Lucky Shiner by Gold Panda
LABEL: Ghostly International  |||  RELEASE: October 12 (Physical), Digital available now

I recall a moment, and the further removed from me the memory becomes, the more eroded by time and less accurate it is, the more meaning it seems to hold for me. Gold Panda has turned this vague emotional outline into roughly 47 minutes of sublime musical expression on Lucky Shiner, the UK electronic producer’s debut LP on Ghostly International. There’s a striking familiarity held tightly within the fabric of the album, but pushed and reformed into something special, distorted from its original form.

“Gold Panda consciously steered the record away from pulsing dance beats in favor of a more personal, lo-fi drifting sound that fills the record carefully and to powerful affect.”

The familiarity isn’t just coincidental. Gold Panda, at first glance, is treading a lot of territory already paved by the more sentimental breed of electronic artists, ranging from Lusine, Ernest Gonzales, Spirituals and Toro Y Moi. But there’s something naïve and profound in GP’s work that pushes it far into its own realm, a private love letter containing a few lines borrowed unconsciously.

The electronic production and instrumentation of the album serves more as a backdrop for the wealth of manipulated field recordings and audio treatments that bathe Lucky Shiner in its strikingly individualistic charm. The vibrantly live drum takes on tracks like “India Lately” are the icing on the cake. The arrangements become so organic as to make you forget the palette. All that’s left is the emotion.

In contrast with his driving live performances, Gold Panda consciously steered the record away from pulsing dance beats in favor of a more personal, lo-fi drifting sound that fills the record carefully and to powerful affect. It’s a subtle irony that such a cohesive, continuous album was collected from a disparate variety of sources, through ever-changing locales, and over a sizable amount of time. Lucky Shiner is solid songwriting without being ’same-y’, loose and fluid without self-indulgence.

Gold Panda isn’t pushing any envelopes with Lucky Shiner, but it’s composed with such compassionate conviction and integrity that it can’t resist staying with you long after the closing track has meandered into the haze without your permission. Essential listening for those days where you can’t help wondering where exactly you are.


REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “You” • “Same Dream China” • “India Lately”

FREE MP3: “Dream China” (right-click & save)
FREE MP3: “You” (right-click & save)