DEATH SENTENCE: PANDA! were Kim West, Paul Costuros and Chris Dixon - a trio of San Franciscan musicians associated with the Bay Area's lively rock underbelly. After 7 amazing years, they called it a day in 2011, but continue to make music together in various forms, including as Cops, Earth Jerks, Famous Techno, Murder Murder, T.I.T.S., the Sea Apes, River of Shit and the Pineapple Boys.

Death Sentence: Panda! draws heavily on traditional Chinese and Korean folk music, ragtime, New Orleans-style marching bands and hardcore punk. Cropped and impulsive pop songs bubble over with exuberance, forever underpinned by the group's unusual instrumentation of pitch-shifted clarinet, flute, xylophone and drums. Add to this mix Kim West's impassioned and oft-spooked vocal and Death Sentence: Panda! come into their own.

'INSECTS AWAKEN'

Exit Villager

UTR022 | Digipack CD / LP | 14 tracks, 42 mins | 29 Sept 2008 | Buy

After two previous vinyl-only releases with Upset The Rhythm, Death Sentence: Panda! have now readied their first debut album proper in the shape of 'Insects Awaken'. Written largely around a trip to Europe and a US tour with Burmese, 'Insects Awaken' came together quickly.

Recorded in a house filled with books, the band have taken the time to create a record that truly expands their vision. 'Insects Awaken' was mixed with Philip Manley (Trans Am, Oneida, Golden) in a clandestine location not far from the previously mentioned, library-like abode.

'Insects Awaken' is a call to arms to all those who thirst for the sweet nectar of discontent. Inspired by and dedicated to champions far and near, friends and foes alike, it is, in fact, the sound of a wasp's sting to the tongue rewarded with the delicious gift of coconut ice cream.

Tracks like "Exit Villager" and "New China Blazers" tumble terrifically as they run pushing into the silence of the next move. "Island of Sexual Violence" dwells with foreboding like a monster in slumber, whilst songs "Dessert Parade" and "Village Host" maintain both fierce and plaintive charm.

In the words of the band 'Insects Awaken' is the sound of distant animals rushing ever onwards, the sound of a march turning into a single collective leap – an album in opposition to wars and valleys of gore, emptiness and cold emotions. With 'Insects Awaken' Death Sentence: Panda! offer a bold statement to everyone - one of harmony, life, strength and revenge!

'FESTIVAL OF GHOSTS / R'OUT 4,002'

Here Come The Ghosts | Slumber Party

UTR007 | 12" | 10 tracks, 20 mins | 29 Jan 2007 | Buy

'Festival Of Ghosts / R'out 4,002' is an album of two halves! The first 'Festival of Ghosts' is just that - songs for and about ghosts, except for "Mr. Chip", which is a song about a triumphant rabbit.

Oozing with hypnotic percussive clanging, howling sax and scrambled experimentation, the opener "Here Come The Ghosts" is a haunted call to arms summoning all spirits in earshot to march in union with Nature's heartbeat. It marks a move towards looser song structures and instrumentation for the group - bells, trombone and even shoes all feature, as songs run in unpredictable directions and echo with dub delay, making for a supernatural listening experience.

The second half of the record 'R'out 4,002' consists of tracks taken from the band's 2004 tour-only CDR, remastered by Orthlorng Musork's Joshua Kit Clayton. 'R'out 4,002' is the sound of hardcore with its fangs beared - songs creep and sprint, shock and enliven with their savage cacophony.

"Slumber Party" and "Tribal Boyfriend" are both brutally bratty, whilst "Yao Yao Tou" is a kinetic barrage of pitchshifted clarinet blurts and clattering pans, punctuated by the recital of a Mandarin nursery rhyme. The song races at breakneck pace before dissolving into a plaintive flute trance. The reprise couldn't be more different, all foreboding gong grumble, squalls of noise, footfalls and hushed creatures.

Limited to just 1000 copies, the 12" features a heavyweight disc packaged within a 3 colour, hand-screened, recycled cardstock sleeve.

'PUPPY, KITTY OR BOTH'

A+ Cannibal | A Time To Bear Arms

UTR001 | 10" | 8 tracks, 11 mins | 2 May 2005 | Sold out

'Puppy, Kitty or Both' is the band's debut release and features 8 feral blasts of unhinged pop and skip'n'stomp dance action! Produced by acclaimed, punk legend Weasel Walter, the songs are nothing short of party anthems for the punk kids.

Yet behind the music lies a clear political message of respect and responsibility - the band take their name from the punishment awarded in China for the slaughter of the endangered bear and approach song subject matter from an environmental, activist angle.