Don’t Panic! Yet
By Carmen Rey
Panic!’s new album cover
In 2006, a lot of American teenagers fell in love with the sound of Panic! At the Disco. Their outrageously long song titles and the ridiculous way they made their entire concert into a circus act won the hearts of many new fans. So after “Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off” had played itself out at every clothing store that catered to teenaged girls, we were a bit sad to see their catchy tunes disappear.
A few years later they were back, and boggling our minds again with this concept of “Nine in the Afternoon”. This song seemed to be the only thing worth hearing on the radio from that album, though I must admit there were some other catchy tunes that didn’t quite find their way to the airwaves.
The album Pretty. Odd. seemed to be the last of this band – at least, we thought it was. They went to work on a new album, but only a few months later two of the four members told fans they were leaving because of creative differences, leaving only lead singer Brandon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith to sweep up the pieces of the broken band. That coupled with the recent drop of the exclamation point in their Panic! and fans were baffled by what to expect from their beloved band. They were gone.
Or so we thought.
Now, 3 years after their last album and the loss of their guitarist and drummer, Panic! At the Disco is back and rocking about as well as they ever did. Urie and Smith have trucked on despite their missing bandmates and have already released the first single, “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” from their album Vices and Virtues, due to release March 22.
The boys decide to turn in their big top fashion and for Steampunk chic but that’s not the only thing that’s changed about P!ATD. Without Ryan Ross playing the guitar, Panic!’s sound is just a bit different from what we knew. A little safer, I suppose. Even the song titles are safe in comparison to the lengthy titles that no one can ever truly remember from “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”. Urie’s voice and harmonies still have me humming along but I’m not entirely positive how well this new CD will do with “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” as the first single. After winning hearts with “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” it’s a little hard to come back with something that seems so tame by comparison.
Personally, I miss the old sound, but when the band splits because of creative differences, you know that something’s about to change. The most I can say is that I hope that Urie and Smith can keep Panic! going strong enough to have their fans coming back for more. I know I’m looking forward to the rest of the album; at least “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” didn’t scare me away from them entirely. But here’s to hoping.
