Wednesday's Stuff We Like

Gold Panda - Mountain / Financial District

I didn’t even know that Gold Panda was planning on releasing any new music, so when this 7” rolled through our office I was both shocked and super pumped. I was a huge fan of the last (and breakout, if you will) Gold Panda album, which kind of came out of left field. Though he’d released some 7-inches before, Lucky Shiner was a constant presence on my iPod in 2010 and 2011, and I more than welcome any additions to those 11 tracks.

The laid back and fuzzy electronics of Gold Panda are comforting, and I can definitely say that this 7” extends that sentiment. These songs bare his rhythmic and repetitive signature, always building up until that one moment when all the parts come together in wonderful satisfaction. That being said, they are not exactly the same as his last album – something that bodes well for a full-length in the future. One of my favorite aspects of Lucky Shiner was how cohesive it felt as an album; from beginning to end there was an arc both within each song and through the course of the LP. While I can’t say the same thing for a two-song 7” (what with the limited space to make such a statement), I can say that the songs both relate well to each other and stand strong alone.

More than anything this gets me hyped on Gold Panda again, but leaves enough to the imagination that I am dying for a new full-length; the perfect recipe for a 7”. Definitely a good summertime listen for anyone who wants to drive around with the windows down and the sun in their eyes.

- By Celeste Classon

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