Panic! At the Disco
Pretty.Odd.
Release Date: Mar 25, 2008
Genre(s): Rock, Pop, Alternative
Record label: Fueled By Ramen
Music Critic Score
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Album Review: Pretty.Odd. by Panic! At the Disco
Fairly Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Tempting as it may be, don't read the dropping of the exclamation point from Panic at the Disco's name as a sign that the emo quartet is in a rush to be taken seriously. Don't even take their blatant aping of Sgt. Pepper's on Pretty. Odd as indication that Panic at the Disco wants to be taken seriously.
Based on rating B+
Boys in emo bands have it pretty good these days, don’t they? The chords are easy, the girls adoring, and the Facebook friends bountiful. Plus, for all the specificity of their tribal markings — the guyliner, the geometric swoops of hair, the exquisitely tight jeans — today’s scene makers cut an increasingly large swath demographically: Last year alone, Fall Out Boy dabbled in hip-hop by nabbing a Jay-Z cameo (”Thriller”); Gym Class Heroes repurposed a decades-old Supertramp hook for a top 10 pop hit (”Cupid’s Chokehold”); and the Plain White T’s pleased tweens and moms alike with a sweet acoustic ballad (”Hey There Delilah”). As for Panic at the Disco? Just barely out of their teens, the Las Vegas foursome sold more than 1.
Based on rating 3/5
Panic at the Disco got rid of the exclamation point in their name, and also appear to be trying to ditch any association with emo by mining their parents’ record collections for inspiration. For the most part, this album would sound completely at home on classic rock radio. This will undoubtedly piss off many of their fans, but it’ll also get the band some attention from people who would previously have discounted them.
Based on rating 2.0/5
Review Summary: Losing the feeling of feeling unique. Though it’d be far more than just redundant to recount the history of Panic! at the Disco’s rise to fame, it’s hard not to think back on 2006 and the sour taste all the propaganda has put in our mouths. The simple A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out would cause multiple continental shifts following its 2005 release, leaving fans and detractors on separate isles: those that found Panic! innovators; those that found Panic! a fun pop band; and those that found Panic! generic bullshit with two left feet, an insatiable love for theatrics and 100 wpm tongue twisters.