ALBUM REVIEW: Panic At The Disco
- Posted on April 4, 2008 10:57 AM
- 0 comments
Panic At The Disco
Pretty. Odd
Out 24th March 2008 on Fuelled By Ramen / Atlantic Records
Review by Gareth Thomas
‘Pretty. Odd’, the somewhat overdue album from Vegas four piece ‘Panic At The Disco’, has finally arrived on the metaphorical doorstep of 2008. Gone are the electro-beats and synthesizers charming Pete Wentz and a million US teens alike. Instead, listeners observe an extensive collection of tracks, boasting everything from folk jingles to Beatle-esque orchestras. With their first album having studied and ctrl-C’d everything embodying the MySpace age, this new release replaces it with melodically rich, and indeed matured, content. But have PATD lost something in this perilous shift, as well as the superfluous exclamation mark which caused so many to pronounce the bands name with a certain intensity? The simple answer: not quite.
The new album boasts a fresh wardrobe of immensely enjoyable tracks, such as the Sgt. Pepper influenced “Nine in the Afternoon” (if you are yet to hear this track, just listen to XFM for more than 15 minutes). Yet The Beatles are not the sole inspiration within this album: one can assume that The Beach Boys, and in particular, The Kinks, have recently found a home on both Urie’s and Ross’ mp3 players.
From the ukulele-driven quirkiness of “I Have Friends in Holy Spaces” to the heartfelt balladry of “Northern Downpour”, the splendid vocals and reassuring rifts seemingly captivate the open-minded listener. Many fans of Panic’s previous work could be disappointed, although ‘Pas De Cheval’ offers a nostalgic recollection to the upbeat delivery that prompted their debut’s success. Yet the melodies fashioned are so handsomely pronounced that one cannot listen without simultaneously tapping their feet. It seems difficult not to be swayed by the feel-good energy generated, but in a pleasurable way, unlike the suffocating sentimentality expressed so frequently within every ‘The Feeling’ single. Everything here in the Pretty Odd world of Panic is authentically retro, and notably, disarmingly British, given its palpable referencing to the weather (Urie appears to be somewhat fond of the moon).
Any band attempting to move their music in a novel direction, although risky, is utterly commendable. It is pleasing to note that Panic have indeed crossed the hazardous bridge of music maturity. ‘Pretty Odd’ is a venerable effort from a band that is very much still in chrysalis: a record that is as likely to raise as many eyebrows as it does sale figures.
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