Three Imaginary Girls - Kill Rock Stars

Three from the Stacks: Imaginary Amie's CD Picks

Imaginary Amie — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:32:42 +0000

It's time once again to bring some good stuff to your attention! This list is compiled from purchased CDs and things grabbed from the Imaginary mailbag (Have I mentioned lately how much I love writing for TIG? Because I do. I truly, truly do).

The Drums - Portamento: Look, it's no secret that I've been in love with The Drums since I heard "Let's Go Surfing", but I wasn't prepared to be as blown away by their sophomore album as I was. I mean, seriously. From track 1 (the super-catchy "Book of Revelation") to track 12, this CD is pure perfection with the same bouncy, poppy beats of their self-titled debut -- somehow sounding familiar and brand new at the same time. Standouts: "Hard to Love", "Please Don't Leave" and "I Need a Doctor". Oh yeah, and they're playing October 12 at The Crocodile! (Guess who'll be in the front row?)

Beauty Parlor: hey, all you pretty things! {new record review column}

Chris Estey — Mon, 30 May 2011 16:23:14 +0000

I'm going to start this new "album round up" for Three Imaginary Girls with the above recent You Tube video for Sean Rowe's "Jonathan": (1.) Because I think it's the best song off of his recent Magic album (recently given full treatment here) and though it's been out a while the video is new. More-so, it's starting my summer off all rum and cola-sweetly, buzzy and bubbly at dusk-time, and I want to share it with you because the tune still grabs my attention. (2.) That's to help set the tone for a regular column that will primarily focus on the best songs on the albums I'm playing, while taking care of full length business as economically as possible. This doesn't mean I won't be doing more full length album reviews; but they might get the test-run here before they get the full heat treatment. Or, as in Rowe's case, I might remind you dear reader of previously scribed-about music that I think needs further attention, probably due to a bright jelly ear-worm melting in the candy jar of my brain.

Now to a hit and run consumer guide starting in my iTunes, and running into my headphones and down through my fingers briskly with the assistance of a jar of cold, strong coffee and soy milk:

Recommended all ages show: The Thermals @Neumos {Friday, 1/21}

Imaginary Amie — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:58:01 +0000

Another discovery via my boyfriend - I love, love, LOVE the way this Portland band rocks my socks off! I can’t really put a label on what they do (they call it indie/alternative/pop-post-punk, so I guess they can’t either), all I know is: it is awesome. Watching them live in this KEXP video at Bumbershoot last year makes me all giddy with anticipation.

I’m unsure if I’ll be able to make it to the show on Friday, but you absolutely should because it’s going to be a bouncy night of super-fun with The Thermals, Unnatural Helpers and White Fang. Swing on by Moe Bar to buy some tix, or pick them up online here.

Friday, 1.21 at Neumos
Doors @8pm
Cover: $12 (Advance)
All Ages, Bar w/ID

20 words each on 11 of the Best Releases of 2010

Chris Estey — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:17:48 +0000

{Shabazz Palaces photo from the Three Imaginary Girls Flickr Pool by Jason Tang}

Through sheer quirk of fate and possibly my own fatally quirky tastes, the top spots for my four favorite records of the year were given to two separate EPs by two different bands. I'm going to start my Top 20 of 2011 list with a cheat; combining two albums for placement at #1 and #2. Just to obnoxiously make you utterly vigilant of it: the first two spots are taken up by two separate releases, but they're EPs that if combined with each other, tie with/become one release.

Oh, and I'm keeping all hype to 20 words to mirror the Top 20 list. And then I cheat again by having the first two releases described in 40 words, a combination of two 20 word reviews. (No, I haven't been studying Kabbalah with the Wu-Tang Clan.) Also: Mostly in order, but ask me again tomorrow. (The Damien Jurado could be anywhere on this list, for example.) And regional preference takes precedence (call that "fanzine love").

