SINFONIA SOLEDAD, PANDA
Movic Records, México *1/2
Rating: 34
by Carlos Reyes
Panda is the band everyone admired early this decade for one reason or another. They don’t have a style or substance, the attitude is there but so what? Unlike most journalists I think that their first albums were disastrous, their version of “Maracas” was annoying, they even managed to make Plastilina Mosh look bad in one of their songs. It wasn’t until 2005 that the band went from noisy garbage to an actual rock band. Para Ti Con Desprecio was a hit, splendid production-wise and surprisingly clever. Somehow fans were disappointed; the album was eventually acquired for distribution by Warner and they won the “sellout” tag. Their next album Amantes Sunt Amentes was also a commercial hit, a mediocre album with some amazing tracks like “Los Malaventurados No Lloran” or “Prodecimientos para llegar a un comun acuerdo.” Panda seems to be getting creative on the artwork, the song titles and image; they are now standing on the verge of mediocrity and it is time to evolve the teenager punk to a more solid ground. Sinfonia Soledad is an incorrect, bad-produced, unnecessary live album that recounts the band’s career. How this album ended up getting a nomination at the Latin Grammys is beyond belief, there was other great material submitted. Listening to “Mi Muñeca”, the first single, makes me think they just might end up becoming the punk Mana (we don’t like Mana in case you haven’t notice). Because we are so nice, here is an advice for bands looking to record a live album, don’t try to capture the experience of a massive concert, you either wait for MTV to call you or get yourself a modest concert venue with great acoustics.