Album Review: Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.

Panic at the Disco just released a new album called Pretty. Odd. on March 25. It's different from their first album (contrary to what the first track proports) in many ways, but in my opinion, all for the better. I liked their first album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, when I first heard it. I bought it and listened to it quite a bit. But then it got really old, and I haven't picked it up since. That was about 3 years ago. The combination of its overly dramatic musical style with it's pretentious, convoluted song titles caused it to become very stale. It didn't seem like there was much about it that was honest, so I put it aside forever. So when this new one came out, I got it and listened to it with a grain of salt, hoping I liked it. Turns out, I really like it.

First of all, they dropped the ! in their name. That, as a statement, sums up this album pretty much. They seemed to become much more serious and honest about what they were doing, while still retaining their ever-present veiled humor. Now, it must be said at the outset that this album owes some royalties to The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album. It almost seems as if they listened to a bunch of Beatles songs one day, and then immediately turned around and wrote the album. The inspiration is quite obvious, but in an odd way, authentic.

The most obvious of inspirations comes in the instrumentation, where we hear a lot of Beatles-esque instruments playing in very Sgt. Pepper's-esque ways. Now, many bands have experimented with instrumentation recently (Arcade Fire's Neon Bible comes immediately to mind), and this album does it well in my opinion, and while it sometimes sounds jumbled and almost confused, it nonetheless works.

A few examples of the influence of The Beatles can be heard first in the opening track, We're So Starving, which is an obvious rip from the title track of Sgt. Pepper's, with the same purpose to the album, and complete with live crowd noise. She Had The World has a very Piggies feel to it, though the lyrics are quite different (sure to NOT be confused by Charles Manson). I swear I can hear the refrain of The Beatles' Golden Slumbers in From A Mountain In The Middle Of The Cabins, and if they had changed the title of Northern Downpour to Hey Jude, I'm not sure I would have taken a second look.

There is one more thing this album takes from The Beatles, and that is its understanding of pop music. Not pop as in 'NSync pop, but rather the 1960's pop that Paul McCartney and John Lennon were so fond of. This album has some unusual chord progressions and unconventional melodies, but god damn it if they're not catchy. The same way John and Paul made so many odd chord progressions and measure structures sound seamless, so does this album. It bounces in between keys within the same refrains, with the bass and guitar lines weaving different paths, but finishes so clean, so pop.

It's an engaging album, and I feel it has much more staying power because the music is much more honest and classic. It's too bad that Panic at the Disco released that first album, because I have a feeling I would have a much easier time enjoying this album if it weren't for the voices in my head saying, "but it's Panic! at the Disco, they're just as bad as Fallout Boy, and you HATE Fallout Boy." However, I have to give credit where credit is due, and while this album may not know exactly where it's going, just like the group, I like the direction each has started in, and look forward to hearing where they go next.

On the Reganometer, I give Panic at the Disco's Pretty. Odd. an 8 out of 10.

Music Review: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

As you all probably know, I have been waiting for the new Arcade Fire album to come out all year. With all the leaks and crazy marketing they did, my anticipation just increased, until finally, Tuesday, it came out.

On first listen, this is a great CD. Many songs are very catchy, there's a lot of Bruce Springsteen influence, but the music still sounds remarkably original. On subsequent listens, it just gets better, and to me, that is a sign of a truly great album. It's a bit of a departure from their previous album, Funeral, in its production. Arcade Fire seems to have taken the My Chemical Romance approach which was to just make their albums theatrical wonders. Not saying Arcade Fire is influenced by MCR, but it's the best reference I know. The whole album has an enormous sound, and this fact is epitomized in the song "Intervention," which features among many other odd instruments, a bellowing church-like pipe organ.

Among other things great about this album, the writing is incredible. The band takes a very worldly approach to this album, projecting courage and strength with an "us against the world" ideal. I am especially attracted to the lyrics of the previously mentioned song "Intervention," which currently holds the number 1 spot for my favorite song of the year. Listen to it below, along with the first few lyrics:

Arcade Fire - Intervention

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"The king's taken back the throne.
The useless seed is sown.
When they say they're cutting off the phone,
I tell 'em you're not home.

No place to hide,
You were fighting as a soldier on their side.
You're still a soldier in your mind
Though nothing's on the line.

You say it's money that we need,
as if we're only mouths to feed.
I know no matter what you say,
there are some debts you'll never pay.

Working for the church
while your family dies.
You take what they give you
and you keep it inside.
Every spark of friendship and love
will die without a home.
Hear the soldier groan, "We'll go at it alone."

So, in conclusion, this is a great album in all, with highlights littered throughout. Arcade Fire continues to be one of the best new bands, and Win Butler, the lead singer, continues to be one of the greatest new songwriters. Neon Bible is going to be tough to beat as my favorite album of 2007, and "Intervention" is going to be tough to beat as my favorite song. On the Reganometer, I give this album a 9 out of 10, and say go buy it for sure!