Panic! At the Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005) Vinyl

Whether it be sporting identities, actors or musicians, the majority of people will dislike some spotlighted stars despite the fact that they do not know them personally. It may be due to the frequent times that a musician is arrested, yet escapes jail time. Maybe it is the number of women that the star actor reportedly beds. Or it could even be the sneaky late hit that a sportsman gets in when the referee is not looking. The members of Panic! At The Disco (PATD) don’t fall into any of these categories, but it can definitely be seen why they are so easy to dislike.

It could be the extra-long song titles that attempt humor… The use of many lyrics that the majority of the band’s target audience wouldn’t understand… The predominantly whiny vocals that dominate way too much… The unashamed gimmicks that try to make the songs (and entire album) better than they are… The strange mish-mashes of genres that are included throughout… Or the repetitious nature of many of the tracks. The scary thing is that the list could be continued! Yet, it is difficult to dislike this band or album too much.

Firstly, to one of those gimmicks; The album is split into 2 parts… Tracks 1-7 feature backing instruments such as drum machines and synthesizers that lead to all sorts of different background sounds. Meanwhile, tracks 9-13 use old fashioned types of instruments such as accordions, horns and a vaudevillian piano. These 2 sections are linked by an overlong instrumental ‘Intermission’ (track 8) that begins as a techno loop and then works its way into a piano solo. While this all sounds elaborate & clever, it is really a way to try and distinguish tracks that aren’t individual enough to be distinguished in the first place.