1. Shabazz Palaces, Shabazz Palaces & Of Light EPs
Cracked, uncanny hip-hop collages of unsettling mind-movies, Clockers meets Company Flow. "Juxtapositions of the digital and analog, hard drum-machine beats set against softer bongos or the resonant sweetness of an mbira." -- Jon Caramanica, The New York Times

Bumbershoot 2010: Album 101 Prep for Recommended Artists

Chris Estey — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:43:23 +0000

It is sheer madness that there are so many great live performers appearing at Bumbershoot 2010 this year. This is my personal schedule to see a cross-section of irascible indie-ness (be it indie pop-friendly Pac NW hip-hop, indie rock, Brooklyn funk, etc.) but mostly focusing on those TIG-sparking artists who either put out a great record recently (and may or may not have gotten the deserved acclaim) or have one coming right up.

So let's begin the plan, and bear in mind if you haven't heard the music that may already be available from these performers, we would recommend checking the releases hyped below out before you attend Bumbershoot 2010. This is not because you would be in any way disappointed with what you will see and hear when you hit the full-genre full-on phenomenon that is the festival this year; just the opposite, we want you to already have some of these songs down to sing/chant/rap along when they pop during the sets. All are recommended and approved.

Imaginary Crafty Listening Party with brand new albums by The Thermals and Superchunk

imaginary liz — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 04:49:49 +0000

{Thermals photo: Westin Glass / Superchunk photo: Jason Arthurs}

Last month's Imaginary Crafty Listening Party was bumpin with Lo & Behold Shrie teaching us all how to embroider {and armed us with TIG birdies to practice on} while we blissed out to the new Darren Hanlon and Menomena albums.

Join us Sunday, September 12th from 1p-3p at Neptune Coffee {in Greenwood} for the September edition of the Imaginary Crafty Listening Party. We would love to have you join us as we feast on brand new albums from The Thermals and Superchunk and our dear friend Kelly is going to teach us how to make fashionable fabric flowers {photo examples} from scraps of fabric and a button . You don't have to partake in the free tutorial, bring your own knitting needles, papercraft, or current craft project and join us for fabulous crafty conversations and good times.

Best news of the day: It's Grand Slam Thermals Day!

imaginary liz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:10:31 +0000

In case you were refilling your cup during the Super Bowl when Denny's announced today is FREE GRAND SLAM DAY (6a-2p), get out there and claim your free breakfast platter!

But that's actually not the BEST thing about today. Out of the blue, I was just emailed a new Thermals song, "Canada" -- and it's brilliant and wonderful and makes me feel all Winter Olympics inside.

You can go hear it for free right now and then head to iTunes to purchase it.

Here's the full scoop behind today's highlight:

Pre-Order new Horse Feathers 7-inch

heather b — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:34:22 +0000

I totally love Horse Feathers and can't wait for some new lumberjack love!

From buyolympia.com:

Horse Feathers' debut album on Kill Rock Stars, "House With No Home", garnered excellent press as expected, but also sold five times as much as their previous release. The band's constant touring to packed houses has created a quiet groundswell of support which buoyed the band up to its current position as one of KRS's breakthrough bands of 2008. This 7" is another delicious morsel to tide the fans over while the band finishes recording its follow-up to "House With No Home", due in April 2010.

Bumbershoot preview: Portland Cello Project

ChrisB — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:50:00 +0000

No false advertising here. The Portland Cello Project is just what it says it is.

PCP is a collective of (mostly) classically-trained cello players who perform (mostly) covers of contemporary pop songs. I wish they contained a little less irony but they do have some interesting arrangements with those songs.

PCP has collaborated with such artists as The Builders and the Butchers, Thao (of the Get Down Stay Down), Mirah and The Dandy Warhols. They released an album called The Thao and Justin Power Sessions on Kill Rock Stars earlier this summer, with each Thao and Justin Power (a PDX musician) collaborating on four songs. For Bumbershoot, PCP will be joined by Portland musician Adam Shearer, who is the singer of a band called Weinland. When the collective covered George Michael song earlier this month in Portland, people in the audience were offering their womb immediately after. Take that for what it's worth.

Here's the Portland Cello Project playing with The Builders and the Butchers:

Portland Cello Project plays Bumbershoot on Monday, September 7 on the Northwest Court Stage at 6:45pm.

