Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad makes standard dub reggae, for the most part. The song writing is what makes GPGDS stand out, giving them color where they’d most likely just blend in against the backdrop of roots music. Adorning their reggae style are a myriad of little found sounds, peppering GPGDS with something extra. GPGDS opened Friday afternoon at All Good 2011 on the main stages, fashioning melodies out of humming organs and feel-good lyrics. There is something too typical about GPGDS, though, even if they’re terrific at what they do. GPGDS puts a lot of energy into a well-rehearsed, fun reggae show, and even though crowds enjoyed them, it became apparent that GPGDS doesn’t employ a sound that sufficiently stands out amongst the heaps of reggae acts in today’s music industry. There is so much that can be done with roots music to make it more innovative and interesting. If all GPGDS is aiming for is to be a fun, tight, reggae act then they have nothing to worry about. They accomplish this effortlessly. If they want to push the envelope and climb the bill at major festivals, they’ve got to turn it into something more.
journalism by M E G A L O M A N D E E