Review Summary: ‘Pretty Odd’ indeed! Alternate album titles were ‘Very. Risky’, ‘Really. Different’, ‘Strangely. Experimental’ & ‘Unfortunate. Failure’. Oh & don’t forget ‘Wiggly. Beatles’!
There is an old saying that goes “The Greater The Risk, The Greater The Return”. Of course what they don’t tell you in that often used selling point is that when the risk is greater there is also a greater chance of failure. Panic At The Disco (PATD) undoubtedly take a huge risk with their 2nd album ‘Pretty. Odd.’. Unfortunately, they don’t recoup the returns that they were after and it ultimately results in failure.
What is the risk that the band has taken? Well quite simply, PATD have crafted an album that bears very little similarity to their debut hit ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’. It seems as if they have intentionally gone out of their way to be significantly different. Furthermore, the majority of songs included here not only seem to shun their pre-existing fanbase, but it is difficult to tell exactly what demographic they are aiming at full stop.
Things begin decently enough as even though ‘We’re So Starving’ is unnecessary and arguably pretentious, it is short enough (80 seconds) and carries a decent melody to act as a sufficient introduction. First single ‘Nine in the Afternoon’ follows and adds a sweet harmony to the same catchy hooks that filled the band’s debut. Everything works well here making this a genuine contender for pop song of the year and the album’s clear highlight.
Highlights are by no means plentiful on ‘Pretty. Odd.’, although 3 other tracks are worth mentioning positively. 2nd single ‘That Green Gentlemen’ is not too dissimilar to the aforementioned first single, while track 9 ‘Pas de Cheval’ is refreshingly up-tempo and makes good use of backing vocals as well as a literal smorgasbord of instruments. However, the song which probably best reflects what the band was after with their experimentation is the excellent ‘When The Day Met The Night’. The band’s gift for hooky pop is combined harmoniously with this album’s want for something different here, while the use of horns work well for the band once more.
Elsewhere, some tracks contain fleeting moments of inspiration, but don’t result in a successful piece as a whole. The arguably catchy choruses (as strange as they may be) of ‘Do You Know What I’m Seeing’ and closer ‘Mad As Rabbits’ qualify in this grouping, as does the inconsistent ‘She Had The World’ and the eventually padded out weirdness of ‘The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know’. Had the others not existed, maybe one or two of these tracks could have made for decent variety.
But if the tracks mentioned thus far make up ‘The Good’ and ‘The Bad’, there is unfortunately still ‘The Ugly’ to come. Track 11 ‘Behind The Sea’ heads this list and is a genuine contender for worst song of the year. Painfully derivative & dated, the similarities to The Beatles are extremely disconcerting and I would say that PATD make it even worse by throwing in a bit of The Wiggles as well, before Chumbawamba make a late cameo! It’s simply awful. The 2 minute ‘Folkin Around’ which follows isn’t a great deal better, while the penultimate track ‘From A Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins’ sounds as if it belongs in the background of a children’s fairytale! Anything else not mentioned is simply bland, unmemorable and/or dated.
The question still remains as to who PATD targeted this album to. The only answer one can come up with is “themselves”. It is just a shame that the band took their want for experimentation so far that it resulted in an overlong mess which can practically be switched off after track 9. Will the band be better for the experience? One would hope so as there are touches (both vocally & musically) which can be used positively down the track. However, the most important aspect will be whether or not PATD can learn from their numerous mistakes made on ‘Pretty. Odd’.
Recommended Tracks: Nine in the Afternoon & When The Day Met The Night.