Rest well, Jeff Hanson.

heather hydra — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:04:03 +0000

I just returned home from a friend's birthday party. (Happy Birthday, Flyn!) I hopped on my computer, so I could waste some time on the internet. The first thing I see when I checked my Facebook was an acquaintence's post about the incredibly untimely demise of one of my very favorite KRS artists, Jeff Hanson. From what I can gather via the few articles on the web, there is a possibility of some sort of apartment-related accident which then ended Hanson's life on June 5th. There are no words to describe how fucking saddened I am by this news.

Jeff, your 2005 self-titled release kind of saved me. Thank you.

Tonight's recommended show: The Thermals at Neumos

Deborah Barnard — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:24:34 +0000

The Thermals: a power trio of pop punk (or post-punk-pop. or whatever posty way you want to label them) players that gives more bang for the buck with shorter songs and longer playlists than the average show--and all within the same time frame that everyone else draws out their 13-song set.

Now We Can See

imaginary keenan — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:30:30 +0000

8.6

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T46UIW/?tag=wwwthreeimagi-20

thermalscover09apr.jpg

The fourth full length from the Thermals starts out with a swaggering rocker (including the classic away from the microphone scream) about shedding your human self and becoming an invertibrate ("When I Died"). This sets the tone for an album that seems to be about pouring gasoline on your life and tossing a lit cigarette on the pile. Such is a feeling that shows up on many songs, such as "I Let It Go" ("I looked my fear in the eyes/I looked at the water below/I knew I could love or die/I let it go"). This is an album that feels like jumping off a cliff just to see what would happen - a pop album about renewal of the purest parts of oneself.

This is not to say that there is so much self-renascence that this is not a Thermals album. Now We Can See is about rebirth, but the Thermals have not lost their pattened formula for short and quick-out-of-the-gate anthems to make the kids go crazy. What we are looking at is a clearer-headed and more healthy (sober?) Thermals ("We Were Sick", "Liquid In, Liquid Out"), ready to take over the world. I'd like to be the first to state it - this is the album that will make them famous. The songs are catchy and easier to remember. They get stuck in your head more than ever before (and this time some songs even have Kathy Foster backup vocals!). And unlike their (masterpiece) first album, More Parts Per Million, every song has a chorus and is long enough to repeat several times, making it easier for the average joe to chant along. "How We Fade" sounds like it would fit perfectly on your average alt-rock radio station and even the Nickelback fans would think that it rocked.

This is not meant to be criticism. I think this album is incredibly strong, and I'm not one of those fans that turns on a band when they get famous. In "When We Were Alive", Hutch Harris screams "You should of seen us in our prime!". Dear Hutch, we did, and you're not past it yet.

The fourth full length from the Thermals starts out with a swaggering rocker (including the classic away from the microphone scream) about shedding your human self and becoming an invertibrate ("When I Died"). This sets the tone for an album that seems to be about pouring gasoline on your life and tossing a lit cigarette on the pile. Such is a feeling that shows up on many songs, such as "I Let It Go" ("I looked my fear in the eyes/I looked at the water below/I knew I could love or die/I let it go"). This is an album that feels like jumping off a cliff just to see what would happen - a pop album about renewal of the purest parts of oneself.

Lunglight

Chris Estey — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:54:49 +0000

7.7

http://www.amazon.com/Lunglight-Shaky-Hands/dp/B001CVCBG2/wwwthreeimagi-20/

shakyhands08nov.jpg

This Portland band pretty much had it in the bag by winning the Williamette Weekly "Best New Band" poll a couple years back. Their self-titled debut set them on a course previously traveled by beloved Oregon bands Talkdemonic, Copy, and the Barsuk-beholden Menomena. Nick Delf's contemporarily unspecifically cranky vocals crooned over his polyrhythmic tumbles on guitar, drummer Colin Anderson's percussive syncopation, and Jeff Lehman's scuttering electric six string layering just seemed a perfect introduction to a perfect Portland band. They were a bit pissed, a little pissed off, but showed a lot of love and hope and not so much fear and angst.

