Review: Panic At The Disco - Pretty. Odd.
Monday, April 7th, 2008
Ok, full disclosure. Before Saturday afternoon I couldn’t name a single song by Panic At The Disco. The only things I knew about them were that they were somehow affiliated with Pete Wentz and Fall Out Boy, and that for their new album “Pretty.Odd” they removed the “!” from their original name “Panic! At The Disco”. So I am not even close to being an authority, or expert on these guys. In this case, I may not even be qualified to “review” an album of theirs. But I’m going to, because “Pretty.Odd” is one of the most surprisingly enjoyable albums I’ve listened to in months.
Heading in with no expectations at all, I was greeted with a totally retro psychedelic rock experience clearly patterned on The Beatles and “Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band”. Opening track “We’re So Starving” is sonically and lyrically a total take-off of that classic album opener, down to the way it flows into “Nine In the Afternoon”. The beginning of “When The Day Meets The Night” harkens back to the classic sitar-sound of George Harrison, with a catchy and totally uplifting chorus to hook you in. Horns and strings show up throughout the entire album (recorded at, you guessed it, Abbey Road Studios), adding a lush, full sound to the production that is thoroughly retro but that still feels contemporary. I’m not saying this album is as good as anything the Fab Four ever did - far from it. There isn’t any song that holds a candle to anything on “Sgt. Pepper’s”, but it really is a pleasure to listen to, just like the best Beatles albums. Make that the best albums generally.
What boggles my mind is that the guys in Panic At The Disco are kids! The ages in the band range from 20-22, and they’ve created an album that feels like the work of artists twice their age. It’s pretty impressive stuff, especially if you’re into the bands obvious influences on this album. The fact that Panic At The Disco is signed to a major label and putting out an album like “Pretty.Odd” should be applauded. And then played and played again.
Check out fthe unabashedly Beatles influenced video to first single “Nine in the Afternoon” below.