Hot Panda

By way of Edmonton, and now living in Vancouver, Mint recording artists Hot Panda recorded their sophomore album, How Come I'm Dead?, in less than a week during the midst of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic chaos, mostly live off the floor with few takes and overdubs, care of John Collins and David Carswell at JC/DC Studios. The band wanted it to sound alive, spontaneous, lo-fi, and playful, in line with the vibrant quirkiness of similar records by Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, and The Flaming Lips. There are also lots of different 'slapped together' tidbits and half-songs, so it should not sound overproduced or over-rehearsed. You can tell the band just had fun writing these tunes, and that's the most honest thing about it. On How Come I'm Dead?, you'll find dreamy noise, circus freak dance numbers, heartbreaking country ballads with screeching metal guitar solos, lovely pop harmonies, psychadelic drones, and straight up pop/rock numbers. There is even a grindy techno song and a hip-hop track, which includes a bass scratch solo and enough f-bombs to earn them an adult content warning sticker. The album title came from an obscure book found in a thrift store while touri... more...