Well, this isn't the band's Pinkerton or Berlin or something near that dire, but Lunglight shows a still young group willing to get a little caustic even whilst laying down the basement party groove tunes. The good-time musical goods are still here, with "We Are Young" halfway through getting near ska guitar upsweeps and inducing flashbacks of half the bands from MTV's "The Cutting Edge" on vocal melody, while dubby horns near the end of the record are followed by a bass line lip-locked by Donovan's "Season Of The Witch."

But "World Gone Mad" convinced the casual listener that Delf is a little freaked out about growing up and eventually dying in a careless realm. Lines regarding loss of belief and loss of faith weave through Lunglight, but unlike The Shins, who lay on the anger towards the fallen for ever having believed in myths, The Shaky Hands seem once like kids who found comfort in those dreams and are not particularly pleased with having them shaken. The icy indie vibe is only there on the surface; a few repeated listens and you realize this band may resemble Seattle's bearded poets of depression in Beatles homages and Talking Heads jangle, but their hearts feel much warmer and more alive.

Like the age old question of trading security for freedom, or levels of happiness for clear truth, The Shaky Hands present that dialect from the other side. No wonder people are listening.

The icy indie vibe is only there on the surface; a few repeated listens and you realize this band may resemble Seattle's bearded poets of depression in Beatles homages and Talking Heads jangle, but their hearts feel much warmer and more alive.

Imaginary Interview: Marnie Stern

ChrisB — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:55:10 +0000

Marnie Stern’s latest album, This is It and I am It and You are It and So is That and He is It and She is It and It is It and That is That was just released this month on Kill Rock Stars to rave reviews from places like Pitchfork, The Onion's AV Club and Blender. It is an intense and challenging record from an amazingly talented (and remarkably humble) guitarist. She has a unique, finger-tapping style that is far more progressive (and advanced) than you are likely to hear from many of her indie rock contemporaries.

She is preparing to tour in November with Gang Gang Dance – and that tour includes a stop at Seattle’s elegant Triple Door on November 10. She took some time out of her day, before a band practice, to answer my phone call and discuss the stunning new record, working with some of her favorite artists, and being part of the remarkable Kill Rock Stars roster, amongst other things.

How does this new album compare to your first album, 2007’s In Advance of the Broken Arm?

I think this one is definitely more song-oriented. I focused a lot more on song structure. I used a lot more restraint with this one, with regard to the guitar parts.

Was the recording process different for this new album?

Actually no, we did it the exact same way. I recorded it at home on my Pro Tools and I sent the material to (producer/drummer) Zach (Hill) and he put the drum parts in. Then we did a lot over over-dubs. I redid a lot of the guitar parts and the vocals. This time we redid almost everything but the process was pretty much the same.

How did you end up on Kill Rock Stars?

I sent my demo in to the label a few years in a row. After the second year, Slim Moon contacted me and said he was interested in having a meeting with me. So it was really fortuitous and I was really lucky in that way.

KRS has always been my favorite label. They really have one of the most impressive roster of artists, releasing albums by people like Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith and a lot of riot grrrl bands

Me too, me too. That’s why I sent it in to them. Slim is also one of the guys who listen to all of the demos he gets. I think that is fantastic because a lot of labels won’t listen to the demos. That’s terrific that he listened to it and got back to me.

Was KRS a hands-off label to work for?

Oh completely. One hundred percent. They let me do what I wanted creatively. That’s why they are such a wonderful label. It really is a family with a handful of bands. Portia Sabin, who runs the label now, is really fantastic about getting in touch and finding out what is going on. Everyone there cares a lot about their bands.

Last time I saw you play was in SXSW in 2007 and it was only you on stage and your “band” was your iPod clipped to your belt. Are you going to tour with a live band this time?

Yeah. Last summer I did a tour with a live band. Zach Hill and Robbie Moncrief, from The Advantage. That was really great. This time Zach is working on a solo record so I am going out with a drummer named Jim Sykes, who used to play in Parts & Labor and another guitarist named Mark Shippy, who used to play in U.S. Maple, one of my all-time favorite bands and a guy named Matt Papich, who plays in a band called Ecstatic Sunshine.

