The Clifffs made a perfect record in their sophomore effort, PANIC ATTACK. Under-the-radar greatness is nothing new for CLIFFFS frontman/mastermind John Dufilho. He's done it with The Deathray Davies. He's done it with Cantina. He's done it as producer and player on scores of albums by other artists, my own included. Something about this CLIFFFS project is different though. The lineup is smaller, for one thing. John's joined only by a tight, simple rhythm section comprised of Andy Lester (bass, vocals) and Bill Spellman (drums, vocals), and perhaps this is an intentional counterintuitive strategy - less is more. It works. In PANIC ATTACK's 13 tracks, there's more breathing room than in any previous Dufilho project. And the result is somehow messier. And bigger. Giant even. Perfect. Mostly, the songs here are not as short as those found on the CLIFFFS' 2016 debut bill, You're Only Human, which was a favorite of college/NPR/indie radio. These new tunes are charmingly compact nonetheless. The asceticism of that debut album has also relaxed in the arrangements of the songs on PANIC ATTACK. A little breathing room for a solo here, or an extra chorus there, allows the listener to live in the song a moment longer. It's as if John Dufilho and CLIFFFS are feeling their way through the darkness, allowing each step to take them a little farther. Or maybe these veteran Dallas rockers are mad scientists, combining fizzing, bubbling substances at random and then marveling at the explosions ATTENTION: please remember that all Blu-Rays are Region A USA and all DVDs Region 1 USA and you will need a multi region Blu-Ray/DVD player to play them.