Panic! At The Disco

Panic! At The Disco, who came up with their band name by combining a line from "Panic" by The Smiths and a song by Name Taken (also called "Panic"), are a very young band for such a large fan base. Three of the boys are only 18, while lyricist/guitarist, Ryan Ross, is only 19. The band is made up of Ryan Ross (guitar), Brendon Urie (vocals/guitar), Brent Wilson (bass), and Spencer Smith (drums/percussion). Despite their young ages, they have managed to create a unique album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (released in September ’05), that most adolescents can relate to. They've been all the talk of Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz for over a year, after leaving him a link to their purevolume.com account on his livejournal after hearing about his new label, Decaydance. Wentz was quick to sign the boys in winter of ’04 and get them started on the album, which sold nearly ten thousand copies in its first week. He even had writing sessions with Ross, and some of his lyrics appear in the album (“I aim to be, your eyes, trophy boys, trophy wives” in “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage”). The boys are often compared to Fall Out Boy, though their sound is much different. Ross tells Brandon Herbel of absolutepunk.net “for the people who have heard our entire record and still think that we sound like Fall Out Boy with keyboards...well, I just find them to be musically inept.” However, Ross does agree that vocalist, Brendon Urie, has a similar voice to Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump. He goes on to say it’s basically because they actually know how to sing correctly. In fact, Urie had taken voice lessons for a year before the band got together.
Enough about the boys, let’s talk about the music. The boys insisted on splitting the album into two halves. The first half full of drum machines and synthesizers, and the second half complete with stumbling Vaudevillian piano parts, pizzicatto strings, and even an accordion. Their mix of music is so unique, but if you’re not reading too much into it, you may not even notice it. From the second the first words are sung you’ll be hooked. You’ll be singing Ross’s vivid lyrics in your head all day, and Urie’s rich vocals are just as impressive. So how is it that a few boys just out of high school are getting so big so fast? Well, go buy the album and find out for yourself.

http://http://panicatthedisco.com
http://www.myspace.com/panicatthedisco
http://www.purevolume.com/panicatthedisco