I can’t believe I stumbled across this…or rather I’d stopped caring because nobody really knows who Panic! at the Disco really are. Since the addition of the exclamation mark and half of the band disappearing after the first album, it appears Brendan Urie and Spencer Smith just went off on one really didn’t they? Their second album, Pretty Odd, was compared to the likes of The Beatles, mostly because of the instrument use and set ups. The album was pretty…good, it was an interesting listen and completely different from anything we had heard before, and in all, nothing like the first. (A Beatles comparison was pushing it but it made for a stimulating listen).
With the third album, well let’s just say I didn’t purchase it. Although the singles were catchy and uplifting, they fell rather flat with message. There was a lot of repeating and cheeriness, and although the album had a completely different sound to the two previous, (which at this point was expected) it didn’t go down too well in my books. Now, album number 4 crept up on me. I didn’t know it was coming and I stumbled upon it when a housemate of mine cheerily discovered the news. Being old-time fans we sat down and listened to the whole album in full. After all, that is how the band intended for us to hear these songs.
Not surprisingly, it is not their best. There seems to be a lot of techno influence and synth beats involved, so if you are into that and need a new pop album in your collection, I would suggest checking it out. Brendan’s voice still sounds amazing, although with all the poppy techno influence he does tend to sound a little repetitive and robot-like. The title of the album may sound familiar, a famous line from Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. This is also used in other albums and songs with such influence from the writer, including ‘Bat Country’ – Avenged Sevenfold. Although I will always hold a place in my record collection for A Fever You can’t Sweat Out (their debut album), I feel Panic! At The Disco were a 2005 band for me and will stay there.
Written by Sophie Cohen
The Verse
