Review - Panic! At The Disco- Vices & Virtues

The good chaps in Panic! At The Disco are streaming their new record Vices & Virtues on their facebook page for the world to listen to, prior to its official release on 28th March. In what is starting to become somewhat a fad for bands, it is a great way of getting people to listen to your music, especially before its official release.

Their second album Pretty Odd got panned, unable to live up to their incredible “instant classic” debut A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, which catapulted them into the mainstream conscious. I was ready to give this a listen, to see if they had gone back to the sound that made them so loved in the first place. Further excited by the lead single, The Ballad of Mona Lisa, I was hopeful that Panic! had returned to the sound of old. Having said that, I didn’t really give Pretty Odd a great deal of time. In many ways, I think I was (quite wrongly) put off by the appalling reception it got. I really should give it a chance one day. However, the debut was a stormer, so I had big hopes for this. The vaudevillian themed video for Mona Lisa also indicated that Panic! were back to their best.

So what did I think? I must admit, it does nothing for me on the whole. I am a little disappointed with it in all fairness. I had big expectations, but I feel as though it is sincerely lacking in stand out hits across the board. Not a lot was memorable for me, and it is definitely nowhere near the same league unfortunately as A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. There is nothing inherently wrong with it I suppose, but it just didn’t grab me enough on first listen. I would be intrigued to see how it sounds on a second run through, but if I do eventually get to appreciate it, it will have to be a grower, rather than a shower. It did nothing for me really on first listen.

The Ballad of Mona Lisa is a great song, and Memories is also a rather enjoyable number. After that though, there isn’t really much more to get your teeth into. It all feels somewhat forgettable after that for me. I sat there waiting for a return to the songwriting genius of their debut, but it just never came.

Overall, a bit of a let down really, after the first single promised so much more. For those who are new to Panic! though, I would seriously recommend picking up the debut, as THAT is a record that won’t be classed as “forgettable” anytime soon.

4/10