| Panther in the Dollhouse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 7, 2017 | |||
| Label | Six Shooter Records | |||
| Producer | Gus van Go, Werner F | |||
| Whitehorse chronology | ||||
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Panther in the Dollhouse is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Whitehorse. The album was released via Six Shooter Records on July 7, 2017. [1]
Whitehorse is a Canadian band consisting of husband-and-wife musicians and songwriters Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. For Panther in the Dollhouse, they followed their usual writing pattern: each of them wrote songs individually. In an interview with Vue Weekly, McClelland says "We will each have a batch of songs and the ones we both gravitate to we claim are Whitehorse songs". [2]
The track "Nighthawks" was written in response to Canada's Bill C-36, a law that modified the Canadian Criminal Code with respect to offenses related to prostitution. [3] [2] Several other songs on the album, including "Trophy Wife" and "Boys Like You", also relate to sexual politics. [4] This theme was carried into the album launch show, which included a taping of Dan Savage's Savage Love podcast, and featured sex worker advocate Terri-Jean Bedford participating in a panel discussion. [4]
Financial support for the recording came from FACTOR and the Ontario Media Development Corporation. [5]
On Metacritic, the album holds a score of 78/100 based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". [6]
Kyle Mullin, writing for Exclaim!, called Panther in the Dollhouse "one of the best albums of the summer, if not the year", and identified "Boys Like You" as one of the best songs on the album. [1] Hal Horowitz, reviewing the album for American Songwriter, described Whitehorse's genre as "impossible to pigeonhole" and praised the album's production; Horowitz considered "Nighthawks" to be a highlight of the album. [7] Chrissie Dickinson, wrote in the Chicago Tribune that the first single ("Boys Like You") is a "rhythm-heavy and shivery rock-pop song", and the accompanying video is "sleek and cinematic sendup of rock & roll stardom". [8] Steve Horowitz rated the album 7/10, and said "the music has a strong, charismatic appeal" in his review for PopMatters. [9] James Fenney, writing in Never Enough Notes, said that Whitehorse "swapped Americana for slick noir rock" for this album, and that "Whitehorse’s successes outweigh the problematic moments on Panther in the Dollhouse", rating the album 3/5. [10]
Credits are taken from the album liner notes. [5]
All songs were written by Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet, with the addition of Gus Van Go on Pink Kimono, and the addition of Gus Van Go, Werner F, Chris Soper and Jesse Singer on Nighthawks.
Production was by Gus Van Go and Werner F, with addition production by Likeminds.
Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet: Vocals, guitars, percussion
Gus Van Go: Bass, percussion
Werner F: Additional guitars
Jesse Singer: Drums, drum programming, bass, synthesizers, percussion
Chris Soper: Drum programming, B3 organ, electric piano, piano, synthesizers.
The Pretenders are an English-American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.
Christine Ellen Hynde is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alongside drummer Martin Chambers. She is the only continuous member of the band, appearing on every studio album.
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Luke Doucet is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has written and performed as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock band Veal and the folk rock band Whitehorse.
Melissa McClelland is an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter who lived in Hamilton, Ontario, in her youth and now bases her career from Toronto, Ontario. McClelland's music is influenced by blues and Americana. A writer on CMJ's staff blog wrote that McClelland has "a persona reminiscent of a female Tom Waits."
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Gus van Go is a music producer, mixer, and musician. He is best known for his work with the Montreal band The Stills, with credits for production, mixing, writing and arranging three albums and one EP with the band. He has also produced and mixed material for a number or artists, including Arkells, The Sam Roberts Band, Whitehorse, Wintersleep, Michael Rault, Terra Lightfoot, Hollerado, Said The Whale, The Trews, and Priestess. He is also a member of the band Megative, along with Tim Fletcher and Jamaican reggae vocalist Screechy Dan.
Whitehorse is the self-titled album from Whitehorse, a band consisting of Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet. The album was released on August 30, 2011 in Canada by Six Shooter Records. It was made available for digital download on August 9, 2011.
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Whitehorse is a Canadian folk rock band, composed of husband-and-wife duo Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Doucet and McClelland were both established singer-songwriters before opting to put their solo careers on hold to work together as Whitehorse.
