Hot Panda - How Come I'm Dead?

Vom einen Panda direkt zum nächsten: Hot Panda sind Maghan Campbell, Chris Connelly, Catherine Hiltz und Heath Parsons aus Edmonton, Kanada. "How Come I'm Dead?" ist nach "Volcano... Bloody Volcano" das zweite Album dieses Quartetts, das sich erneut freigiebig bis zügellos im Gemischtwarenladen des Indierock bedient: tanzbarer, schräger Indiepop, ohrenbetäubende Lärmattacken, Elektro-Spielereien, charmanter und eingängiger Twee, noisige Gitarrensoli, kitschige bis herzzerreißende Balladen, Varieté-hafte Orgelsounds, Girl/Boy-Gesang usw.
Überbordend an Ideen, unterhaltsam, abwechslungsreich und für Freunde der Los Campesinos! ein Muss.

I can’t even begin to properly describe the music of Hot Panda. Folk-Rock-Experimental-Stoner-Pop? Brit-Mathcore-Jazz-Blues-Glam-Rock? Prog-College-Radio-Punk-Country? Retro-Acid-Singer/Songwriter-Coffeehouse-Rock? You can’t pigeonhole this type of music, and nor should you be able to. That said this will either be hit or miss with most listeners, just because of its nature. But if you have an open mind and an open ear I encourage you to give this a listen.

On their second album, ‘How Come I’m Dead’ Hot Panda have crafted something eclectic, hypnotic music lucid-yet-trippy vocals and just downright spooky aural effects added to most tracks create a lighthearted take on freakout music. You can detect elements of latter-day Radiohead, early Mars Volta, The Cramps, David Bowie, Madness, Joy Division and others in the music. It is a hodge-podge of sounds and styles, a patchwork quilt musical Frankenstein.

And it’s bloody brilliant. From the spooky, trippy opener, “Membership Fees” on, you know that you’re in for something out of the ordinary here. “Evil Nature” follows up with some trippy 1960s Hipster sounds, and then the Brit-Poppy sounding “Pools”. My personal favourite on this album is “Fuck Shit Up”, a poetic piece of genius that only highlights the caliber of work here on the album.

As is often the case with an album I truly enjoy, I could easily offer an opinion on each song here. However, instead of trying to summarize the album, I’ll just wholeheartedly encourage all of you out there to go and pick up Hot Panda’s ‘How Come I’m Dead’ for yourselves.
(confrontmagazine.com)