A Fever You Can't Sweat Out

by

Panic! At the Disco

Edit

I got this album after my sister played a couple of mp3s for me. As an architecture student, I often sit in front of my computer or drafting table for 10 or more hours at a time, and many times I just put one album on repeat and listen to it about 20 times. I did this with "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" this weekend, and I am listening to it right now.

The word that I think sums the album up most accurately is: "compelling." After listening to the album over and over and over again, I have come to respect the achievement of this band and this album in a way that I respect the work of very few bands; the members of Panic! manage to absorb and, in a critical way, digest and re-produce many varied musical precedents into a strangely fresh form.

I am stunned that nobody in these reviews has mentioned the influence of the band Refused, specifically the album "The Shape of Punk to Come." The radio static fading in and out between techno fills, blending between songs, was done to amazing effect almost exactly seven years ago on "The Shape of Punk to Come," and in one sense one could say that Panic!'s album falls short of the promise of such an obvious influence, as Refused set the bar for all progressive punk/rock/rhythm/techno fusion forever, yet due to their obviously varied pool of influences, comparing Panic! and Refused is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. I think what Panic! has borrowed from Refused (complete variety through a mix of analog and digital musical techniques with an unrelenting, rhythmic energy) is completely effective in establishing a foundation upon which Panic! has succeeded in crafting an alarmingly listenable and compelling album.

2. In the first song, "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide is Press Coverage," the plea: "Sit tight, I'm going to need you to keep time, come on just snap snap snap your fingers for me," is delivered over a simple acoustic guitar line and a thin electronic snare beat, which leads quickly into crunchy electronic guitar with live drums. This plea is a perfect one to open this album with, compelling the listening to follow closely, as just within this single song the music bounces back and forth between pop and darker punk influences, techno, and folk with an effortless grace.

3. The thing that stands out most starkly to me in the second song, "London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines," is how the melody ("make us it, make us hit, make us scene...") of the chorus sounds exactly like a Coheed and Cambria melody, but I haven't been able to find the exact song it's reminding me of. Overall, I find the choice of topic and the content of the lyrics to expose a certain degree of immaturity, but I suppose that's to be expected from such a young band.

4. I love the opening synth/guitar (?) line of "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks." It reminds me of NES games from fifteen years ago. Then the heavy vocals filter... so Cher!

5. The imagery and tone of "Camisado" strongly recalls Brand New's "The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows"; a young and masculine lyricist waxing poetic about the violence native to living fast and loud and the inevitable pause the spectre of death presents to such a mind. Overall not as effective as Brand New's song in dealing with the subject matter, but, again a bit like comparing apples and oranges, as "The Quiet Things" is a classic, driving Brand New anthem and "Camisado" is more nuanced and painted with techno florishes. It's most successful moment is during the filtered drum breakdown beginning at 2:02, its abrupt transistion into its quiet, contemplative repetition and drumroll back into the chorus. But, again, the formula was also successful in "The Quiet Things," and several other Brand New (and Blink 182, for that matter) songs, with a contemplative bridge building up to an anthemic final chorus. Panic! could learn a bit about vocal harmony from Brand New.

6&7. "It's Time to Dance" and "Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off", though very different songs, make sort of a mini rock opera in the middle of the album for me, as the lyricist manages to arrange two different songs, one with estrogen and the other with testosterone as subjects of their respective choruses, next to one another in order on the album. Excellent, haha...

8. Ah, the Refused influence finally makes itself indisputable. However, radio static and techno aside, I must say that the piano solo on "Intermission" is quite remarkable for a pop/punk/whatever band to have pulled off; most of the bands that I have known personally or have listened to a good deal tend to stay quite close to the guitar & bass & drum arrangement, and for a baroque-ish waltz to spring up in the middle of this album is pretty rad. Not to mention the artful accellerando and sloppy notes towards the end which are eventually overpowered by a THX-ish digital flourish of noise... so interesting, if unpleasant to listen to. It's things like this, the creation a tension within the listener, a fretfulness caused between enjoying the intellectual operation within the song and the actual cacaphony of the sounds being made, in Panic!'s music that brings it closer to art than most bands would even understand.

9. "But It's Better When We Do"... What is this?? A ska song? WTF? More diversity, craziness...

10-13. "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" is a great song, as are the last three songs, as varied in their influences and as skillfully written as the rest of the tracks. I find the cello on "Build God, Then We'll Talk" particularly welcome, reprising the most recognizable melody from "The Sound Of Music" (????!!!!) to cap off the most diverse pop punk album ever written.

And in conclusion, I feel I need to emphasize part of the last point: in terms of overall content, tone and production, this ultimately comes across as a pop punk album, and this is the reason I have given it 4 stars and not 5. I feel that, while there is an obvious maturity to the skills that were necessary to create something that fuses so many musical influences so seamlessly, there is also a nagging immaturity to the overall feel of the album, a sort of ansty teenager feeling that I feel is only holding this talented band back from truly breaking new ground, musically. As Brand New really managed to mature as a band with Deja Entendu, I eagerly look foward to Panic!'s next album, when the product will hopefully fulfill the promise made so obvious with this exceptional debut.

Wanted to give a 2.5... I've been reading the reviews and am a little baffled. This album is good enough. For a first time out, I'd say they may have potential later on, but are no where near being super amazing or anything.

I'm just wondering how old those who are saying "It's the best thing I've ever heard!!" are? Or how much music you've listened to in your life?? It isn't awful or anything (anyone ever hear Hole's first album? Before Courtney got together with and dug her claws into Kurt? Dear God, what an awful awful piece of trash).. But I didn't fall off my couch and shout "YES!! Finally I have seen the light! This music is incredible!! waaa!!"...

I think once they get older and grow up (and get life experience beyond a girlfriend cheating on them), providing they don't become a one-hit wonder, they might get better. I found the lyrics to be immature, while attempting way too much to be "deep" ... Though I can see where teens would like this. The lyrics really were too immature and meaningless for me though.

I was 14 when Green Day came out with Dookie and I thought their 3 albums at the time were the be-all and end-all of music. now I look back and see how silly and immature it was (though, still better than this CD.. They're music styles are different though and shouldn't really be compared. I was thinking more of the youth factor). When I turned 15, my music tastes changed and I got over it (though am still a fan)... But I understand where teens who are discovering their music tastes would like this. I can't imagine someone in their mid-20s or 30s saying this is one of the greatest CDs ever, though. It's impossible.

This wasn't incredible and it wasn't total garbage either... To me, the true garbage in music in the last 7 years were/are acts like Britney Spears, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, N'Sync/Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson, Pussycat Dolls (who told a bunch of hookers they could be musicians?), Jennifer Lopez, .. oh, and Creed... I really loathe Creed.....

Yes, I agree that popular music in general has gone downhill... But for a first CD, I don't think this one is so terrible. It just REALLY doesn't live up to the hype. There have been so many stronger first efforts (and many crappier ones). So calm down kids and take a cold shower... ;) Or don't... At least you're not buying Ashlee Simpson albums...