A Bear Called Panda - A Bear Called Panda (Sausage Orphans Records / Sonic Rendezvous)

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    2 november 2019

A Bear Called Panda is a brand new, musical project with former members of the hard rock band Civilian. This band still believes in rock music. Rock is not dead. Vulnerable perhaps, as are the pandas, but not extinct and still able to please an audience.


This brand new band is lead by a male ad a female singer. their names refer to the panda: Xin Di and Malu Malu. I spare you the other names as it's just too funny. They take us on a 14 song trip and that is a lot for a first album, but like I see it: it's a positive thing!

They start with a semi punk rocker called Henri Winkler. Lead by male vocals with cool backings. It's a smoking hot track with a high tempo and it will for sure be a hit on stage. Be ready to rock, jump, lift your arms, headbang, rock'n roll! Destruction is a rocker lead by female vocals. Once the backings jump in it sounds a bit too much voices put together. A smoking riff and there we go with Spank me with love. It's a funny title and off course they talk about sex and BDSM. Smarter is a false ballad with female leads. The guitar solo is there to please the guitar lovers whilst the end is a bit chaotic.

Captain Love has already been released before and is a feel good track with a spacy feel and some star trecking. It reminds me a bit of some stadium rock bands from the 80's. 

The Mule goes rocking hard but at some point it sounds as if somebody put pieces from another track inside of this one. Shake it! (Till you break it) sounds like a real party song with some sex appeal. Sunblock Infinity gives you enough ray of lights to overpass a dark and rainy day. More cool rock comes with the bluesy Spinning World. More fun and some laughter comes with Alligator: a smocking rocker. The chorus is a bit catchy. Blind Pig is a raging rocker with a bluesy feel and a punk attitude. Live it up is a great rocker, but the twists are a bit strange as if they jump from one song to another as in a medley. No Money has some ska and some punk and a very catchy chorus. They end with the best track on the album and that thanks to the tax man! I think that this song can even be covered by Red Zebra! Or why not re-record it and ask Peter to jump in?

Well: if you listen to the album as one part: you will love it. Once you start tearing the album bit by bit and listen to every details you will notice some passages are not yet totally top, whilst others wil make you rise and shine. So there is a way to go, but they delivered already a nice proof of getting somewhere in the right direction and that is alread great for a first album! I'm pretty sure it will be party time on stage!