Last year, I had the good fortune to stumble onto the wonderful digital – and sometimes physical – record label, Bad Panda Records. They put out consistently interesting and worthwhile singles on a weekly basis. One of my favorites was Dumbo Gets Mad and the awesome track "Eclectic Prawn" (shared here, and also in my top 10 tracks of 2011). Their latest release is a cool collaboration with Venice called "Viaje Astral."
What I dig most about Dumbo Gets Mad is their sense of adventure and exploration. Like most psych rock bands, they are reverent to the past and also futuristic-sounding. Their songs are fun and playful, particularly in the lyrics and vocal melodies, but also a little twisted. It's always an engaging listening experience, and for me, it also evokes a positive gut response. What more can you want?
With a title like "Vijae Astral," you can reasonably expect a little bit of a space vibe, which definitely comes through here. I don't know much about Venice, but comparing this to the sounds of Elephants at the Door, they seems like a kindred match with DGM. On the subject of collaborators, I could see the Flaming Lips and Dumbo Gets Mad making some delightful aural concoctions. This is a happy, trippy jam that should be perfect as the weekend dawns. Dig on it, check out the video below, and be sure to explore Bad Panda Records' website. A diverse label with utilizing creative-commons and a global scale is the kind of thing we as music fans should support.