Panic at the Disco -Pretty. Odd.

Sun 23rd Mar, 2008 in Music Reviews

I used to think Panic at the Disco were just pretty looking boys making pretentious music. They’ve flipped that with this album, and are now pretentious looking boys making pretty music. They’ve at least dropped that stupid ’!’.

Pretty. Odd. opens very cheekily, but it does set the tone for the majority of this album as generally upbeat and light-hearted. Fans of the band’s first albums will be somewhat disappointed at the lack of heavier melodies and profound lyrics. They’re still there, though – just buried underneath the surface of Brendan Urie’s nightingale voice. The album is packed full of celestial imagery (moons, suns, stars), only adding to the ethereal, floaty vibe of Panic’s second release. Perhaps surprisingly, it has potential to be played lazily in the background of a warm summer night.

There have been a lot of Beatles comparisons in reviews of this album. While those influences are prominent, it’s the Beatles when the Beatles were still pandering to popular sounds – before they got to truly experiment. But the 15 tracks do offer a host of surprises, ranging from the Hawaiian-grass-skirt ukuleles and trumpets on I Have Friends in Holy Spaces” to the square-dancing, country style Folkin’ Around. The second half of the album houses the more sombre melodies but overall, Pretty. Odd. plays like the soundtrack to a big-top circus act. And when the whistling kicks in on the final tracks, and a smile spreads on your face, you realise Pretty. Odd. is happy, sweet and cute. Nothing groundbreaking – but certainly cute.