"John Maus lives and works in Austin, Minnesota. Although first drawn to our attention as a core member of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and keyboard player with Animal Collective's Panda Bear, Maus has proved himself an extraordinary musician with a distinctive sound in his own right. Love Is Real is an album of contrast, of obscurity and familiarity, of darkness and light. Moments of intense disco anxiety warning against the sins of avarice ('Too Much Money') find themselves rubbing shoulders with romantic virtuoso fugues ('Green Bouzard'). The juxtaposition of the buoyant '80s synth pop alongside John's sombre, sometimes even morose lyrics is another good example of this tension. 'Without you girl, I'm going over the edge,' Maus sings over the four-to-the-floor dance rhythm of the album's prescient closer 'Times Is Weird.'Over the fantastical keyboard gymnastics of 'The Whole World's Coming Apart,' John finds relief in repeatedly confessing 'This is my nightmare, my nightmare.' It's contrasts like these which point towards John's preoccupation on this album with confused emotions and misunderstood intentions. Ariel Pink, Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Scott Walker, Echo & The Bunnymen, Goblin, Ultravox, Joy Division, The Cure, Bach."