Spring Break
Panic at the Disco's CD Pretty.Odd. will sound familiar to Beatles fans
Alyssa Smith
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Entertainment
04/02/08 - With the removal of the exclamation point from its name and a newfound sound aping '60s pop hits, Panic at the Disco are back with their new album Pretty. Odd.
The protégés of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz hail from Las Vegas, making a name for themselves by capitalizing on an emo-sound melded with over-the-top bits of electronica and dance.
Pretty. Odd. is the boys' second album. Their debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, released in 2005, included their biggest hit, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies."
So let's get down to it. Does this album have the same Killers-meets-Cirque De Soleil- meets- Fall Out Boy style? Well, not exactly. PATD does incorporate more instruments and a full orchestral sound to their shtick. However, once singer Brendon Urie opens his mouth, the all-too-familiar trademark shrill emo voice is unleashed.
Instead of using the violins, horns and pianos to create something new, they blatantly arrange the majority of the songs, lyrics and music video to one particular group. A group that no punk-pop band such as PATD should touch: the Beatles.
Take a quick listen to the transitional intro track "We're So Starving." The chorus for this original ditty is, "Oh, how it's been so long, we're so sorry we've been gone, we've been busy writing songs for you." If the words don't make a convincing argument that they've swindled Sgt. Pepper's, then we shouldn't even discuss the actual melody, which includes staccato-sounding violins, psychedelic guitar and a cheering audience.
First off, how long has PATD been "gone?" Well, their first album was released in 2005, and their second album was released in 2008. If I have my math right, I'd say that's a whopping three years. I guess that's a lot of time, since they push out so many hits.
The next track, their oh-so-quirky new single, "Nine in the Afternoon," treks onward with the pilfering of psychedelic Beatles sound. The perky violins, large horn section and intermittent usage of trolley bells produce a foreign kind of tune from PATD's usual cabaret-esque noise.
The protégés of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz hail from Las Vegas, making a name for themselves by capitalizing on an emo-sound melded with over-the-top bits of electronica and dance.
Pretty. Odd. is the boys' second album. Their debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, released in 2005, included their biggest hit, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies."
So let's get down to it. Does this album have the same Killers-meets-Cirque De Soleil- meets- Fall Out Boy style? Well, not exactly. PATD does incorporate more instruments and a full orchestral sound to their shtick. However, once singer Brendon Urie opens his mouth, the all-too-familiar trademark shrill emo voice is unleashed.
Instead of using the violins, horns and pianos to create something new, they blatantly arrange the majority of the songs, lyrics and music video to one particular group. A group that no punk-pop band such as PATD should touch: the Beatles.
Take a quick listen to the transitional intro track "We're So Starving." The chorus for this original ditty is, "Oh, how it's been so long, we're so sorry we've been gone, we've been busy writing songs for you." If the words don't make a convincing argument that they've swindled Sgt. Pepper's, then we shouldn't even discuss the actual melody, which includes staccato-sounding violins, psychedelic guitar and a cheering audience.
First off, how long has PATD been "gone?" Well, their first album was released in 2005, and their second album was released in 2008. If I have my math right, I'd say that's a whopping three years. I guess that's a lot of time, since they push out so many hits.
The next track, their oh-so-quirky new single, "Nine in the Afternoon," treks onward with the pilfering of psychedelic Beatles sound. The perky violins, large horn section and intermittent usage of trolley bells produce a foreign kind of tune from PATD's usual cabaret-esque noise.
