Panic! at The Disco’s “Vices & Virtues” [Review]

If I could describe “Vices & Virtues” in one word, it would be ‘Vintage’. Panic! at The Disco’s early years is something unique. The band’s previous albums, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” and “Pretty. Odd.” sound as if they were another band entirely. “Vices & Virtues” came out on March 22nd, 2011 following the departure of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, leaving Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, and now full-time band member Dallon Weekes to record the now rock-inspired album.

The album’s title was inspired by the seven deadly sins, and how each sin is an example of a vice. According to Urie, “This album is a study of our human behavior. It’s about our changes in self-esteem and the changes of growing up.”

In my review of “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die”, I mentioned that there was a heavy focus on guitar, piano, and vocals on “Vices & Virtues” compared to the use of synths on “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die”. This is immediately heard in the lead single off of the album “The Ballad of Mona Lisa”. Originally written shortly after the band’s second album, “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” is a song about morality and dealing with the guilt that comes with sleeping around. While the sound and theme are similar to the band’s debut album, you can immediately tell that the band has grown and changed a lot. The piano immediately takes the stage front and center before you’re overwhelmed with a killer baseline. One of the defining genres of this album is baroque pop, which is rock combined with classical music elements. Besides the main vocals, piano, and guitars, the extra instrumentation on this song really adds intrigue and mystique, something associated heavily with the Mona Lisa. It’s a very strong start to an album, something P!ATD is great at.

Another single off the album, “Let’s Kill Tonight” is a song about having fun with friends and enjoying a night out as stated in an interview with the band. The baroque pop is really showing its head here and the band’s use of synthesizers really adds a bit of an unsettling feeling.

“Hurricane” is one of the weaker songs on the record. With a very odd ending of a piano and trumpet playing over a muffled crowd, that does bleed well into the next track, this song uses guitars extremely well but carries that unsettling feeling as the track before did.

“Memories” sounds like it’s straight out of the late 2000’s/early 2010s in the best way. It’s a pop punk song from the golden age of pop punk. With one of the best lyrics on the record “Oh, memories, where’d you go? You were all I’ve ever known.”, a wicked guitar solo, and all-around good instrumentation, “Memories” is one of the stronger songs off of the album. It describes a story of a boy giving up his religion and a girl giving up his family for a boy. However, things don’t quite work out in the end, and as a result, they only have memories of each other.

“Trade Mistakes” is another one of those songs where you feel that baroque pop influence. The classical fusion really shows its worth on this track with the beautiful string opening, and wonderful piano solo, all right back into that pop-punk flair. This song is the epitome of “Vices & Virtues” as it’s a song where the singer regrets all of the mistakes and vices he’s committed in the past.

Halfway through the album, the strongest song off the record “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)” turns things up to 11. While the song maintains many of the same vibes as the previous tracks, it truly feels like the climax of the record as things slow down a bit after this track. The song utilizes synths, pianos, violins, guitars, and Urie’s voice wonderfully. The song is all about taking risks and being spontaneous in life. The song is a power-pop jam that really adds a lot of life to the record.

Shaking things up a bit is “Always” the closest we have to a fully acoustic song on the record. The song is a love story inspired by ‘The Great Gatsby’. While the song starts off with an acoustic guitar and slowly builds with synths, piano, drums, and other various instruments. It’s by far the most laid-back track on the project which really helps break things up with all of the baroque influences.

Back with some more unsettling feelings is “Calendar”. This song is actually a breakup song that has two meanings. While it’s a breakup song in the traditional sense, the song also focuses on the departure of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker from the band. There are some really cool synths on this track, but what really stands out is the end as it has a really weird instrumental outro that feels a bit out of place.

One of Urie’s favorite songs off of the album is the one that he wrote for his girlfriend, now wife, Sarah. “Sarah Smiles” starts off with an accordion and then goes straight into that baroque pop that we’ve come to know quite well on this record. Urie is pouring his heart out on this song and for good reason as it’s a very personal love song. He goes on to describe everything he loves about Sarah and how his destiny lies with her. It’s a very sweet love song that feels right at home on this album.

Closing out the album is “Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met…)”. Starting out with an introduction from a children’s choir, the song utilizes various sound effects and instrumentation to help tell a story of a man who is haunted by a woman who he is in love with. The children’s choir is probably the best addition to this song as it adds to the very grand feeling of this song. The song closes out with the choir referencing Mona Lisa who we can assume is the woman who was haunting the man, as well as the woman from the first song record.

While this is the end of the album proper, there are several songs that were released across various editions of the album. Altogether, there are 6 bonus tracks that really add quite a bit to the album. So much so that some of the best songs are tucked away in the deluxe editions.

Starting with iTunes bonus track, “Bittersweet” is a song about relationships that are, well, bittersweet. The song describes a relationship where the lovers aren’t the best fit for each other as “it feels like they’re pulling teeth every time they speak”. It’s a really fun-sounding upbeat track that doesn’t get as much love as it deserves due to being a rather obscure P!ATD track.

While “Bittersweet” was a pre-order track exclusive to iTunes, the next five tracks are all on the Japanese Deluxe version of the album. First up is “Kaleidoscope Eyes”. One of the most unique-sounding songs on the record, it’s another song about a toxic relationship. The singer falls in love with a girl who has a fondness for drugs that make her eyes look like kaleidoscopes. The upbeat music uses synths that sound very airy and hollow which is something you rarely hear. Combing that with what sounds like a xylophone adds to a really odd experience that is a delight to hear. The real treat is the backup vocalization that you hear in this song.

The super strong baseline introduces “Stall Me”, a song written about the infamous Sarah. Urie is explaining that he’s willing to put all of his effort into his relationship with Sarah even if it wears him out. Urie really flexes his voice on this song and it feels like a classic 2000s pop/rock song. We still hear some baroque influences, but not as much as we heard on the main album as this song really focuses on the guitars and drums.

“Oh Glory (Demo)” heavily uses strings and is one of the harder rock songs on the album. It’s a very grandiose song where the singer is expressing their struggles throughout their life and how they’re just one step away from glory. This song has some of the most aggressive guitars off of any P!ATD song and it’s a welcome addition that helps the song really stand out.

“I Wanna Be Free” is a song about feeling trapped. Whether it’s where you’re at in life, or a relationship, as is the case in this song. The singer is expressing their frustration and all they really want is to be just have a better relationship where their partner will actually care about them. Probably the strongest part of this record is the guitar that you can hear in the right stereo channel throughout the song.

Finally, saving the best for last, “Turn Off The Lights” feels like the true closer to this album. It’s by far one of the strongest songs on the record, if not the strongest. The song is all about dealing with insecurities and facing them head-on. Everything about this track is amazing. From the guitars, the drums, and of course, Urie’s vocals. It really is the culmination of the entire record resulting in an outstanding closer. The way Urie is able to close out the song with his vocalization is the perfect way to end the song and the record as it truly feels like putting a bow on a present.

Final Thoughts

“Vices & Virtues” is in a weird spot. It’s the last album before Panic! At The Disco became the solo project of Brendon Urie, but it’s also an album where half the band left due to creative differences. Despite that, it’s an outstanding album that’s only furthered by the tracks off of the deluxe editions of the record.

Album Score: 7/10
Deluxe Edition Score: 9/10

Favorite Tracks: “The Ballad of Mona Lisa”, “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)”, “Bittersweet”, “Turn Off The Lights”

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