The circus is coming to town. Vaudevillian rockers Panic at the Disco, best known for their theatrical personal and musical style, are slated to release their highly anticipated sophomore album “Pretty. Odd.” on Mar. 25. With no touring experience before their 2005 discovery by Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz and only one album to their name, the band is still a relative newcomer to the scene.

Their long-awaited second album is a crucial step toward the establishment of a solid identity for the band. Panic has been living a rock-star success story in fast-forward, signing with a desirable pop-punk label before ever playing a live show and then rocketing to platinum status before finishing their first tour, and the world is waiting to see whether “Pretty. Odd.” can continue the breakneck success of their debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.”

“Pretty. Odd.” seeks to revolutionize both Panic’s sound and personality; while the band has often said their old-style circus persona is only a part of the show complementing the sound of their first release, this image is certainly what the band has become known for. Whether Panic will be dismissed as vaudevillian novelty or accepted as legitimate artists rides upon the impression made by “Pretty. Odd.”

The album’s sound will reflect the band’s desire to be thought of as more than a circus act of emo pretty boys. Band members have referenced more mature influences and have expressed a desire for a less hurried, digitized sound than on their previous effort.

The first single from the album, “Nine In The Afternoon,” which will be released to the public later this month, displays what Panic has described as the album’s classic rock tone. The song’s bouncy sound and classic pop structure and instrumentation allude to mature influences like the Kinks and the Beatles – a far cry from the childish cabaret flavor and over-digitized dance sound of “Fever.”

Another new song, “In The Middle Of Summer,” reflects a similar style, featuring poppy, tinkling piano melodies and sunshine-y guitar riffs. If these tracks are any indicator, Panic has produced an album more suitable to grace your parents’ music libraries than your little sister’s.

Ironically, part of Panic’s transformation to rock legitimacy rides on the revamping of a crucial part of their success: their lyrics. While much of the fame of “Fever” rode on the album’s engaging, bitingly clever lyrics, many lines were lifted directly from the novels of author Chuck Palahniuk, author of “Fight Club” and “Choke.” Although listeners caught glimpses of lyricist Ryan Ross’s potential on “Fever,” “Pretty. Odd.” will determine the band’s lyrical originality.

Panic At The Disco are teetering on the threshold of longstanding success: Will they break into a definite sound and swell to Fall Out Boy-level fame, or will they flounder in the wake of their earlier successes? As the sole determining factor, “Pretty. Odd.” is a high-stakes release set to make or break one of our decade’s most fascinating rock success stories. Panic at the Disco, America’s emo darling, is poised to take the center ring.

Source: insidevandy.com

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