Panic at the Disco's CD Pretty.Odd. will sound familiar to Beatles fans

04/02/08 - With the removal of the exclamation point from its name and a newfound sound aping '60s pop hits, Panic at the Disco are back with their new album Pretty. Odd. The protégés of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz hail from Las Vegas, making a name for themselves by capitalizing on an emo-sound melded with over-the-top bits of electronica and dance.

Pretty. Odd. is the boys' second album. Their debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, released in 2005, included their biggest hit, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies."

So let's get down to it. Does this album have the same Killers-meets-Cirque De Soleil- meets- Fall Out Boy style? Well, not exactly. PATD does incorporate more instruments and a full orchestral sound to their shtick. However, once singer Brendon Urie opens his mouth, the all-too-familiar trademark shrill emo voice is unleashed.

Instead of using the violins, horns and pianos to create something new, they blatantly arrange the majority of the songs, lyrics and music video to one particular group. A group that no punk-pop band such as PATD should touch: the Beatles.

Take a quick listen to the transitional intro track "We're So Starving." The chorus for this original ditty is, "Oh, how it's been so long, we're so sorry we've been gone, we've been busy writing songs for you." If the words don't make a convincing argument that they've swindled Sgt. Pepper's, then we shouldn't even discuss the actual melody, which includes staccato-sounding violins, psychedelic guitar and a cheering audience.

First off, how long has PATD been "gone?" Well, their first album was released in 2005, and their second album was released in 2008. If I have my math right, I'd say that's a whopping three years. I guess that's a lot of time, since they push out so many hits.

The next track, their oh-so-quirky new single, "Nine in the Afternoon," treks onward with the pilfering of psychedelic Beatles sound. The perky violins, large horn section and intermittent usage of trolley bells produce a foreign kind of tune from PATD's usual cabaret-esque noise.

And just in case teenyboppers and emo kids didn't figure out whom PATD were influenced by, the boys don marching band outfits and large mustaches in the music video to further bash into the audience's mind what group they're emulating.

The song that is most comparable to PATD's usual repertoire is the tune, "She Had the World." A harpsichord and dramatic chamber music are laid on the track with the tongue-in-cheek lyrics, "I don't love you/I'm just passing the time/You could love me/If I learned how to lie."

"Behind the Sea" is least reminiscent of PATD's affinity for the Vegas rock motif. In fact, it sounds like a completely different band due to guitarist Ryan Ross taking the reins and singing. The nautically-themed lyrics set against a serene instrumental backdrop made this the most enjoyable selection from the album.

"Mad as Rabbits" appropriates effects like reverse guitars and attempts to juxtapose the song with Queen-like harmonies and immature lyrics. Unfortunately, PATD ends up with a sound that would be fit for a '60s "swingin' summer" beach party movie rather than an experimental musical journey to eastern India.

Panic at the Disco seemed to have a sound most people could recognize. Those who enjoy the band appreciated their unabashed theatrical flair, while others criticized them for sounding like another fly-by-night group taking part in the broken record that is the current emo scene. And despite buying as many psychedelic albums as they could get their black little fingernails on, PATD still failed to learn something they probably never will: how to become inspired from something rather than blatantly copy it.