Pitchfork

On 2007's Secret Lawns, Panther mastermind Charlie Salas-Humara embraced the weirdo pop constructs of contemporary chart-pop producers; now, seemingly in an attempt to boil Secret Lawns to its roots he's stumbled into 14 kt God, another record that applies his nascent compositional talents to wily punk rock. 14 kt God is more conventional than its predecessor, however, and as a result it sounds less like a DIY Prince pastiche and more like a rangy Gang of Four or a less-abstract Pop Group. It's danceable, hook-oriented funk-punk with real-band dynamics and focused songwriting.

The change unfortunately strips Panther of many of their defining elements: Salas-Humara's surprisingly passable falsetto and overdriven Casio tones disappear in favor of cellos, violas, and Joe Kelly's live drumming. Failed compositional choices no longer pass as googly-eyed pastiche. 14 kt God benefits, though, from sturdier arrangements, legit funk rhythms, and instrumental interplay that erases the image of a rogue latch-key kid wilding out over an 808. 14 kt God opener "Puerto Rican Jukebox" crystallizes the differences: a jittery guitar locks step with a descending bassline. Salas-Humara keeps phrases short and shouted, like the Rapture's Luke Jenner, as the track cycles through two or three distinct motifs that never explicitly establish a verse-chorus-verse relationship.

So, you may long for the busy/mad skree of Secret Lawns but 14 kt God makes good use of its lithe, malleable guitar/bass/drum setup. "Her Past Are the Trees", "Decision, Decision", and "Beautiful Condo" jig and writhe around Salas-Humara's spindly axe work. Kelly earns his keep with spastic, controlled rhythms, coloring "Her Past" with orbiting cymbal crashes and adding a backbone of kickdrum to "These Two Trees". Panther sound best, though, when throwing change-ups: The album's only slow burner, "Glamorous War", lurches with an in-the-red electric organ. "Take Yr Cane" grooves on a distorted viola riff before a string section ushers in the chorus. "On the Lam" and "These Two Trees" abandon hooks in favor of dub-plate putty. The title track alternates between a playful chant and chunky, attenuated bursts of synth, as indecisive as anything from Secret Lawns but with greater sonic heft.

Salas-Humara doesn't have the pipes to carry a rock band long-term-- see the cringe-inducing "Violence, Diamonds", whose "Cave In, but funkier!"-patter almost sinks the first half of the album-- and he'd do well to incorporate more of Secret Lawns' goofball mannerisms: His Prince jones would sound comfortable inside "Jukebox" or "Take Yr Cane". 14 kt's move away from playful pop to rhythm-focused punk leads to some awkward groping, but there's enough hop in Salas-Humara and Kelly to keep the floor vibrating, even if the party has moved elsewhere.