Maxwell Panther: Sound is a Place

I often take great pleasure in being contrary; if most of the blogoshere says that 2+2=4 there's half a chance I'll say it's 5. Every so often, however, I find myself agreeing with the throng. The new Maxwell Panther LP Do You Feel Different Yet? has just been released on Song, by Toad Records, and every single review that I've read make. quite a fuss of the production values. Everyone appears to be reveling in the low-fi nature of the recording, so naturally I'd made up my mind not to descend to this oh-so-obvious observation. Alas, one cannot fully discuss the music of Maxwell Panther without touching on the production; it was the elephant in the room for my first attempt at writing this review, not of the Do You Feel Different Yet? LP - because I've not heard all of it - but of the Sound is a Place EP launched through Bandcamp late last year.

First and foremost, the songs are good; I could blather on about the production until the cows come home, but it would all be somewhat pointless if the songs didn't cut the mustard. Often one will come across a record that can be flatteringly described as "scratchy" where the songs are as ropey as the production; it's quite common to find something of worth hidden under the flaws, and see the "potential" in the record, at the very least on a "their next record is going to be great" level. Thankfully with Sound is a Place, the songwriting is a fait accompli; mature and sophisticated, there's no need to look for the "potential" because it's already been realised. And this is a crucial point when discussing a record such as this. It's practically universally agreed that the songwriting is the most important element of a record, and it's certainly a point of view I agree with. A good song can easily eclipse bad technique, but that's not the case with this record - the writing is of such a high standard that the production ethos can only be an artistic choice.

Long Story Short: To listen to Sound is a Place and think that the production is "bad" is to miss the point entirely; the fuzziness, the hiss, it's all intentional. This EP should be absorbed as a complete package, as the production re-enforces the songwriting which in turn re-enforces the production... Sound is a Place can be bought via an "honesty box" system over at the Maxwell Panther Bandcamp page, and the new album _Do You Feel Different Yet? _is out now on Song, by Toad records.

Maxwell Panther - Sound is a Place [audio //www.bearfacedrecords.com/EbMBlog_mp3s/MaxwellPanther/MaxwellPanther_SoundIsAPlace.mp3]