Unfortunately—even after what pretty much amounts to MySpace stalking—our last Band Name of the Week title-winner, the Poontwang Drifters, did not respond with an amusing explanation of its moniker. Bummer. Guess the half Portland-/half Cali-based country-rock outfit wants to keep its skirtchasin’, highway-cruisin’ ways to itself. Fine, then. Be that way.

We’ll just move onto this week’s recipient of the BNotW honors, the excellently named Death Sentence: PANDA! (that’s exactly how they write it, all caps and fun punctuation included). This San Fran-based experimental noise-pop trio not only has a bitchingly curious band name, but it’s music is actually kinda awesome, too: Imagine a renegade version of Menomena made up of ex-band geeks who play under the influence of Morphine (the drug or the band, really). DS:P! even has rad press photos, much like our own, above-mentioned experimental-pop darlings. Check it:

The only influence Death Sentence: PANDA! (which is made up of ex-members of Total Shutdown and Crack W.A.R) lists on its MySpace, however, is Islands, which makes a good bit of sense. Like that Nick Diamonds (ex-Unicorns)-led project, Death Sentence: PANDA! loves it some horns and flute—and it definitely leans toward the macabre end of the pop spectrum. As for the name, I’m guessing there’s a good back-story here, though it might be as simple as a death-by-panda war cry of sorts.

Personally, I like to imagine Mortal Kombat’s Raiden kicking some serious A in a bout against Frost (who ever liked Frost anyway?), and, instead of the notorious “Finish Him!”, the game’s omniscient referee yells “Death Sentence: PANDA!” Then, a giant panda crazed with violence comes out and rips the head off of Raiden’s opponent, bearing her major arteries and spine. Yeah, that would rule.

[Oh, and did I mention that one of the openers is named Fuckwolf?! I mean, in the wolf-centric world of modern rock, that pretty much takes the cake; guess I should've gone with Lineup of the Week this time around. Oh well. Perhaps I'll shoot the ol' Fuckwolf an email, too, and see what we get. Tune in next week for what's sure to be one compelling edition of BNotW!]

Death Sentence: PANDA! plays Friday, Sept. 7, with Burmese Rabbits and Fuckwolf at Someday Lounge. 10:30 pm. $6. 21+. Image: A very angry Animatronic panda (with appropriately terrified woman in background), courtesy of a Google image search. Band art taken from its MySpace.