Don't Panic. They're Back.

Panic! at the Disco were awesome. I will hear nothing against them, especially considering the reaction that greeted them when they released their first album. Thousands of teenagers embracing the theatrical approach they brought to music, complete with fantastic clothes and songs anyone with a sense of rhythm couldn't help but dance to.

Then it all went wrong. They released their second album, Pretty. Odd, and I'll be honest, I've not heard a band change their style so much in, well, ever. I loved it. However, the majority of people I knew hated what Panic had become. Not only were they sounding like a cross between The Small Faces and The Beach Boys, they had

also removed the ! from their name. The heresy...

There was obviously some disfunction in the band. Ryan Ross, the pretty guitarist who had won the hearts of many a lady (and guy) was pulling the ba

nd in a direction that a certain front man didn't want to go in. He provided vocals for a large proportion of the second album and the conflict in genre was clearly his doing. Something had to crack if they were going to please their fans with a third outing.

And crack it did. Rumour has it that the split was amicable. Brendon and Ryan both accepted that they had differing styles and it was in both of their interests to continue separately. Brendon kept Panic at the Disco, and Ryan moved on to The Young Veins. I've just spent five minutes going over my past posts because I'm sure I reviewed their debut album Take a Vacation! (those boys love their exclamation marks) but apparently not.

Vices and Virtues! can be seen as Panic's return to their original form. It's clear from listening to their latest outing which members of the band were main thrust of their creative out-put for A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Quite simply, Vices and Virtues sounds like Panic! at the Disco and will be a comfortable and familiar listen for an original fans who were put off byPretty. Odd.

However (and there's always a however!) , Vices just doesn't hit the mark as well asA.F.Y.C.S.O. did. Maybe it's because Panic's first outing was original and different. Maybe it's because they've lost an important writing element in the form of Ryan Ross. Either way, it's good, but it's just not that good. I've given it a couple of listens now and there's only on song I can really remember (first single 'The Ballad of Mona Lisa'). It's not a bad album. It's just not a very memorable one.

But at least Panic are still going, and that's a good thing. It sounds sad, but they were an important part of my teenager years, and I'd be sad to see them end. May they continue for years to come.