Panic at the Disco: Sophomore Oddities - Portrait Magazine April 2008
Panic at the Disco: Sophomore Oddities
By Mia
With the incumbent release of the band’s much anticipated sophomore album Pretty. Odd. (March 25, 2008), it's no surprise that Portrait readers have requested that this issue detail the highly celebrated Panic! At the Disco, or should I say Panic At the Disco? More on this later.
With their elaborate costumes, bizarre music videos, and perhaps even more puzzling lyrics, there’s little chance you don’t know who Panic At the Disco are. For those of you who have been living under a rock since the band’s 2005 debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, Panic at the Disco has since toured the world, hitting major festivals in the UK as well as playing famous venues around the US in successful headlining tours. Their loyal fanbase, lured by their fantastical music videos, obscure lyrics, and songs with both a unique sound and tremendously lengthy titles, has swelled, but as guitarist Ryan Ross commented in 2006, “I can certainly tell the difference between one of our fans and a Fall Out Boy fan who's just there because they heard we were hot.” Not to say that the self-classified Rock/Big Beat/Techno, critic-classified Emo/Pop/Alternative, Las Vegas band isn’t attractive.
With all members under the age of 23, and their frontman, Brendon Urie only 20, they’re still at the phase in which the phrase “"[Brendon] doesn't like to test his luck. He only just got a fake ID from his cousin,” still arises. Indeed, age is probably part of the band’s charm. Not even out of high school, drummer Spencer Smith finished through distance education, frontman Brendon Urie practiced at night, and Ryan Ross dropped out of college to pursue musicianship under the guidance of label Decaydence/Fueld by Ramen. However, in the past three years, things have changed, and these changes certainly manifest themselves in their new album Pretty. Odd. Urie confesses, "We're still the same guys in the band, it's just that it's been three-something years since we've written material for an album, so ... I think it's just the natural change that takes place from the time you turn 17 to the time you turn 20."
In those three years, much has changed. Original bassist, Brent Wilson, separated from the band in 2006 and newcomer Jon Walker joined. Jon posts regularly on the band’s journal and was well received by fans. Also in those three years, Panic has “made it,” so to speak. In many ways, Panic at the Disco is your anti-band. They do not seek to become famous, and when their video made it to #10 on TRL in early 2006, Ross only commented:
”We never posted on our website, or anywhere else for that matter, asking you to vote for us, but we were flattered that you guys took time and voted for us anyways, I think it set some kind of record, that it was the first time that a band on an indie label as small as fbr had an artist on the TRL Countdown, definitely shook things up a bit. “
In many ways Ross’ comment spoke truth and augured a changing popular music taste. Since then, the “small” label FBR (Fueled by Ramen) has grown to encapsulate other successful bands like Cobra Starship and Paramore. Indeed the band did not seek teenybopper glory like other contemporary, young bands, but rather scorned the girls who showed up at concerts for looks and nothing else. When Panic appeared in popular teenybopper magazine J-14 Ross wrote, “I'm sure you all are just as excited as we are about that one…. at least we aren't stickers. Or maybe that would be awesome?”
Lately, Panic At The Disco has been making waves with the excision of the “!” in their name. Originally tagged “Panic! At The Disco,” the band elected to get rid of the exclamation point on all merchandise, packaging, and publicity for their sophomore album. The excision spurred upset in the Panic-fandom; however, Urie defended, “We wrote it that way once, when we first started the band, and then ... people kept writing it that way, and it was a freakin' whirlwind.” Perhaps this statement is better used to sum up Panic At The Disco fever that has risen worldwide. They introduced one album, and “it was a freakin’ whirlwind” to borrow Brendon’s turn of phrase.
The Pretty. Odd. cover
Pretty. Odd. on the other hand, is…pretty odd. Consider this: Fever has sold over 2.2 million copies to date, making it double-platinum material. Since the 2005 album, the band has toured, and written, and re-written. The buzz surrounding Panic’s sophomore album has been continuous, with the press covering every move. Originally meant to be released Fall 2007, the band moved to a Nevada mountain cabin to fulfill Ross’ need for, “good s'mores” and work on the album. This later evolved to Walker spilling that the concept-based album is “kind of a love story. It's a timeless age of romantic, poetic fantasies." This again quickly changed when the band suddenly decided to scrap initial ideas and start from the basics again in August 2007. After scrapping the story-line idea, Panic completed their sophomore album, which is certainly different than their debut. With a broader range of tones and styles, the more complicated songs stand not only alone but also as a whole. Ross notes, "We still try to write the smartest lyrics possible, just in a different way, and the best melodies possible, just in a different way."
On the set of the 'Nine in the Afternoon' video
Still remaining is the whimsical attire, including long johns and fake mustaches, but the song titles are a little shorter (“The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know” versus “There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey. You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet”). While Fever (2005) introduced Panic as a major player in the ever-changing music industry, Odd/ seeks something larger, something more mature. On March 25th, the Panic fan can expect to hear a reportedly Beatles-esque sound. Whether this is because the band finished the album at the famed Abbey Road Studios or as Walker metonymically says, “It's just a happy trumpet line,” is unclear, but critics have heralded the comparisons.
Panic, with or without “!” remains the same, maybe a little older and with a different bassist, but Ross hopes that, “People are open to the idea that Pretty. Odd. may not sound exactly like the first record. All we can ask for is that people give it a chance because there are a lot of songs that sound very different.” With promises of continually elaborate shows, including their omnipresent psychedelic circus theme, and a new video featuring original VHS footage of Jon as a toddler in conjunction with Russian nesting-dolls, 2008 will certainly not be a year to miss for the Panic-lover.
