Panther - 14 Kt. God

Get ready to get down, cause Panther is bringing the funk. 14 kt. God is a groove-heavy, hip romp through a variety of tones and tactics, but at its heart it's an album made for anyone who is not content to simply stand by with arms folded as a band do their thing. Panther manage to touch on everything from disco, funk, and dance-punk to tribal excursions and knob-twisting noise detours and do it all with a pervading sense of confident cool. And what makes this an even greater accomplishment, you ask? Well, how about the fact that only two dudes are crafting all the rock you'll find here.

It may be a bit unfair of the band to start the album with "Puerto Rican Jukebox" considering that it may be the best song on the album, but alas, let's just dig the sexy grooves. The song comes hard with a guitar line that sounds like it could have come from a Joan of Arc song, a sleazy bass line that will have you playing air bass, and a dangerously fresh break-beat. And that's all before the funk guitar and percussion breakdown hit. As an instrumental this track could have parties everywhere getting extra sweaty, but there is also front-man Charles Byron Salas's vocals to consider here. Salas incorporates elements of a party MC and disco heartthrob into his delivery by giving shout outs in the verses and busting out a sick falsetto for the choruses. Just imagine Q and Not U if they shaved off that last ounce of "punk" influence and you should have no problem hearing this in your head.

Luckily, the party does not stop there. After the string-filled, extracurricular-percussion-saturated "Her Past are the Trees," where Salas switches over to commanding AM-radio-pop singer comes the dance-punk gem "Decision, Decision." Maybe dance-punk isn't even a fair moniker, I mean yeah, you can dance to it, and there is a boatload of energy pouring out of the jackhammer drums and staccato guitar, but really it's just an excited rock song that wants you to move your feet.

With "On the Lam" we get a bit of dub going thanks to a slowed drumbeat you might soon hear looped in a hip-hop track and a sensuous bass line that hits loud, but smooth. The song should have you squirming like a snake while Salas again goes for the high notes.

By the time the disco-stomp of "Violence, Diamonds" starts you will suddenly realize another one of Panther's secrets. They like to keep things short and to the point. Each song here gets you excited, locks you into a groove and then lets you go before you have a chance to grow tired of your surroundings. It's a smart tactic, especially when dealing with dance-related music, a genre that relies on repetition.

As the album goes on "These Two Trees" brings the tribal shake as well as some reggae toasting, while "Glamorous War" slows things down with a poking organ and deeper vocals, and "Take Yr Cane" sounds like Cursive gone funk thanks to a bad-ass (yes, I'm serious) cello squawk and a driving chorus. Most of the tracks after this simply modify what has come before with "Total Sexy Church" really standing out thanks to its fantastic take on the !!! sound.

Before you know it 14 kt. God is over and, like I said earlier, that's a good thing. Unlike many bands looking to get people on the dance floor, Panther know how to not run a song into the ground. Yeah, much of what you hear on this album will strike you as being familiar, but with an added dose of youthful zeal and a mix of vocal attacks, Panther have repackaged the dance game with overwhelming success.