Panda Riot

She Dares All Things

(self-released)

Record Review by Amber Henson

Panda Riot’s album “She Dares All Things” is, to be crude, music to get hot and heavy to.  It’s shimery, it’s intense, it makes for great background music while you’re making out.  Sometimes it’s upbeat, sometimes the lyrics you can’t quite understand can make you a little teary eyed.  This album is something you can put your own stamp on.  Its identity is so flighty, you can make it into whatever mood you want it to be.

The opening track “White Elephants” comes and goes, but there is something about the second track, “Marker”, that I couldn’t initially put my finger on.  I finally did, but it may not make much sense. The way that lead singer Rebecca Scott’s voice interacts with and lilts over the shoegazer sound of the keyboards, guitar, bass, and the drum machine, sort of gives the odd impression of an acapella track.

The album is nine songs long, and is touted in the CD jacket as “A Collection of Singles”, which is pretty true.  There is no journey to this record.  There aren’t slow songs, followed by fast songs.  Some, like mentioned above, are more upbeat, like “Plateau” where Scott sings “ba ba badap”, but then that’s followed by a serious bit of Brian Cook’s guitar.  But the drum machine is so consistent, each track stands on its own.  Where it stands, exactly, and what it stands for, I’m not sure.

But the music is intriguing, and with enough listens, this could be the kind of CD that becomes like an old blanket that you wrap yourself up in on cold winter nights, or becomes part of the playlist you have for long drives home from bad dates.  Cook and Scott are Do-It-Yourselfers, they have done everything on this album and for this album themselves, but they’ve picked the right genre so that their professionalism comes across well.  So at least download “Olivia on the Downbeat” for that next hot encounter.