Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.
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Free Music Notes for Pretty. Odd.
Free Music Review: pretty odd is right
Hit: 1 Stars
this CD can never compare to "A FEVER YOU CANT SWEAT OUT" this new cd is too slow. i loved their other CD. Free Music Review: Different style doesn't have to mean bad
Hit: 4 Stars
Let me start by saying that I never played "Fever" in heavy rotation. However, I (like many Panic! fans) loved the wit, danceable rhythyms, and crunching guitar from the last album. Certain tracks from that album, namely "Time to Dance," "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies," and "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" are still in my 25 most played songs list. Regardless, I love the fact that the band has fresh, new material to offer. This album is basically the band's second breakthrough, and I couldn't be happier with the direction the band has taken.
Simply put, "Fever" was NOT as original or musically complex as many have claimed it to be. A solid album, but Panic!s distinct sound became muddied when played next to similar bands like Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, other "emo-punk" acts of 2005-2006, etc. With the release of "Pretty. Odd." the band has shown that they are capable of versatile musicianship and superior songwriting, something entirely different from the wildly commercial success of "Fever."
This album will undoubtedly confuse or disappoint die-hard "Fever" fans at first. Trust me, I had to force myself to listen to the album about 5 times through before I could accept its uniqueness. There is simply not another contemporary album out now that sounds like it. If you give the album some time, and listen to the songs for what they are worth, it just might grow on you (that's a note for Panic-haters from the last album, also!) .
"Nine in the Afternoon" is an excellent single to transition into the new sound. It sounds almost like the more jangly, swinging tracks from "Fever" ("But It's Better If You Do") with a hint of 60s psychedelia thrown in for good measure.
"Behind the Sea" definitely represents the "Odd" of the album, but has a Beatlesque charm to it (lyrics like "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," vocals meander like McCartney singing "Lovely Rita"). Make no mistake, this is a catchy song, and stands out among the rest for the use of its eclecticism.
"Northern Downpour." Wow, where do I begin? This is easily the most frequently played song in my library over the course of the last 5 weeks. I started out listening to it 6-8 times a day and could not get enough of it. Now when I play it, I can't help but sing along: the lyrics are gold, clever and touching. The complementing acoustic chords, and subsequent piano are exactly the right support to the vocals. By the time the second verse kicks in, melody is attacking your ears from at least six different directions as the electric guitar joins in to pay homage to George Harrison's background-harmony-riffing. Toward the end of the song, it's impossible not to sing with the chorus: "Hey moon, please forget to fall down / Hey moon, don't you go down."
Only one thing kept me from giving this album 5 stars: all of the songs are so different from each other that they sound like they may as well be pulled off of a greatest hits album. Not necessarily a bad thing, but for picky fans like myself a little bit of album cohesion is appreciated. I like songs to flow together, and I like not having to skip tracks that I feel are weaker than others. A little bit of personal preference there, and surely not enough to discredit the originality (dare I say "classic" status) of the album.
Long story short, "Pretty. Odd." is not "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out." It's not even close. It's a whole different style, a whole different genre, and a whole new maturity for the band. Bands evolve, sounds evolve. There is no music industry rule that says a band must stick to their old-school sound. Panic at the Disco have completely surprised me, and everyone that I recommend the album to. Think and listen beyond past prejudices here: this is a fresh start, and the only way to appreciate the music is to accept the new direction that the band is taking. Personally, I would be just as happy if this was Panic at the Disco's breakthrough debut, instead of "Fever." And in a way, it is.
Free Music Review: The Most Unique Band To Grace Our Fair World!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I cannot stop listening to this album. I am, unlike others, new to Panic at the Disco and I have no idea what their first album was like but I am going to investigate it, however I am a mellow chap and I am filled with cheer to read that some refer to their new album as an unexpected delightful change and puzzled that others, to the point of almost being appalled, say the change is for the worse, as it differs from the punk/rock spirit their first album apparently had.
I'll relish this album always, as I am more a mellow indie kid than anything else and this albums jolly, wordy-ness inspires my imagination as it trips along some sort of never-ending sensual delight, buoyant and jovial. The band members strike me as true artists because they seem to have embraced every musical style while injecting something quintessentially their own. Their obvious enjoyment in what they do is felt in this recording. I heartily recommend their second album!
Also, their video to their hit single 'Nine in the Afternoon,' is fantastic work, very witty and hilarious!
Free Music Review: Pretty Much Heard It Already
Hit: 3 Stars
There is one reason why I gave Panic!At The Disco 3 stars, but let me tell you first that they are a talented band that give us good tunes and "Nine In The Afternoon" was my draw to this album. The album is different from the first album in the sense that it's stylistically different. There is no doubt that songs on Pretty.Odd is cleverly written. I have listened to this album since the first day of it's release, and after a 5 hour train ride listening to this album last week I didn't feel any different than the first day. I was trying to see if the album would grow on me and it didn't. Here is my reason.
The Beatles belong in the 60's. They got a talented producer that became there George Martin for this project. The strings and symphony where nicely arranged, but in the end it sounded so much Beatles. Even the way they recorded. The hard pan left and right recording, and the effects made it a late 60's beatles memoriam. I do not mind bands that have Beatles influences, but try to stay away from The Beatles formula. Bands like Queen, Jellyfish, etc.,have been influenced by the Beatles and you can hear it clearly in their music, but they evolved into something of their own. Their is no reason for me to go into reviewing the songs of Pretty.Odd , because if you have heard Magical Mystery Tour, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band etc, you pretty much have heard the albums direction.
Free Music Review: Album Title Says It All
Hit: 2 Stars
I absolutely loved Panic! At The Disco's previous album. Witty, catchy lyrics paired with upbeat tempos and great production, it was a fantastic album in it's own right, and set a very definitive standard for PATD. Unfortunatly for them, I suppose, it was too definitive, because the sophomore album attempt is nothing short of an utter failure to maintain that standard.
The new album lacks the creative, snappy lyricism that so defined the previous album, and none of the songs have that true, up-tempo punk feel that so characterized them previoiusly. In fact, it feels more like PATD decided to latch onto some Beatles influence, because the entire album is very mellow, with markedly more subdued vocals and instrumentals.
I'm actually pained at having to give this album 2 stars, because it's not a horrible album. On the contrary, it's really a mature sounding, introspective attempt that is pretty well put-together. Really, it's not a bad album, and I might have enjoyed it otherwise, but I wasn't expecting such an attempt from PATD, since their style was so clearly defined! With an introduction song stating plainly that they "hadn't changed", yet within the first few songs on the album a markedly different style has taken place, I couldn't have been more disappointed with this effort.