Pretty. Odd. (CD)

A discovery of pop-punk superstars Fall Out Boy, the Las Vegas emo band Panic! At the Disco (named for a Smiths song), stormed the charts in 2005 while its members were barely old enough to vote. Offering a highly danceable take on the emo formula of pop melodies, punk guitars, and heart-on-sleeve lyrics, Panic! are as much a symbol of the power of new digital media--download sites, blogs, DIY Internet outlets like My Space--as they are of the state of music in the early 2000s. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, the band's debut album, FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT, sold almost 10,000 copies the first week of its release.

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: March 25, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fueled By Ramen
• UPC: 075678995088
• WAPI (Tower ID): 111851479
• Average Customer Review:    (1 customer review)
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #2788 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #1286 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #879 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)

•  [Panic! At The Disco - Official Sitethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Panic! At The Disco - Myspacethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Panic! At The Disco - Wikipedia Entrythis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Panic! At The Disco - Music at Last.fmthis link opens a new window] 
  

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Rolling Stone (p.64) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "The tunes are often beautiful, especially 'Northern Downpour' and 'She's a Handsome Woman,' while 'Mad as Rabbits' has a horn section beamed in from the Beatles' 'Savory Truffle.'"
Spin (p.92) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] big-budget Beatles love letter right down to its Abbey Road orchestra....Ross and crew have stepped up their songwriting skills..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.64) - "[A] dense, largely enjoyable layer cakes of ideas and instrumentation..." -- Grade: B+
Uncut (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]heir second finds them channeling SGT. PEPPER...down a nightmarish rabbit hole of hyper-reality, '60s pop, '20s swing, banjos and horns."
Alternative Press (p.147) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Drummer Spencer Smith keeps things solid for Ross and producer Rob Mathes' sonic flights of fancy..."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.46) - "It's a record that sounds wonderful, bold and excitiy....Panic's ear for cheery melody is unabashed and perhaps stronger than ever."
Q (Magazine) (p.134) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Lead single 'Nine In The Afternoon' is a beautifully proportioned pop song....Similarly, 'Do You Know What I'm Seeing?''s meandering melody betrays a sharp intelligence."
Blender (Magazine) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Here, they've relaxed, shed their grandiosity and learned how to goof around."
Paste (magazine) (p.72) - "[T]he new record reaffirms the basic premise that quality rock songs transcend fashion....PRETTY.ODD. will likely sustain much of the band's existing fanbase."

Panic At the Disco subverted the potential for a sophomore slump by taking a sharp left turn from the emo-fused pop-punk of their debut, A FEVER YOU CAN'T SWEAT OUT. Rather than retracing the footsteps that brought them popularity, Panic At the Disco made PRETTY. ODD., a headlong dive into pure 1960s pop psychedelia. From the floral print cover-art (framed by a vintage photo album-style border) to the artfully constructed retro symphonic pop inside, PRETTY. ODD. will surprise fans and stump naysayers.

Both the self-referential opener, "We're So Starving," and the lead single, "Nine in the Afternoon," with its soaring chorus and echoing horn lines, channel SGT. PEPPERS-era Beatles. The drowsy, lovely "Northern Downpour" and the music hall send-up (complete with added vinyl crackle), "I Have Friends in Holy Spaces," suggest the band has also been listening to the Beatles' WHITE ALBUM. But although PRETTY. ODD. is indebted to the Fab Four, it also has a contemporary feel, and no shortage of guitar-charged rock. Most surprising is that this unlikely experiment succeeds on the merit of its ambition, wit, and fine melodic songwriting.

Panic! At The Disco – Pretty. Odd.

Pretty. Odd. or Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? This is not to say that I’m comparing The Beatles to Panic at the Disco, rather that it seems the Vegas troupe is trying to create their version of a ‘70s classic rock album. Succeed in this they did not; succeed in creating a fun driven album for their ever growing fan base, they did.

As uttered by the band, this recording was a team effort all the way. All four members sing on this album and all the pieces in this puzzle had an opportunity to co-write and co-direct the effort into a direction they felt it should go. However the record does lack the outfit’s previous tendency for tunes with a touch more edge. A more circus like feel wrapped up in ‘70s simplicity, may drive certain fans back from this sophomore release.

"Nine in the Afternoon" and "That Green Gentleman" express the group’s balladic talent and a beautiful sympathetic sound can be found in "Northern Downpour" and "She's a Handsome Woman”. Regardless of the nature of the album’s tracks, a consistent over tone of humor and an incredible ability to laugh at one’s self, is prevalent throughout the song pile.

Once the dust has settled it’s easy to make out what these boys really are. A fun gang making music they enjoy and thus creating a following of like minded individuals. We’ll need to wait and see if their baroque take on the emo-pop generation will stand the test of time, but for now let’s not panic, and just enjoy the disco.

Favorite Songs: "She's a Handsome Woman”, “That Green Gentleman”, “Mad As Rabbits”

Danny LIT - Tower Pulse – 4/10/2008

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