That should be really interesting to see you play with another guitarist on stage.

There’s actually going to be two other guitarists. That’s a lot of guitar!

You have one of the most distinctive sounds as a guitarist. How did you learn to play? It doesn’t seem like your finger-tapping method would be taught by a lot of instructors.

I was self-taught. I never really took any lessons. I took a few when I was fifteen and the teacher taught me how to play “Every Breath You Take” by The Police and that was it for the lessons. Then I just started taking my time, trying to figure stuff out. Basically, I found my sound through fumbling around for a really long time. It took a long time for me to find my style and sound. It pretty much happened on its own from chipping away and working on it from a different angle.

There are some things I’m better at now and others not so much. It is frustrating that people keep labeling me as a guitar virtuoso and I certainly am not. I think of myself as a songwriter first and foremost. I think I’m alright as a guitar player but certainly not what people make me out to be. That kind of makes me uncomfortable.

I think that is all justified. Anyway, how did you meet up with Zach and end up working with him?

Hella was my favorite band and when Slim was still working at the label he asked me who I would most like to work with if I could work with any drummer. I immediately said Zach Hill. So Slim and the label approached him and asked if he would work on the record. He said he would if he could produce it because, I think, he wanted to get in to producing. That was really a milestone for me, being so thankful and lucky to work with someone I admire so much. I still feel that way.

I really liked how the drum parts came out on this record. I thought you really got the sense that he was such an explosive drummer.

I do, too. I think, in terms of restraint, we both did a good job of holding back a little and wanting the songs to stand out again.

Where did the title of your record come from? It is 31 words long, if I counted correctly.

Zach came up with it. I had no idea that a long title would be such a huge deal. I really didn’t.

We were mulling around titles for a long time, probably about three weeks. I had come up with a bunch but none were sticking. Then I came up with one and it was taken. There’s a database with song and album titles you can search. They were all taken. Then we finished the record and Zach came up with the title and it was really positive and great so we used it. I just assumed people would refer to it as This is It. I think it is more of a thing for journalists who have to fit it in.

I think we like it because it inflates our word counts.

[laughs]

Who did the artwork on this album? It is very bright and pretty and makes for good contrast with the music that is inside.

That was by the artist Bella Foster, who did the artwork for my first album as well. I think her work is so fantastic, so moving, emotive and colorful. She did the art and I couldn’t be more thrilled with it.

I just read in an interview with Pitchfork that you are working on a project with Mary Timony. I really admire her so I think that is amazing. How is that working out?

Yeah, I really liked her work for a really long time. She’s just such a talented guitar player and a great vocalist. She is just so wonderful. I suggested we do a project together and when she said yes I felt really honored. For the past year, off and on, we have been sending material back and forth. I was supposed to go to her house and record in September but we were both so busy. We have a whole batch of songs to work on.

Would you ever release them as an album?

I don’t know. We never talked about doing that. It’s mostly been a fun project for the both of us, but we’ll see.

You know that she had a collaboration with Carrie Brownstein (guitarist from Sleater-Kinney) called The Spells and they released an EP several years back.

Really? I’ve never heard that but I’d love to hear it.

We’re going to start recording, definitely after this tour, but we’ll get to it.

marniestern.jpg

The remarkable guitarist and songwriter answered my phone call to discuss her stunning new record, working with some of her favorite artists, and being part of the Kill Rock Stars roster, amongst other things.

Transformer - New Marnie Stern video

ChrisB — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:00:21 +0000

This video has a not-entirely-dissimilar aesthetic to "Sledgehammer" and "Money for Nothing."

New Bloods breaking up {due to bad blood}?

Imaginary Shrie — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:12:38 +0000

There has been no official announcement nor have the reasons been leaked as of yet. The birdie suspects that it might be because of a bad blood breakup between two of the three members.

No words...

Joseph Riippi — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:46:24 +0000

No words...

