shaky banjo and visceral vocal takes. Without the polish on, Bianchi actually does pretty well -- serving this upbeat (both musically and emotionally) collection with a more freewheeling hand and less neurotic attention to detail. The result makes for a fun experience in the headphones -- no doubt helped by the sense of fun conveyed by the performers through the recording process itself. It sounds like they enjoyed themselves. It sounds spontaneous, and it sounds (save for Bianchi's one-trick vocal range) not much like what you'd expect a late-stage Her Space Holiday album to sound like. Marc Bianchi has, at least for now, chucked his dour Stephin Merritt leanings and adopted a more Nick Lowe-like free-spirited confidence (check "The Heartbreak Moment" for a good example of this) and the whole thing sounds, if not exactly cathartic, at least liberating....full text |
|
|
| Drownedinsound |
| Perhaps not the best to way to prepare yourself for words you know you’ll soon be penning on a specific artist is to throw yourself into their back catalogue. In this case, however, when I say “back catalogue” what I really mean is the two shimmering nuggets of laptop-pop genius Marc Bianchi has posited in his 12 years trading as Her Space Holiday, namely: 2001’s ‘The Ringing In My Ears’ (last.fm) and 2003’s ‘My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend’ (video). Although surrounded by relatively transient album tracks, Bianchi’s sporadic prowess with a tune – as well as the company he keeps – has always endeared him to this critic, and the announcement of XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival heralded if not a double-footed leap of joy, certainly a raised eyebrow and fuzzy, dual sense of a) knowing exactly what to expect and b) being pretty happy about it....full text |
|
|
Go to "Her Space Holiday " lyrics