Panda Bear Vs. El Guincho: Which 1 Is Better?

“Hey. Have you heard of El Guincho? He sounds a lot like Panda Bear,” said the record store clerk as I purchased Panda Bear’s “Person Pitch” on vinyl. I spent the next several weeks researching El Guincho, and researching his music to see if it could hold a candle to what most people-who-love-music consider one of the Best Albums Of All Time.

Panda Bear is sort of like the Spice Girls back during their prime. It’s the kind of thing that every one listens to, and we all have a reason to justify why we enjoy it, even if we feel like a fag for knowing the lyrics to “Wannabe.” Whether you are a stoner who likes ‘trippy’ music, an aspiring lofi musician, or a musicphile who enjoys music that makes his life more meaningful, Panda Bear is a demographically transcendant artist.

So should I like El Guincho just because he sounds kind of like Panda Bear, and even uses the same sampler? What should I do to carve out an authentic niche in which I could authentically appreciate El Guincho without always thinking “I am only listen to this because it sounds like Panda Bear, except this is in Spanish.”

Here is an MP3 from each artist, if you are not already familiar with their sounds. Feel free to sample as you read through the head2head matchup of Panda Bear and El Guincho.

[MP3]
El Guincho Antillas
Panda Bear Comfy in Nautica

Panda Bear Vs. El Guincho: Head-to-Head Matchup

1. Who is more attractive?

El Guincho kind of just burst into America, and he kind of looks like a guy who recently discovered the simplicity of the American Apparel aesthetic. His foreign scruffiness might have you thinking that he’s a Brazilian, but he is actually from Spain.

Panda Bear is sort of like a clean cut boy. Luckily he is a concept music star, or else he might be the substitute teacher who had no control of his class. However, if you had to take one home to meet your mom, it would definitely be Panda Bear.

EDGE: Panda Bear

2. Which one is Dirtier?

El Guincho looks like a guy from ‘the wrong side of the tracks,’ even before it became cool and affordable to live there. Actually, maybe he did move there when it became cool.
Edge: El Guincho

3. Which one is crazier?
I think it’s easier for self-aware people to identify with many themes with Panda Bear’s music, which probably makes him pretty crazy. However, the thing that makes Panda Bear the craziest is this short film that he stars in called “Fecal Matters,” made before his rise to fame. You can see some early allusions to themes that would become prevalent in Animal Collective+Panda Bear songs when it comes to questioning concepts like ‘fitting in’ and ‘normalcy.’

This is actually one of the best short/art films that I’ve ever been exposed to.
Huge Edge: Panda Bear

4. Which one has crappier music videos?
El Guincho’s “Kalise”

Panda Bear’s “Comfy in Nautica”

Both videos are pretty terrible. They were probably put together by a friend of each artist who smokes too much weed, and has aspirations of being a filmmaker.
Edge: EVEN

5. Which probably has a more enjoyable live shows?
Check out this video of El Guincho live. It seems like he has the opportunity to brand his live experience as GirlTalk+PandaBear=ElGuincho. There are a lot of people on-stage dancing passionately to his music. On the other hand, Panda Bear live seems like it might be one of those concerts that you can’t really enjoy because there are way too many douchebags in the crowd. And you’re not 16 any more, so ‘being in the front’ of the show isn’t your highest priority any more. (Panda Bear live video here.)
Edge: EVEN

6. Which has more forced-fans?
El Guincho is relatively new, I sort of roll my eyes when people [HIGHLY REC] him to me. I have slowly come to terms with people I hate putting Panda Bear in their profile interests. Even though you’re probably tired of people saying that Panda Bear sounds sooo much like Brian Wilson, I think Animal Collective Superfans are usually pretty easy to tune out. People who rave about El Guincho are more than likely people who are intent on being heard.
Slight Edge: El Guincho

7. Which has done more drugs/Is Obsessed with Youth?
“Person Pitch” Cover Art = Best Self-Aware Photoshop Aesthetic of all time?

Edge: Panda Bear

8. Who is more likely to be in a supergroup with a song in a Crayola commercial?

Can we undervalue the power of Animal Collective? Do you like Geologist more than you like El Guincho?
Advantage: Panda Bear

9. Who is better to namedrop in conversation?
If you hang out in a group of alternative bros who enjoy liking new things in packs, I’d say El Guincho is a safe pick, particularly if you spent most of 2007 listening to “Person Pitch” and “Strawberry Jam.” However, if you are trying to inspire a mainstreamer to feel genuinely alternative by appreciating music that “doesn’t sound like anything he or she has ever heard before,” then Panda Bear is for you. Panda Bear is definitely 100x more worthy of being included on your ‘desert island’ iPod playlist.

Edge: It Depends

10. Which 1 is better?
I guess it just depends on what u value… every1’s different, yall.
Edge: Only God Has Answers to Important Questions

So what do you think? Are these two artists worth comparing?
Did this analysis get us anywhere?
Which 1 is better? Which 1 is more meaningful?
Are comparisons fair in any context?
If we don’t compare similar products, how can we find truth?
What is art, n e ways?

While we may not be able to agree on which artists we like more, we can all agree that both are great for sales of the SP-404 sampler.

Myspaces
http://www.myspace.com/elguincho
www.myspace.com/rippityrippity

XX BONUS PANDA BEAR SHORT FILM XX

[HIGHLY RECCD 400 Blows Ending]