Colin Meloy Sings Live

Erik Gonzalez — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:03:25 +0000

7.5

http://www.amazon.com/Colin-Meloy-Sings-Live/dp/B0013P6TK6/wwwthreeimagi-20/

meloy.jpg

Sometimes it is hard to tell what to make of live albums. A majority of the time they are either (a) fans-only affairs or (b) contract-fulfilling obligatory events. In both of those cases, they tend to be less than inspired, a sort of off-hand release that doesn't really add too much to the mystique of the band or really challenge the fanbase. Of course, there are exception: the Police Live, Depeche Mode's 101, Built to Spill's Live (if only for the 20+ minute cover of "Cortez the Killer") to name a few. So, what is there to say about your average live album? Not sure, but I have to say something about Colin Meloy's new live solo album, the aptly titled Colin Meloy Sings Live. Indeed, he does!

I can tell you this, that Mr. Meloy sure is charming. I suppose that says something about a person's live performance. I mean, some bands are so good live it doesn't matter if the singer just mumbles the name of the song (think of any live Cure performance with Robert mumbling "Same Deep Water as You"). Other times, the singers are just enthusiastic cheerleaders without adding much in the way of banter, like David Gahan on 101, whooping it up for each song.

Honestly, most of the time, I like to go see shows for the banter. Billy Bragg puts on a remarkable live show, and a lot of it is his endless banter. He chats with the crowd almost more than he sings, but he's witty, charming and intelligent (and makes jokes about Major League Soccer).

Colin falls closer to the tree of Billy Bragg than anyone. Colin really knows how to sound modest, self-conscious and charming. It also doesn't hurt that he then goes onto play some really great songs from the Decemberists (shocking), Shirley Collins, the Smiths, Morrissey and some of his one creations. I could go on to list what happens for each performance, but I think everyone takes what they want for a live performance. They're good. If you like the Decemberists, you'll be pleased (minus the lack of songs that require the full band like "Mariner's Revenge Song") and if you're just trying to get your foot in the Decemberists door, well, I'd say buy Picaresque, but then you could spring for Colin Meloy Sings Live.

So there, Colin Meloy has recorded a disc of live performances. They're fun, charming and make great "I need to get some work done" background fodder. Nothing really jumps out at you, nothing really disappoints, but if you like you some Decemberists, Colin Meloy Sings Live will keep you happy as they work on whatever comes next. And really, that is what a release like this is all about: keeping our attention.

Colin Meloy is fun, charming and makes great "I need to get some work done" background fodder.

"How I Came to Know" by Lois Maffeo and Brendan Canty

Matt Schild — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:55:38 +0000

A couple years after I graduated from college, I finally became "big time" enough to secure a spot as a freelancer on Denver's largest weekly rag. I didn't even last a year (a story for another day), and don't really remember much about the whole affair other than lots of frustration with my editor. I particularly remember three interview pitches being turned down, written off as focusing on bands that weren't really that important. The first was Dashboard Confessional, the second was Death Cab. The third was Lois Maffeo.

OK, so I might have been off on my predictions about Lois, but two for three isn't bad in this business. And, to me at least, this album still really holds up. Whenever I listen to her collaboration with Fugazi drummer/producer Brendan Canty, 2000's The Union Themes, I'm still shocked, and rather bummed, that this record didn't take off better than it did. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of acoustic singer/songwriter-y stuff; Maffeo and Canty take it so much farther than strummy coffee-shop fare on "How I Came to Know." After releasing a string of albums as Lois, Maffeo's command of an acoustic was never better. Here she jumps up and down, dropping into a coy, sliding melody that buries the singer/songwriter rhythm-guitar clichés in the first few bars. Canty's restrained, precise rhythms don't just flesh out the song, but propel it. And Maffeo's voice. Oh, her voice. She soars through a love song with the conviction and passion that takes her twee-perfect delivery into bigger, more adult pastures. I finagled a review out of The Union Themes for that paper, but that really deserving Maffeo feature was shelved in favor of God knows what.

