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04-09-2008, 00:00 Geschreven door music_critic  

Panic At The Disco, now without the exclamation mark, was formed in 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The current band members are:

Brendon Urie (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Ryan Ross (guitar, keyboards)
Jon Walker (bass guitar)
Spencer Smith (drums, percussion)

The original bassist was Brent Wilson, who’s departure was everything but amicable.

I find it extremely hard to label PATD as they experiment with many different musical styles. That makes it usually easy for me to just call them a Crossover band but they consider themselves as Rock, Big Beat and Techno. I could settle for Alternative Rock but Big Beat and Techno are the last genres that come to mind when you listen to their second and most recent album.
I do agree with PATD though that labelling their music Emo is bullsh*t.

Pete Wentz, bassist of the Fall Out Boys got them signed to Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance, the label that has Paramore under contract, whom I also reviewed.
A noticeable similarity between PATD and the Fall Out Boys is that they sometimes use lines from movies as song titles.

In September 2005 PATD released their first album called A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Due to the lack of an army of PR people the album failed to reach a top ten spot in the major charts but hit #1 in the US Billboard Independent Album Charts. Then again, competent people in the music business happen about as often as a blizzard in the desert. Their popularity grew however, as they toured and easily outplayed higher viewed bands. A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out reached platinum.

The first half of the album emphasises an electronic style (synthesiser and drums) but changes after the Intermission (track #8) to actual instruments. If you think about it, the intermission symbolically starts with a synthesiser and ends with piano play.
Most remarkable is Brendon Urie’s singing, the trademark of the band I’d say. I am (was) a vocalist but as inviting as the songs are to sing along, I am about 50 times off-key by the time I reach the chorus.

As the beat’s another focus of the band guitar and bass are supporting instruments rather than being significant for the songs.
They released five singles, The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage, I Write Sins Not Tragedies, But It’s Better If You Do, Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off and Build God Then We’ll Talk, with rather modest success.

To me this is one of the best albums I have ever heard. I Write Sins Not Tragedies and Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off are songs you will never forget. The musical intermission from But It’s Better If You Do to I Write Sins Not Tragedies is beautiful and couldn't be any better.

Calling this album Emo is like calling Michael Jackson Caucasian. This album has speed and persuades you to move along and/or sing along. It’s what I call good mood stuff and quite frankly may well be an anti depressant. Is that the relation one sees with PATD and Emo?

In March 2008 PATD released their second album Pretty. Odd. It peaked at #1 in Australia and #2 in the UK and the USA.
It is a completely different style though. Partly recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios some of the songs show a resemblance with the Beatles. They also experiment with Folk and some style from a century ago, the kind of music you could hear on the radio during wartime.
Like A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, which has a short instrumental Introduction and an Intermisson, they are using short songs on Pretty. Odd. but they really don’t do it for me.

They’ve already released three singles, Nine In The Afternoon, Mad As Rabbits and That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed), with Northern Downpour as the soon to be fourth single.

In my opinion only Nine In The Afternoon and That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) remind you of the early PATD. Brendon Urie and Ryan Ross share the vocals on She Had The World and is, according to me, the best song on the album.
While their first album makes you cheery and merry, Pretty. Odd. is not an album I recommend if you are depressed. It sure as hell will get you over the edge.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think it is a musically good piece of work but it doesn’t appeal to my taste buds after being spoilt with A Fever You Can’t Sweat out.
This album reminds me of a carnival/circus. It’s the kind of music I’d expect there. Actually, PATD are known for their circus style shows during their performances.

I still believe that PATD are one of the best bands around. They are certainly one of the most underrated bands ever but I hope they go back to their roots.

www.panicatthedisco.com

01-09-2008, 13:19 Geschreven door music_critic