«
»

REVIEW: Panther Attack! gives us heart-pounding, funky post-rock

By

Panther Attack! @ Club Tropical (credit unknown)

Panther Attack!’s full-length album, Martyr Bonus, was released in 2007. The quartet, from Seattle, Wash., is composed of a bassist, guitarist, and two drummers — with one drummer often trading out as the second guitarist. Martyr Bonus is their first and only full-length album to date, with Sharp Moments EP being their only other recorded release. Martyr Bonus is a wonderful instrumental album tilting from groovy post-punk to shoegaze.

The first track on the album, “Frolic, Just Don’t Lick,“ is slow to crescendo and has a shoegaze feel. It lays out the groovy standard to come throughout the album. The guitars have a muddy feel in this track and, appropriately, croaking frogs. Layered cleverly through the guitars, the bass pulls us slowly forward through the mud, reminiscent of plodding through a swampy, hazy field. The drums are absent through the entirety of this track.

Moving forward two tracks to “Stands About, With Dumb Look On Face,” we are immediately greeted face paced guitar and dual drum kits wailing away. Jazzy scales take us from fast and loud to quiet and slow, and back again. The drum kits in this track are a delight. They are responsible for much of the feverish feeling throughout this six-minute-long track. From here on out, the entire album feels much more jazzy than the initial two tracks.

While “Christ the Destroyer” takes on the medium pace of a jazz instrumental, the rest of the album — with exception to the upbeat track “In the History of Snowmobiles,” — often follows the slower pace and with greater variation. Feeling more emotionally driven than the first half of the album, “Thessalonians” features a clever layering of rich acoustic guitars that reaches an astoundingly emotional and unexpected crescendo of drums with wailing acoustic and electric guitars. We are led beautifully into the final track on the album, “Sorry About the Blood.”

“Sorry About the Blood” is a fun track. It didn’t rile much emotion until the last 30-40 seconds of the track comprised of fast-paced post-rock style guitar. Their ending was solid but left me hoping for more and, surprisingly enough to me, I got more. What may very well be a bonus track  (an untitled track I just now discovered on the album,) I am led forward with unexpectedly groovy bass, guitar, and seemingly experimental electronics — the first and only heard throughout the album. This final unnamed track transcends to end abruptly with a burst of grooviness, unmatched throughout the album.

Panther Attack! — “Christ the Destroyer,” from Martyr Bonus (2007)
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/04.-Panther-Attack-Christ-the-Destroyer.mp3]

Panther Attack! — “Thessalonians,” from Martyr Bonus (2007)
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/08.-Panther-Attack-Thessalonians.mp3]

Recorded and mixed by Brandon Eggleston at Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, WA. Mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI. Panther Attack! is Andrew Grapes, Josh Grapes, Jon Wiens, Kelly Mynes. Martyr Bonus may be purchased for $10.00 through the band’s MySpace, myspace.com/pantherattack, and their latest EP, Sharp Moments EP, is available for purchase at Triple Down Records at tripledownrecords.com.

Panther Attack! – Martyr Bonus (track list)

  1. Frolic, Just Don’t Lick
  2. You Look Good Wearing My Future
  3. Stands About, With Dumb Look On Face
  4. Christ the Destroyer
  5. The Party Never Started
  6. In The History of Snowmobiles
  7. Putting the Fun Back In Funeral
  8. Thessalonians
  9. Sorry About the Blood
  10. (bonus track)

February 25, 2010 Tags: , ,
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews, Seattle, Washington No Comments »

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.