Wikipedia says Maffeo now works as a press agent for some coffee company in Olympia, Wash. My former editor's moved on to something that suits her skill set better and got out of the newspaper biz. I'm left with the feeling that poetic justice only gets it right about half of the time.

unionthemes.jpg

I'm still shocked, and rather bummed, that this record didn't take off better than it did.

14 kt. God

Erik Gonzalez — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:16:34 +0000

http://www.amazon.com/14-Kt-God-Panther/dp/B0011HF67S/wwwthreeimagi-20/

j49851zb24v.jpg

Panther, the alter-ego of Charlie Salsa-Humara, made a quick impression on people, both with his frenetic live shows and the absolutely killer video for "You Don't Want Yr Nails Done." He seemed to have all the promise in the world, channeling an alternate dimension Prince. Now it seems Panther has decided to calm down and get into some soul roots, which isn't a terrible move, yet you definitely don't get the same sort of rush from 14 kt. God as you might have gotten the first time you experienced Panther.

As opposed to Secret Lawns, which was mostly Salsa-Humara on his own, 14 kt. God brings Joe Kelly into the mix. Kelly used to be a member of 31 Knots, a band that is genrified on the All Music Guide as "math rock," one of those subgenres that has never made much sense to me. I always imagine that it's some modern rock subfield that probably features note structures with some intricate mathematical significance, kind of like when you convert all the words in the bible to numbers looking for secret messages. So, it is really no surprise that 14 kt. God seems much more experimental than you might expect.

To that measure, "Her Past the Trees" is right out of the El Guapo/Supersystem playbook of slightly off-kilter synthrock. The song never really goes in any specific direction, instead droning its way along, with vocals buried under the vaguely dance-like rhythm. Not bad, but also not anything that sets Panther apart from its brethren. "Decision, Decision" and "Violence, Diamonds" almost sound like you might expect them on a long lost Joan of Arc album, with the angular guitar that really doesn't have a melody as much as providing little riffs to keep the song alive. It is an odd direction for Panther because you can't shake the feeling of "been there, done that." "Violence, Diamonds" at least adds a bit of an unexpected bit of XTC sound to the mix, making it stand out amongst some of the other fodder.

Some of the more groove-driven tracks like "On the Lam" seem to channel the Beastie Boys. Heck, "On the Lam" is more or less "Something's Got to Give" but with a different vocal. "These Two Trees" might be the most like what you might have expected from Panther, leading off from the sounds of !!! to create a writhing, almost tribal dance song, but it never really gets off the ground. "Take Yr Cane" is even more aggressive, with such a perturbed cello taking the lead, you'd think somebody let Les Claypool circa "Mr. Krinkle" into the studio. "Total Sexy Church" might be one of the most satisfying sounds on 14 kt. God, a rollicking instrumental that has enough texture that you can keep a grasp on it (although it is about as far away, music-wise, from "You Don't Want Yr Nails Done" that you wonder how this could be the same band.)

If you're looking for the real standouts on 14 kt. God, they are probably "Beautiful Condo" and "Puerto Rican Jukebox." They both have a good, funky rhythm to drive them and Panther at least develops tension throughout the tracks. "Beautiful Condo" is the more typical modern rock song, definitely sounding like an evolutionary step away from emo-core into a more subdued dance sound. "Puerto Rican Jukebox" sounds like it shares the guitar line of "Beautiful Condo" but it keeps itself more in step with its melody and the breakdown that leads us to the chorus is about as funky as Panther gets on the album.

Really, if you want to compare two bands with similar sounds and influences, you can look no further than Panther and fellow Portland band, YACHT. Unlike YACHT, that took its sound to a more refined, pop-oriented direction on its latest outing, Panther seems to be descending into a whirlwind of directionless tracks that never really gel into anything beyond some good core ideas and high ceiling promise. I'm sure lots of the "indie rock press" will be fawning over Panther's step into the sort of aimless noiserock that they can become so enamored with, but without any real structure or flow, 14 kt. God just can't keep its focus long enough to satisfy.

14 kt. God just can't keep its focus long enough to satisfy