Panda Lux – Staub

Core melancholy at its best.

Sadly, the new release of swiss band Panda Lux proved to be a bit visionary with the actual situation happening out there. Being a concept of reflecting the behaviour, reactions and consequences of our society, the song got an unexpected but goosebump-creating undertone with the world holding its breath because of you-know-what right now. The video, showing a desperate lonely prepper in a deserted surrounding, feels strangely odd but at the same time strangely familiar, as if this was a mirror to your mind somehow. In both the music and the video you’ll find elements that are known to all of us, also there are elements which are unfamiliar and even uncomfortable to think about. In a way, this reflects all the things that are offered to us nowadays, the good, the bad and the oh-so-ugly things. On an artistic level, this tune made me sit and think. With minimal effects there’s this basic message that’s delivered in a really unique way, hitting you like a hammer while the melody itself is soft like a pillow.

There’s an unbelievable amount of core melancholy woven into this track. The melodies are designed to give you a heavy heart, and the chosen flamenco-ish clapping rhythm feels as if the music would try its sad best to bring some uplifting element into the track, like a sad clown trying to make those around him smile but failing miserably. This end-of-the-line feeling is captured perfectly in ‘Staub’ even if you’re not able to follow the lyrics. I love when music triggers emotion big time, and it’s not really important what kind of emotion is triggered as long as the sound makes you feel something.

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Florian Maier

Owner of kms reviews. Drummer. Sound explorer. Music enthusiast. Critic. Writer. Husband. Father. All stacked up in 1.88 m, 84 kg.
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