Best known for his electronica-fused pop, Her Space Holiday’s most recent album is certainly a dramatic departure from the indie hybrid that has served Mark Bianchi so faithfully for the past 14 albums. Swapping the computer knobs for something a more organic and vocals-based, it may seem that – in this era that seems to be dominated by technology-embracing acts – Bianchi is taking a step backwards. Then again, Bianchi has never been one for predictability: this is a musician who followed the obscure path from hardcore (with ‘90s bands Mohinder and Indian Summer) into indietronica, after all.
With full band in tow, Her Space Holiday’s xoxo, Panda and the New Kid Revival is an intriguing collection of stomping indie-folk, set apart by its cheerful yet laidback tone and embracing an playful, almost-childlike quality. As an album that maintains an uplifting and upbeat vibe, its no surprise that numerous tracks are instant charmers. The New Kid Revival is straightforward, thoughtful indie pop and with its proud lyrics (“So let’s start the new kid revival, we’ll make it up as we go along, and if they tell us we’re doing it wrong, we’ll just turn up the sound, we’ll just turn up the sound of our song”) seems to usher in Her Space Holiday’s new direction.
The country-tinged Sleepy Tigers, with its upbeat rhythm, dancey hooks and singable melody, is one of the album’s finest toe-tapping highlights, while Four Tapping Shoes and a Kiss, with its punchy beat offset by the occasional fuzzy cymbal, harmonica and sparse guitar, leads into a loud, celebratory finish, which promises to be a real stormer performed live.
Bianchi is a creative musician with a great imagination (and, happily, a wicked sense of humour: The Truth Hurts So This Should Be Painless is one of the cheekiest song names ever, in my opinion). It’s the little quirks and off-kilter details that gives this album its character. The delightfully playful Two Tin Cans and a Length of String, another of the album’s highlights, could well be the first pop song to use a recorder lead to such great effect since Frente’s Labour of Love. Meanwhile, the “tra la las” and “bom bom boms” in The Boys and Girls provide an awkward but strangely beguiling and effective way of filling in the instrumental gaps. If the album has one downfall, its that Bianchi’s vocal range is seemingly so limited – which is a real shame, since some harmonies and variations could really give the material a lot of depth and texture.
Although disappointing that Her Space Holiday seems to have abandoned its signature sound, you still have to admire Marc Bianchi’s bravery. It will be interesting to see if he stays around the indie-folk traps for a while or if, for album number 16, he’ll pull another surprise new sound. I’m guessing all bets are off.
