Panic! at The Disco’s “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die” [Review]

Following the trend with previous albums, Panic’s albums have sounded nothing alike and this one is no exception. “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die” is a departure from the guitar-rich and rock heavy venture “Vices & Virtues” that the band had previously released back in 2011. While Vices & Virtues mainly focused on its guitar, piano, and vocal work to create a more orchestral feeling album, Too Weird to Live relies on its heavy bass and use of synthesizers to establish a more airy and high-energy feeling.

Releasing on October 8th, 2013, ‘Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die’ is inspired by Las Vegas which is the band’s hometown. The use of electronic sounds combined with Brendon Urie’s voice creates a truly unique listening experience. Jumping from one genre to another usually doesn’t work out for most bands, but for Panic, it hasn’t steered them wrong. Urie’s motive behind the album was to make people want to get up and dance and there are definitely some tracks that will do that for you. However, the album in itself feels disjointed. As good as each song is on its own, there’s no real way to enjoy the album for what it is over the course of listening to it for a few times.

The album opens with “This is Gospel”, an amazing piece that represents the culmination of what the band has become. It feels as if all the techniques that they’ve learned over the years have resulted in a truly inspiring work. The energy is then cranked up with “Miss Jackson” but then takes a down a couple notches with “Vegas Lights” and “Girl That You Love”. “Miss Jackson” was the lead single for the album and it’s easy to see why. The amount of energy that’s put into the song really helps define what the album strives to be, but it falls short of that. “Vegas Lights” and “Girl That You Love” make heavy use of synthesizers but the tone shift feels a bit awkward and don’t help develop the sound the band is trying to establish.

But now is when it gets good. “Nicotine” takes you for a ride, with its infectious melody and downright addicting guitar and synthesizer, this is by far the strongest song on the album. “Girls/Girls/Boys” takes point after and does well to further develop the sound of the album.

And here is where the album falls flat. The songs following being “Casual Affair” and “Far Too Young to Die” don’t do much music wise and don’t add to the complexity or depth of the album, but they do help expand on the story that’s being told (we’ll go into this later). Afterward, we are greeted by “Collar Full”, an upbeat track that sounds like a culmination of all the works Panic! has made. When talking about a song that has shown what a band has become, or how a song has several layers of depth, this is a perfect example.

Finally, we’re greeted by “The End of All Things”, which is actually Urie’s wedding vows. The piano is very striking in that it’s extremely different to anything on the album, let alone anything they’ve ever produced. Sound-wise it doesn’t fit at all, but thematically it closes the album perfectly. But now we encounter the bonus tracks, “Can’t Fight Against the Youth” and “All the Boys”. “Can’t Fight Against the Youth” is very similar to “Collar Full” while “All the Boys” is just more of the same.

As for the story that the album tells, it’s about how a kid growing up in Vegas experiences life. “This is Gospel” describes one of the band member’s drug addiction in the past, while “Miss Jackson” describes one of their sexual experiences. “Vegas Lights” is a song that reflects what the nightlife of Vegas is truly like and “Girls/Girls/Boys” spins a tale of what a love triangle is like involving different sexual orientations. “Casual Affair” is pretty self-explanatory and “The End of All Things” is quite literally the end of the rambunctious youth in Vegas, as it is Urie’s wedding vows. Even the artwork for the album, Urie describes the man in the photo as the “quintessential Vegas guy”.

All in all, the album melds together but that’s not a bad thing. The highs and lows are definitely worth a listen and it’s one of my favorite albums, but it does feel like generic dance and pop music.

Album Score: 8/10

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