Panic at the Disco’s new album is entirely defined by its title, Pretty. Odd. because that is exactly what it is: pretty odd. It starts off with a song called “We’re So Starving” which is more or less a disclaimer to their audience.
In an eruption of fanfare, front man Brendon Urie sings, “Oh, how it's been so long, we're so sorry we've been gone, we were busy writing songs for you.” From there, Panic slides into their first single, “Nine in the Afternoon.” This song may be the only one on the album partially reminiscent of their earlier A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’s techno/dance atmosphere. “Nine in the Afternoon” is a catchy sing-along head-nodder, equipped with big drums and a horn section.
Panic at the Disco Gets Sloppy with Use of “Go On”
Heading into the next song, “She’s a Handsome Woman,” Panic struggles to impress. The chorus’ repetitive “go on” is flat and almost sounds forced and uncomfortable. After this messy song, the CD begins to enter the environment many of the later tracks on their last album resembled: a musical soundtrack.
Pretty. Odd. The Musical Soundtrack
“Do You Know What I’m Seeing?” begins to transform Pretty. Odd. into what could very well be the soundtrack to a musical. The strings, harmonica, and acoustic progression build into somewhat of an overture. Perhaps Pretty. Odd. could be the next Across the Universe or Mama Mia. (Hint hint.) “When the Day Met the Night” continues with the musical atmosphere with its beautiful depiction of summertime. When the sun found the moon she was drinking tea in a garden under the green umbrella trees in the middle of summer.”
This track is filled with images of the sun and the moon, objects that are repeatedly placed throughout the album, and then drawn out into a musical arrangement of strings and horns creating a subtle interlude. As a third and final example, if “From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins” doesn’t say musical, I don’t know what does. This song is similar to tracks like “There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered” off A Fever You Can’t Sweat out mainly due to the dance-along musical features it inhibits. Fingers dancing across piano keys in a happy-go-lucky melody and harmonic background singers fading away with whistles have definite potential for theatrical performance.
Panic at the Disco's Change Isn’t Bad, But it Sure is Odd
Another explanation of change is described in “That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed” when Urie says “Things have changed for me, and that’s okay. I feel the same, I’m on my way.” This warning is displayed just in time as the album takes a drastic turn in “I Have Friends in Holy Spaces.” The song sounds like a worn out recording of a 50’s radio broadcast. Squealing trumpets layer the crackling noises in the background. As if coming back from an intermission, after “When the Day Met the Night,” “Pas De Chavel” begins with a drumbeat resembling a steady gallop that strangely enough drops you off at “The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know.” This song starts out slow and dreamy with odd lyrics. “I won't cut my beard and I won't change my hair. It grows like fancy flowers but it grows nowhere. My hair, my hair.” Then it speeds up into a ska-like assortment of horns and bells. After Urie has explained the troubles his band had gone through with writing their songs, “Everything's gone missing, I've lost more songs to floods. I can't prove this makes any sense but I sure hope that it does,” the song slowly fades out into the same strange dreamy sequence in which in started. And just when it seems the CD couldn’t get any more bizarre, the track aptly titled “Folkin’ Around” emerges. This bluegrass tune, catchy as it may be, comes out of nowhere and its random placement is just puzzling.
Panic at the Disco, The New Fab Four?
It is hard not to compare the repetition of “hey moon” in “Northern Downpour” with the Beatles’ classic “Hey Jude.” No matter how hard you try to deny it, Panic at the Disco has slowly started to resemble the Beatles. Panic’s similarity to 60s bands destroys any of the originality they may have had to start with. When arriving at “Behind the Sea” it’s hard to remember that you’re still listening to Panic at the Disco and haven’t accidentally switched over to a Beatles CD. Ryan Ross’ vocals at times are so similar to John Lennon’s it’s scary. Urie and Ross’ harmonic overlapping, especially in these songs, intentional or not, are suggestive to that of Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Pretty Odd's Abrupt Ending
“Mad as Rabbits,” another ska-sounding, melodic adventure song, wraps the album up with a very abrupt finish leaving you waiting for more, at the very least, a bonus track. But there is nothing but the option to listen to the CD again. Especially after the first listen, Pretty. Odd. definitely receives mixed feelings and raised eyebrows, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Pretty. Odd. may not be what we all thought Panic at the Disco was, but like it or not, in the words of Urie in “We’re So Starving:” “You don't have to worry 'cause we're still the same band.”
