album review: What Happened

I was told of this album by one of Dog & Panther's members, a friend who freelanced at my work. Before we had a chance to meet, I was informed that my twin was in the building; a tall guy in a flannel shirt. I noticed him drinking a mango Kombucha and complimented him on his choice. Until then, I had a feeling I was the only person who drank those things. We nervously made our way through small talk, and a couple weeks later he took over some work on a Final Cut project that I had to be pulled away from. After the clients left, we bantered about our recent favorite bands. At the time, I was big into Foals and he told me I would really like Maps & Atlases. He was unimpressed when I played him some Criteria. I didn't think our musical tastes were great matches, but we had our overlaps. He told me that he was in a band that was was putting together an album, and when he played me part of a song that was still a work in progress, I was intrigued and asked for updates as the album neared completion. He also touted Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and we watched some of an episode. It was a little too disjointed for me to get into at the time. Maybe one day.

About a month ago he contacted me to let me know that the album was available for download. I was impressed with the supplemental video promos they created to coincide with the release: one for the free download of "Skin Cloud" and a second for the album's realease, featuring the honest, believable and uplifiting sentiments of the intro track "Love Make":

“Don’t believe what anyone says
you’re not alone, you’re strong
you have love to give so give it away
and let go of the wrongs you’ve done
you have today, now make your life your own.”



There are obvious comparisons to be made between Dog & Panther and the Postal Service, so let me get them out of the way early. One of my roommates, upon hearing about thirty seconds of one song, asked me whether it was Death Cab For Cutie. I laughed and told him that it was in fact my friend's band. For me, the comparisons to Ben Gibbard's vocals are irrelevant. While I agree to the parity to the Postal Service, it's more because of their place in the evolution of my own musical tastes. Bands have come and gone through my stereo, and at present I recognize that what turns my ear can be easily defined as a witty mixture of obscure catchiness and heartfelt ambiance. The style of music that best encapsulates this combination is what I call "Indie Pop Electronica". Bands that take straight-up indie rock; post-emo (post-punk) and fearfully transient; and try to overcome their peer's bullshit musical filler with whatever they can conceive to supplement it. Bands like Islands, The Helio Sequence, Halloween, Alaska, The Go Find, Enon and The Notwist take music that would otherwise be merely substantial and turn it into something memorable. The hooks are there, though you didn't quite expect them. Dog & Panther manage to take that thinking a step further and forego the rock foundation in favor of something porous and emotional. Instruments are as unrecognizable in listening as they are commonplace outside of the studio. This is experimental music created not from the bottom up, but from the top down. Where a guitar might carry a verse, in place are effected vocal wailings. Drum machine rhythms come alive alongside unmistakably organic claps and chirps. Each song breathes a mortality that isn't just heard; it is felt. The lyrics are the warmth coursing through the veins of every track. They beg you to listen, to acknowledge their existence and allow them to live and run free.

They cry out: "You should do the same."