Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 03/25/2008
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
retty. Odd as indication that
Panic at the Disco wants to be taken seriously. There doesn't seem to be a serious bone within the bodies of any of the four members, but the wondrous thing about
Pretty. Odd is that it's impossible to discern what silliness is intentional and what is accidental, the product of a band discovering
the Beatles long after their 2005 debut
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out turned into a hit. There's a startling naïveté to
PATD's sudden immersion in symphonic
psychedelic pop; the band is either too young or dumb to not realize that they're putting together familiar elements wrong, or that they shouldn't be attempting the
baroque ballads and
vaudeville shuffles that pepper this album...but they're smart enough to send-up the opening of
Pepper's, twisting
the Beatles' declaration that they were now Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band around, claiming that they're they same band they always were. Of course this is a bald-faced lie, as the only clear remnants from
PATD's debut are the overly complicated song titles and fussy lyrics, but few will complain as the group retain their theatrical ridiculousness while unveiling a newfound panache for
pop, all derived from their desire to pattern themselves after
the Beatles.
Panic at the Disco are hardly the first modern
rock band to slavishly follow the example of their peers --
My Chemical Romance copied every one of
Queen's exaggerated moves for
The Black Parade, while
the Killers treated
Sam's Town as if it was a
Springsteen coloring book -- but
PATD's clueless, audacious thievery of
the Beatles pays back far greater dividends, partially because stealing from the Fab Four guarantees an emphasis on melody over style, but also because
PATD shows far more humor than
MCR or
the Killers. That humor -- and it's possible to laugh at and laugh along with the band in equal measure here -- makes
Pretty. Odd a giddy absurdity, as
Panic at the Disco is determined to have it both ways: to make grand, pompous music while retaining their identity as pranksters. The album is so out of control, it's hard to tell whether the group planned
Pretty. Odd to be a kaleidoscopic mess, or if occurred by happenstance, but that raggedness will appeal to the teens who loved
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, but this bafflingly blurred
Brit-pop could hook in older listeners, too, either through its genuine tunefulness or through
pop junkies who will marvel at how
"Folkin' Around" comes startlingly close to re-creating the sound of
the Byrds circa
Sweetheart of the Rodeo, or how
"Do You Know What I'm Seeing" is equal parts
Morrissey parody and homage. It all adds up to a pretty and odd record and it erases no suspicions that the band aren't quite sure of what they're doing, but the glorious thing about
Pretty. Odd is that the album works in spite of this...or perhaps because of it. Either way, this is a deliriously jumbled, left-field delight.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Average Review:
Number of reviews: 5
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Pretty.Odd.Raquel
from Maryland
THE BEST CD EVER!!!
i love PATD since their first CD, but this is by far the best record they have put out. I cant wait until they come near were i live to go see them live in concert. I totally recommend this CD to any PATD fans out there!!!!!
Amber
from Wytheville, VA
WOO!!
Pretty. Odd. is pure genius! I fell in love with it the very first time I heard it. Some of the songs like Folkin' Around are a little out there, but hey, that's what the music business is about, Isn't it??
I thought this was probabally my favorite album right now.
The boys have grown and became more mature, and you can see it in the music. The lyrics are more pure than they are in A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. I love how they all get to sing on this one. That gives alot of variety to the album AND the band.
It's just plain.....
BRILLIANT!!!
Great Job!
=]
Julia Marie
from New Orleans, LA
Oh, how they've grown
I've listened to them since the very beginning and I can't get over how they've stayed so true to themselves while growing up and changing at the same time.
Brilliant band. Brilliant CD.
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