Panic! At the Disco’s new album is finally out!
Artwork by Hayden Johnson
In July 2009, the alternative baroque folk rock band Panic! At the Disco went from four members to two. The band, which was previously composed of Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, is now only Urie and Smith. Despite this, the band was not discouraged and set immediately upon producing a new album.
Panic! At the Disco’s third album, Vices & Virtues, starts with a fast-paced single: The Ballad of Mona Lisa. The song really draws the listener in and is easy to dance to. The lyrics are reminiscent of Build God, Then We’ll Talk from Panic!’s first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, and the heavy, punk feel is a stark contrast to their second album, Pretty. Odd., which had a folkier feel.
The second song on the album, Let’s Kill Tonight, however, brings us back to Pretty. Odd. while still keeping that upbeat punk feel. It’s the perfect marriage in style of their first two albums and is a sign that the band is really developing a consistent sound that is entirely theirs. Though Panic! has always been a very unique band, the breakup has certainly done wonders for its voice. Urie and Smith work together very well and have created an album that is nothing short of perfection.
Their third song, Hurricane, begins with soft elevator muzak, which is shattered by precise percussion. The song continues in the same style as the first two songs, but with Urie’s voice more in the spotlight. At points in the song, there is an instrumental break and Urie sings a capella before the instruments start up again full-force. The song’s bridge declares, “you’ll dance to anything!” Which, in this album, is completely true.
Following that is Memories, which is a change of pace. It still has the strong, punk feel, but it is slightly slower and Urie’s voice is much more ballad-style. It’s one of those songs that would play at the end of a romantic movie. The lyrics are bittersweet, including such phrases as, “…it was beautifully depressing, like a Streetcar Named Desire.” If there was ever any doubt in my mind that Panic! had lost their poetic quality, this song has completely removed it.
Next up is Trade Mistakes, which begins as an even gentler song. The chorus brings back the power of the rest of the album, but Urie’s voice is so heartbreakingly sincere that the song retains its sweet quality. “I may never sleep tonight, as long as you’re still burning bright,” sings Urie. The song is so gut-wrenchingly heartfelt that it makes me want to lock myself in my room with a pint of ice cream, crying my eyes out. It is so earnestly romantic that it hurts. The song is a fast-paced, energetic ballad – something I had never heard before. If someone had asked me before listening to this song if that was possible, I would have wholeheartedly told them no. Panic!, however, has pushed musical boundaries once again and proved me wrong.
Though I would love nothing more than to go into great depth describing every song on the album, for the sake of brevity, I will stop there. Vices & Virtues has a very consistent feel and has elements of both of Panic!’s first two albums. Overall, it has a feel more similar to A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, but fans of either of the albums would enjoy this one. Though Pretty. Odd. lost Panic! many of their fans for being so much different than their first album, I believe this album completely redeems them.
Vices & Virtues goes on sale March 22, 2011. The album is available for listening now at http://www.facebook.com/panicatthedisco?sk=app_178091127385.
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Track Listing:
1. The Ballad of Mona Lisa
2. Let’s Kill Tonight
3. Hurricane
4. Memories
5. Trade Mistakes
6. Ready To Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)
7. Always
8. The Calendar
9. Sarah Smiles
10. Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met…)
