CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.
Release Date: September 27, 2005 Label: Decaydence Records Grade: B
Las Vegas-based Panic! at the Disco (yes, the exclamation point is required) burst onto the music scene riding the coattails of MTV's Next Big Thing: Fall Out Boy. The band, led by charismatic frontman and guitarist Brendon Urie (who sometimes sounds remarkably like Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump), is certainly a "fun" act to listen to. Bouncy, unpretentious techno-punk rock is Panic! at the Disco's claim to fame, and they do it relatively well. As a debut record, the Matt Squire-produced A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is an honest effort that will sell the band a large number of CDs on Decaydence Records, FOB bassist Pete Wentz's Fueled By Ramen imprint. The indie/punk kids will dance to it, and the mainstream ones will listen to anything recommended by Wentz at this point, which is a boon for Panic!'s sales. The album isn't genre-shifting, but it does leave you happier than when you started.
"The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" is the first real track on the album. It is here that you'll get your first taste of the blatantly catchy music that Panic writes. Although it is a great song to dance to, complete with a techno-synth section that is impressive by itself, you should notice the resemblance to Fall Out Boy right off the bat. The vocalist's sound is antagonistic (think Fall Out Boy pre-From Under the Cork Tree) and reminiscent of Stump, although at this point that's not a bad thing. "London Beckoned Sons About Money By Machines" has arguably some of the best lyrics on the entire album, but again, they don't sound as original as they could be. Their overuse of power chords doesn't allow the song to breathe as much as it has the potential to. "We're just a wet dream for the web zine/Make us it/Make us hip/Make us scene" is a great line in the chorus that pretty much says they won't give a crap about what I'm writing anyway.
"Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" is another synth and drum driven track with some vocal distortion. This dancy number is clever, and I'd imagine translates well to their live show. Some wit is imbued in the song, and Matt Squire's top-notch production is evident here. However, the classy and catchy "Camisado" stands out among the best songs on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. While Brendon Urie sounds sharply similar to Pat Stump again, it doesn't detract much from the overall appeal of the song. Adding some quality lyricism, "Camisado" will have anyone with a dancing bone in his or her body want to get up and shake it.
Tracks 6 and 7, "Time to Dance" and "Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off," are both single material, and some of Panic at the Disco's best work. The first was my introduction to the band after Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) recommended them back in April. The demo that was on their Purevolume for what seemed like ages was excellent; the album version is cleaned up and sounds just great. "Lying" is probably my personal favorite track on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Fusing Fall Out Boy's aggressive vocals with Panic's techno vibe, Brendon Urie really comes into his own vocally. He's no Stump sound-alike on this infectious drum-heavy song.
Following a brief, mostly-instrumental track called "Intermission," Panic at the Disco comes back with the blistering neo-burlesque number, "But It's Better If You Do." Very instrumentally reminiscent of jazz and swing, Spencer Smith's emphasis on the drums and Urie's vocals are really the only things to jar the listener from the time warp. Another personal favorite is "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." Like the majority Houston Calls' 2005 release, this song does a solid job of telling a story. Unfortunately, that over-reliance on power chords returns; I think they maybe could have gone a little more musically diverse with the guitars. There is no doubt that the guys from Panic! at the Disco can play their instruments, but sometimes they do seem to lack a little something.
I was a bit disappointed with the closing three songs on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. "I Constantly Thank God for Esteban" is hooky, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Despite a couple of clever lines, this song is a real underachiever. I have similar sentiments about "There's a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of It Yet," besides just nominating it for pointlessly long song title of the year. Lacking the proven Panic! at the Disco panache, the horns are the only thing to save this song from the dreaded "average" label. "Build God, Then We'll Talk" is lyrically strong, but it doesn't do much for me other than come off as familiar pop punk. While better than its two predecessors, it isn't the pinnacle of the band's musical abilities.
The reason I decided to give Panic! at the Disco's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out a solid B is that I don't think they are going to live up to the massive hype they're getting. I qualify that statement by saying that not many bands do. They have a burden they'll be expected to live up to, being endorsed so highly by Fall Out Boy, the mainstream music scene's newest darlings. I really hope they make it big; even with a B grade, they are better than 98% of the mainstream artists out there. What keeps this from being worthy of an A is the band's lack of diversity to compliment the smooth hooks and excellent lyricism that abound on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. The guitar and bass use in song structure just doesn't seem to vary enough to make the songs anything other than catchy pop punk with techno flair. Panic! at the Disco's debut will fill you up early and often if you want fun music, but I really do question its longevity.
Track Listing
01. Introduction
02. The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage
03. London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines
04. Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks
05. Camisado
06. Time to Dance
07. Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off
08. Intermission
09. But It's Better If You Do
10. I Write Sins, Not Tragedies
11. I Constantly Thank God for Esteban
12. There's a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of It Yet
13. Build God, Then We'll Talk
Band/Album Information
Brendon Urie (Vocals, Guitar)
Ryan Ross (Guitar)
Brent Wilson (Bass)
Spencer Smith (Drums) Producer: Matt Squire (TREOS, Thrice)
