Have you ever heard something so awkward, and yet you really didn't want to turn away? You just had to listen and go, "What the Fu-k?!" Well that is exactly what Death Sentence: Panda! has created with their new album Insects Awaken.
The band is truly only the second band that I can say caught me off guard and kept me listening, the other one being Maniqui Lazer. Both bands are similar, but DSP! makes an even more awkward and weird creation using only percussion, a flute and a pitch-shifted clarinet, add that in with a crap ton of yelling and boom you got DSP!.
The music itself is as awkward as the band's name, but carries something that keeps you listening to the next track. A good amount of their tracks contain some pretty well crafted instrumental moments and even though they use very little instrument wise, they make up for it for actually being good at what they do. Although what the band plays is a weird combo of folk and punk, it is done well and pulled off by the band's love of the music. You can just tell that they love what they play and that makes it even stronger when you listen to it.
As far as the tracks go, it does start a little slow for my taste (not slow as in a literal meaning, it is actually quite fast paced), but soon picks up heavily by about the third track, "Exit Villager." It then continues a hot streak all the way till the final track, "Village Host." DSP! is a rare band that loves the music they make and as you listen through the album that's a fact that's easy to figure out.
The band in itself, is an amazing combination of taking something so little, like the instruments they use, and making such music with it. It isn't something you can truly label, it is just there and fascinating. You feel the sounds and vibrations run through your mind and all you get back is, "I don't know what this is, but I want you to listen to another one." You feel awestruck from track to track simply through the ferocity of the music and the harsh lyrics that are spewed out to you. Think of it like a work of art, not everyone finds it pretty, but everyone finds it interesting and hard to look away from.
Figure this into a mainstream music era where we praise basic music and typical lyrics and this is awkwardly refreshing. In the words of Ron Burgendy, "It burns the nostrils." That is the feeling you get from this, although not nostrils, but ears. The music itself is a testament to anyone who likes to play what they want. If you like to play flute, play it punk bitch! That is what DSP! is putting forward and I have to give them credit for doing such unique work with such little in the instrument department. Taking something as simple as drums, a clarinet and a flute and making it into punk/folk music is a triumph in any situation. While many would be quick to knock it for what it uses, I say praise it for not being another regurgitated piece of trash that has been done over and over again with the same water from the same well. Don't hate, congratulate.
To sum it all up, DSP! is something of a gem. While most people listen to mainstream music (Rock, Alternative, Rap, Pop, Etc.) this is one of those things that might take you down an untouched road to a perverse and radical sound you may, in fact, like. Listen to a track or two and ask yourself not if it is good, but if you find yourself intrigued. Music is beautiful in all shapes and forms and DSP! is a band that is tell-tale about that. Think of it as heavy punk polka with a dash of crazy as hell and a sprinkle of bat sh-t crazy and boom you have the eargasm known as Death Sentence Panda!
"Insects Awaken" is on sale September 8, 2008 from Southern Records.
