Panic! at the Disco releases "Vices & Virtues" and embraces their old sound

I don't readily admit this in public, but I really love Panic! at the Disco. I liked their bizarre version of emo quirkiness on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out and I loved the departure into something new for Pretty. Odd. Their second album was completely underrated, although it's not difficult to see why. Their original fans were pissed that they didn't make Emo Quirk part 2, and everyone else had already written them off as another dime-a-dozen, whiny, wanna-be-significant, Top 40, rock-pop band. Yes, they were kind of Fall Out Boy-lite, but they had their own style and completely owned that second album.

The future of Panic! at the Disco was left uncertain after the departure of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, leaving only Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith. The latter two kept on under the original name, which raised the question of how much they would still sound like their old selves. With Urie still around, the lead vocals still sound the same. But with the exit of two members, Urie had to take over writing lyrics. I was most disheartened by a quote from Wikipedia, saying that "Urie wanted the band to explore a more polished pop sound, while Ross — and, by extension, Walker — was interested in making retro-inspired rock." It looks like the two people primarily responsible for the new sound were the two guys who took off.

Well, upon listening to their new release, if you liked early Panic, you'll say it was a return to form. If, like me, you're one of the twelve other people who liked their new sound, you might be a little disappointed. Vices & Virtues is very radio friendly, and a few singles from the album should do very well. I don't mean that as an insult, but just a statement of fact that a lot of the personality Panic originally had is rather sanitized. I didn't need another Pretty. Odd. full of baroque pop, but I wouldn't mind a song or two in the kinetic style of their debut. Several times while listening to their new songs, I couldn't help but think they would sound exactly the same if sung by Fall Out Boy. They're more generic in that kind of way. Also, I hate to say it, but you can feel the change in writers for their lyrics. They've lost a lot of the wit that their early work had.

This isn't to say that the album is a complete failure. I just wanted to establish that this isn't anything like their previous work. It's closer in spirit to A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, but not by much. There's nothing particularly unique about their new music. They're decent, solid, catchy songs that could have been made by any band out there. Panic! at the Disco has grown, but in my opinion, they've grown in the wrong direction. The songs may be more polished, but so much so that they've lost their distinctive glimmer.

"Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)" has an appealing offbeat-ness to it, but it feels like a radio-friendly version of one of their early frenetic, bizarre songs. For the heartfelt song, instead of "She Had the World," we get "Always." Instead of mellow songs like "Behind the Sea" or "Northern Downpour," we get catchy radio singles like "Oh Glory" and "Let's Kill Tonight." Their first single, "The Ballad of Mona Lisa," is enjoyable, but once again, feels like their old style really watered down. "Memories," likewise, is just as catchy as a lot of the other tracks, but doesn't stick with you or make much of an impact. In my humble opinion, "Hurricane" is their best new song. Sure to be commercially successful, it's got the energy that made their old stuff so instantly enticing.

I still have faith in Panic! at the Disco, though. They can blend the old sound with a fresh style, and still make it radio friendly. "Mad as Rabbits" and "That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)" from Pretty. Odd. are great examples of combining all those parts efficiently. This is Urie's first experience being the one in charge of lyrics, so hopefully he'll get better with practice and bring us some more daring music next time. I know the public didn't like Pretty. Odd. as much as the critics largely did, but while they don't have to go retro, they shouldn't be afraid to experiment with different sounds again. Vices & Virtues isn't bad, it's just not Panic! At the Disco as we know and love them.