For a second, forget everything you already know about
Panic At The Disco. That means forgetting that the band's 2005 debut
'A Fever You Can't Sweat Out' has sold over 2.2 million copies to date;
that their video for 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' became a #1 hit on
MTV and snagged one of the network's video music awards for best video
in 2006; and, finally, erasing from your mind all of the sold-out clubs
the band have played over the past three years and the ubiquity of Panic
At The Disco's music, and mugs, on radio stations, television programs
and magazine covers all over the world.
These days, a sensation like Panic At The Disco is something extremely
rare and impossible to invent and for those two reasons alone, most
bands in their position would stick to the same signature sound for
their second disc. However, Panic At The Disco aren't most bands.
Instead, the band - guitarist Ryan Ross, drummer Spencer Smith, vocalist
Brendon Urie and bassist Jon Walker - decided to make the album they
wanted to make for their sophomore release. While the album is equally
as catchy and infectious as their debut, 'Pretty. Odd' sees the band
digging through their parents' record crates to craft an expansive
pop album that channels the ghosts of Brian Wilson and the Beatles
as well as lesser-known pop sensations like the Zombies. However,
for a while even the band weren't sure if 'Pretty. Odd' would ever
come to fruition.
Panic At The Disco began writing the album a year ago, but after
they'd written a solid batch of concept-driven songs, they stopped
to reevaluate what they were doing and ended up deciding they were
over thinking the process. "Instead of really throwing anything
away, we decided to just move it to the side and approach the second
record the same way we did the first record," Ross explains.
"We tried to approach the songs individually and write songs
that didn't sound like anything else we've written," he continues.
"Now we're finally at the point where we can sit down and listen
to the finished record and I know we're happy with it, so I think
it was a really good decision - especially since we hope that we're
going to have multiple opportunities to fully realize what our first
idea was in the future."
That's not too say 'Pretty. Odd' isn't dripping with ambition - in
fact, if anything, the opposite is true. From the bouncy and psychedelic
first single (and accompanying video) 'Nine In The Afternoon' to the
spaghetti-western shuffle of the horn-driven 'Pas De Cheval' and the
straight-ahead pop genius of 'Northern Downpour', 'Pretty. Odd' sees
the band stepping outside their comfort zone to prove how much they've
grown up since their debut, which was written when the members were
just seventeen years old. "It wasn't a conscious decision to
have older influences show through on this record, it just seemed
like around the beginning of the sixties there were less subgenres,
so it wasn't weird for songs to have a trombone part or violin part,"
Smith explains, adding that in some ways, his parents' dusty old records
helped sonically liberate the band. "I think that will probably
something that will stick with us after this record."
Another huge difference between these two albums is the fact that
'Pretty. Odd's' basic instrumentation was recorded at the Palms Hotel
in the band's hometown of Las Vegas, while the strings and mixing
was done at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London with the help
of their producer, Grammy and Emmy Award winning arranger/composer
Rob Mathes. "It was an amazing experience," Smith says,
adding that recording the strings in studio two of Abbey Road was
a pretty surreal experience for a band who had to call their label's
owner John Janick to approve three hundred dollars to hire a trumpet
player to play on their debut. "We're really happy with how the
orchestration turned out on this record and that's probably the biggest
change from the last album," Spencer confirms.
In the spirit of acts like the David Bowie and Pink Floyd, Panic
At The Disco plan on continuing their tradition of elaborate stage
shows and performances for the subsequent touring. However this time
around they're finally confident in having their music speak for itself,
which is an achievement the band have looked forward to since their
inception. "I just hope that if anything people are open to the
idea that 'Pretty. Odd' may not sound exactly like the first record,"
Ross explains. "All we can ask for is that people give it a chance
because there are a lot of songs that sound very different, but I
think it's more creative and more musically interesting than most
of what is at the top of the charts right now."
We couldn't agree more - and we're sure you'll feel the same.
'Pretty. Odd' is out now.
