Panic get Pretty.Odd

Sgt Panic's Lonely Hearts Club Band?

First off, I have a confession to make. I'm crazy about Panic At The Disco. I'm the girl who pushes her way to the front of the stage so she can throw her frillies at a mildly bemused Brendon.

I admit to this rather embarrassing confession, because I think its only fair that you know I come to this review completely biased towards them.

But there's another thing about me. Those I love the most, I test the most. My expectations of Panic's second album Pretty.Odd were so sky-high that it seemed they could only fail to live up to them. It's a tough situation for the boys from Las Vegas to be in.

Not that they seem to care two hoots what their fans think of their latest offering. Speaking to NME, Ryan Ross quipped “I don't feel suffocated by our fans' expectations of us, but it is frustrating when they try to impress on us their idea of what they think we should be”.

Well, fair enough. But there's a fine line between artistic integrity and mindless self indulgence. And contrary to what Ryan may say, I believe our opinion still counts. If a bear poops in the woods and no one is around to smell it, does it still stink? If a band releases a record and no one is around to hear it, does the band exist? Which begs the question, have they succeeded in producing an album worthy of our devotion?

I think its a fair assessment to say that Pretty. Odd hasn't been an easy album to make. Panic spent four months locked up in a mountain cabin coming up with new material, only for them to scrap the whole lot and start afresh when they returned to Vegas (writing "Nine In The Afternoon" that day). The album finally came together, albeit with sheer force of will and plenty of sticky-tape to hold the concophany of sounds together.

To say Panic has taken a new artistic direction would be the understatement of the century. Gone is the frenetic vauderville-punk style that so marked A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, and in its place is the love-child between The Beatles and The Kinks.

Panic is quick to reassure their fans that they're “still the same band”, in the album's Sgt Pepper's-esque opening track “We're So Starving”. “Oh how it's been so long, we're so sorry we've been gone. We were busy writing songs for YOU.” Erm, well according to Ryan, you were writing songs for yourselves, but lets gloss over that. “You don't have to worry, because we're still the same band...you don't have to worry, you don't”. When a band spends their opening track convincing you that they're “still the same band” and “you don't have to worry”, you know you have something to worry about.

And its true. Panic isn't the same band. When they dropped the “!” they lost part of their original charm and innocence. But in its place is a more mature, confident sound. Where A Fever... was a teenage boy's symphony to bad relationships Pretty.Odd is a man's opus to the joy of living.

The whole album is oozing with positiveness, with the radio-friendly track “Nine In The Afternoon” kicking things off with its super-sunny disposition. You can't help but sing along, with a huge Cheshire-cat grin on your face.

Things take a psychedelic turn on “She's A Handsome Woman”, before entering a Teletubbies realm of surrealism with “Do You Know What I'm Seeing”. I can't say I'm convinced by the lyrics “clouds are marching along, singing a song just like they do”. I do wonder what they were smoking when they wrote this particular song, with its Kinks-meets-sea shanty vibe. But for all its oddness it does stick in the old brain hole.

Things kick back with the Beatles-inspired “That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)”; a wonderful track that will no doubt end up on the closing credits to some tedious romcom this summer.

Just as you're getting into the groove of Pretty.Odd, thinking you've pegged the new 60's vibe, “I Have Friends in Holy Spaces” throws a spanner in the works with its 1920's charleston sound. The crackling “grammaphone-recording” style is a bit of A Fever... throwback, and whilst it doesn't wholly suit the tone of Pretty. Odd, is a nice reminder of the guys' earlier work.

The album then segways to a gentle ballad, "Northern Downpour"; one of the lovelier songs on the LP. With beautiful lyrics like “I missed your skin when you were east. You clicked your heels and wished for me”, there's no question this particular track will get the Nokia's up in the air when it's performed live.

Things become decidedly more sunny with “When The Day Met The Night”, another Beatle-esque choon (I know I keep making comparisons to the Beatles and The Kinks, but when its so blatantly alike its hard not to point this out!)

The upbeat tone carries on with the silly “Pas de Cheval” (you could easily picture this showtune in “Hairspray” or similar), before Panic strolls down the Alice In Wonderland road of bizarreness again with “The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know”. I think this track will be a grower, I enjoy it more and more each time I listen to it.

“Behind the Sea” is the “Hey Jude” of the album, with Ryan taking lead vocals. A simple but glorious track; a real highlight of Pretty.Odd. “Folkin' Along” lives up to its name, as Brendon channels Dolly Parton, before moving onto the best track on the album “She Has The World”. Back is the baroque vibe of A Fever...but with a gentler, richer melody. You can easily imagine a ballroom full of courtiers dancing to this. Truly masterful.

Sadly, its followed by the decidedly weak “From A Mountain In the Middle Of The Cabins” (wish it had stayed up there). Pretty.Odd ends on a high-note though, with the jubilant “Mad As Rabbits”, which Panic say is their favourite track to perform. It was the last song they played at their recent gig in Birmingham, and it went down a storm.

A good note to end on we think, kinda like this review.

4/5