P Is For Panda
Mix Tape Vol 1
Hopeless Records
7/10
Sweet lord, I am so stoked that there are at least the eight artists on this “mix tape” that sing their lyrics in a way you can…gasp!…understand what the crap they’re saying. My concern, however, is that several of these acts, such as Mike Dunn and the Kings of New England and Josh Moore, delve in to the shimmery sounds that I often associate with the nations leading Christian Adult Contemporary acts. AKA: Lame. But then you have the country-tinged Pasadena and Damien Suomi, who sounds like he owns all the material the REM has EVER recorded. Not bad at all, but you can tell.
Discover America’s laid back and honest tunes are the most solid, reminding me more of early Death Cab than anything sold in my local Christian bookstore. I think that while Gasoline Heart are by no means original, I’d probably pick them for the least contrived songwriting. Burn Bright is Gasoline Heart’s more upbeat jam, with Shake it Off being more relaxing, but I think a better tune. If you want to ease your parents out of the church tunes…or the sixties…introduce them to this. Give me a call after Sunday brunch and lemme know how it goes.
-Jonathan “The Emperor” Yost