Spoiler alert: following throwback might appear more ambivalent than it really is.
Emo is probably the only genre that not even those who place themselves within it are proud of. I would even go that far to throw a bold statement and say most music lovers detest it. Do you remember Panic At The Disco at the era of emo's pinnacle? Where are they now? These boys were always paired and compare with Fall Out Boy, and while that might have been valid in the beginnings of their career, I think these bands grew in different directions.
When their debut came out, Panic At The Disco had exclamation point in their name. Around that time, they were still driven by pop-rock-punk energy, so it was clear why their juicy songs gained a lot of popularity. I Write Sins Not Tragedies even won MTV Award for Best Video Of The Year. But It's Better If You Do and Lying is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have served not only long titles, but also intriguing and witty lyrics that teased the possibility of a new talent emerging from teenage brains. However, following their initial success, it seemed like talent was either never there or it rapidly started fading. Whichever the case, their sophomore album was a slight let down. Anyhow, I decided to review it because it marked the end of my teenage years.
As soon ad Panic At The Disco got rid off their exclamation point, they delivered an easier material. More cheerful and acoustic than, I would say. At the moment of Pretty Odd release, they even said somethig like Emo is shit!We want to be the new Radiohead. I remember this was the point where I was clairvoyant and predicted their downward spiral. You simply can not claim that you will be the new Radiohead after only two non-inventive albums in your discography. There lives in that period were obviously filled with drugs and jumps around party pools, and it also seemed like they have dipped their ears into their parents' music collections. Their influences become obvious in sunny songs that were striving to revive The Beach Boys and The Beatles (they even recorded orchestral parts in Abbey Road studio).
They didn't opt for an easy job, nor anyone expected them to do it successfuly. Afterall, this was a decent easy-peasy feel good record bursting from pleasent melodies supported by acoustic guitars, trumpets and piano. Still, If we compare it to their debut, it was a luckluster, no matter how much they promised the opposite in the opening number We're So Starving: you don't have to worry, because we're still the same band, we were busy writing songs for you.
The first single Nine In The Afternoon even suggested that things could be good this time around. It was a textbook example of how you make an exuberant song without making it sound forced. Yet, the rest of the record offered hackneyed and almost obsolete Californian summer charm oscilating between mania and intermittent drug abuse. Easy notes, clapping rhythms and in-the-middle-of-the-summer lyrics allow you to be relaxed for 48 minutes, but it all sounds like a cheap guitar-pop. They have named the album Pretty Odd, even though it's more pretty than odd. Too pretty for someone who aspired to be the new Radiohead.
The album lacked depth, necesserry to overcome the curse of the second album. They have managed to pack The Beatles in some new box in the same way My Chemical Romance strived to revive drama-effects of Queen. Not that successfuly. Plethora of circus melodies and Brendan Urie's decent little voice created more of an art pop band on the trace of The Go!Team in their most commercial phase.
Panic At The Disco were never able of creating something highly praised. They were more into creating something to dance your ass off. And to be honest, sometimes that's all we need. In honor of this ambivalent throwback, I am going to shake my ass off now to Pretty Odd.
