Panic At The Disco – ‘Death Of A Bachelor’ [Review]
Panic At The Disco have long been synonymous with sexy, sensual, and theatrical pop-rock-or-just-pop-I-can’t-quite-tell. From stomping grooves to synth-heavy production, ecstatic vocals, the occasional tasty guitar riff, and a heaped helping of just-fuck-me-already attitude, Panic At The Disco have already proven to the world that they have what it takes to entertain and beguile massive crowds of pleasure-seekers.
Of course, success brings haters, people eager to tear others down, often simply because they just don’t get it. To be honest, in Panic At The Disco’s early days, I always shrugged my shoulders and moved on to some other band I preferred – one that was most likely heavier, darker, and more aggressive. My black-clad friends and I would gather around trays of Jägerbombs and bemoan the “death of real rock” and suchlike, placing the blame mainly on the likes of Panic At The Disco and their peers.
Today, things are much different. Looking back with over a decade’s worth of hindsight, those complaints were petty, lame, and more than a little bit sad. Despite all that behind-closed-doors complaining (which, like all silent grudges, never do anything to actually change the world), Panic At The Disco are still going – and Death Of A Bachelor is the album that’s finally won me over to a cause I could’ve sided with many moons ago.
Dammit.
Above all else, Death Of A Bachelor is a fun album to listen to. Okay, the pitch correction on the vocals and heavy reliance on poppy synths is likely to put off those for whom authenticity is everything – but let’s think about authenticity for a minute. If you define anything inauthentic as “fake,” then you’re implying that deceit and deception – and therefore dishonesty – are involved. So by authenticity, you really mean honesty.
As far as I can hear, this album is honest. It’s the sound of a band being themselves, placing full focus and intent on having a good time, turning up the brightness and contrast and colour as far as they’ll go, just to see what happens. And to be fair, as important as more serious music is, it’s okay to let your hair down occasionally – and songs like Victorious, Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time, Hallelujah, and The Good, The Bad, And The Dirty are waiting below, offering you a chance to dive into something that might prove as refreshing as a glass of chilled water after a day in the desert.
Check it out – and bear in mind that music like this doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. It can just be a pleasure. It’s taken time, but it definitely is for me.
TMMP RATING: 93%
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To see all the ways you can buy this album, head to Panic At The Disco’s official website.