Monday, March 24, 2008

Emos - fall back!

It's a bank holiday, and I was up just after nine this morning. Why? Because I'd planned it that way, people. Today, y'see, is the day that the new Panic at the Disco album comes out, and we all know how much I love Panic at the Disco.

So I was in Kingston by 9:50, at which point the sky turned grey and it snowed on me. SNOW! At the end of March?! What merry hell is this?! I was almost compelled to run through the streets yelling "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas to one and all!" in a cockney accent, but wisely decided against it. 

After a quick coffee, I headed to HMV where I nabbed a copy of Pretty. Odd. off the shelf. And by nabbed I don't mean stole. In fact, I had a curious moment while paying for it; I had been listening to music on my iPhone, and the dude at the till recognised that I had an iPhone by the little mic attachment on the headphone cable.

"Good, innit?" He said while I handed over the cash.

"Yeah," I replied. "You got one?"

"Yeah, got it the day it came out," he said.

We bantered a little bit more, bonding over iPhones before I realised I was holding up the queue, so I decided to head off. "See ya later," we both said, like we were going to meet up later and continue chatting about the über-phone. Which we are not.

After a picking up a few more bits in some other shops (again, by 'picking up' I do not mean I shoplifted them) I headed back to the car, where I slipped Pretty. Odd. into the stereo, listening to it on the way home, then listening to it again when I got home. In fact, my iTunes tells me I've listened to it four times now, so I figure I'm Pretty. Well. (ha, like what I did there?) placed to give my opinion on it.


And I can totally see why Panic at the Disco dropped the exclamation mark from their name. This album is a lot different to their debut - less frantic, and dare I say it, less immediate too.

But I don't think that's a bad thing at all. In fact, I think it's incredibly brave of them to do what amounts to a handbrake turn in style, because this is a lot different to what they've done before, and I think it's a real grower that will reward multiple listens. Their musicianship has improved vastly, and they've ditched their emo-trappings for a sound that pays homage to everything from bluegrass, to Sgt. Peppers, to mid-seventies rock like you'd hear in Smokey and the Bandit. They could've whacked a sticker on the CD case saying 'Panic at the Disco: now 100% emo free!'

I like it. A lot. But I think there might be a fair few Panic fans out there who were hoping for a literal rerun of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, and they're going to be scrunching up their little emo faces in shock and self-harming in response to what they're getting here. I think Pretty. Odd. might just lose Panic as many fans as it makes them new ones. It's going to be interesting to see exactly how this album is received…

10 comments:

Tara said...

Your story about shopping makes me want to go shopping. And by shopping I mean I need to brave the lovely mall we have nearby. There's something coming up on Friday and I'd like to find a wig for it. Hopefully I can find one, usually the ones I see in the mall are only out for New Year's Eve or Halloween.

CyberPete said...

I'm not a big fan of that band but I like it when artists try new things. Out of their comfort zones.

See, I'm one of the few people who aren't hoping for a Kylie Fever 2.0 or for that matter any of her other albums. Well maybe Impossible Princess 2.0 wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Still without having heard the album and I probably never will, I salute the lads for the change of styles and the EMO free zone. YAY!

Tim said...

Tara - Then go shopping - I command thee!

Cyberpete - I can't say I'm too familiar with Kylie's albums (and by 'too familiar' I mean 'not familiar at all'), except the singles and the, um, hotpants thing…

Mmmm…

Anyway, give the youtube video a go and see what you think!

Inexplicable DeVice said...

You figured right. You are Pretty.

Huh? There was more?

Oh, I got confused by PATD erratic punctuation.

An I do hope they have somekind of emo-scoop in place to drive around scooping up all the dead & dying emos...

Inexplicable DeVice said...

Mmmmmmm... STC sharing...

* drools *

Tim said...

Inexplicable Device - Ha ha ha, you joker, you! Let's all have Panic at the Disco names! You could be…

Pretty. Weird.

And an emo-scoop is a great idea! Like an ice cream scoop but with more sighing and hair-tossing.

There was no breach of the STC there. Move along.

CyberPete said...

Oh that's what the punctuation was about

heh

As for Kylie, the album with Can't Get You Out Of My Head. You know white hooded catsuit and big red lips

Tim said...

Yeah, that's what the punctuation's about!

Based on your picture, I'm going to say you're:

Pretty. In pink.

I'm familiar with that Kylie song, but not the album. Sorry. She doesn't really register to much on my radar. Unless she's nekkid, or near as damn it. Hence the hot pants thing.

Miss Smuggersham said...

They've been playing this on the radio a bit - I have no idea it was Panic. At. The. Disco.

Tim said...

Do you like it though? Have I scored another Sufjan-like victory for the forces of good!?

T-Bird - In our new Panic style naming system, you can be:

Pretty. Awesome.