Song Review: Billie Eilish my future

Billie Eilish released a new song for fans to dwell on. The latest single, my future (all lowercase) is a reminder for Eilish’s young audience that their future can be filled with hope.

my future Album Art

Released on July 30, 2020, my future was #1 in the U.S. and Global Spotify charts with over 2 million streams in the United States and over 5 million streams worldwide by July 31, 2020. [X] The animated music video has reached over 22 million views on YouTube as of August 3, 2020, only three days after its initial release.

my future opens with a slow melancholic vibe, melding with Eilish’s past tracks. Eilish laments about a relationship that seems one-sided by both partners. Opening lyrics are I can’t seem to focus / And you don’t seem to notice I’m not here while the pre-chorus lines are Can’t you hear me? / I’m not comin’ home / Do you understand? / I’ve changed my plans.

gif by bela @ nostressing.tumblr.com/

But it’s not a broken-hearted love song. The chorus leads with lines ‘Cause I, I’m in love / With my future / Can’t wait to meet her / And I (I), I’m in love / But not with anybody else / Just wanna get to know myself. After a slight pause after this chorus, as if to take a breath, an upbeat tempo kicks in.

The second half of my future is a lo-fi hip-hop-esque beat accompanied with an uptempo guitar riff and melodic, breezy keyboard chords. Eilish’s jazzy vocals on-top of this new beat create a great balance of delicate and poppy. While the beat is uptempto, there is no lack of dissenting chords that Eilish is famous for, especially in the precursors to the chorus.

Written with her brother at the beginning of quarantine in the United States, Eilish reflected on the meaning of my future by saying, “It’s a song that’s really really personal and special to me. when we wrote this song, it was exactly where my head was at– hopeful, excited and a craaaazy amount of self reflection and self growth.” She continued by saying she hopes fans can bring their own meaning to the song and stay hopeful for their futures.

Billie Eilish never ceases to amaze fans with poetic lyrics and soulful melodies. If this is a glimpse of what fans can expect from her in the future, then it will be a bright one indeed.

Listen to my future Below

Album Review: Taylor Swift’s Folklore

In the age of streaming, artists are opting to release full albums without the usual fanfare and teasers. Taylor Swift surprised fans with her eighth studio album, Folklore. A dreamy 16-song album that makes us want to cuddle up in a cozy cottage with our favorite cardigan and daydream away.

Streaming Album Art of Taylor Swift’s Folklore

Folklore was released on July 24, 2020, a full 16-hours after an announcement to her fans via social media. Along with the full catalog available to stream, Swift let her fans know that there is more to expect on the physical copies. In a tweet released on July 23, 2020, Swift told fans, “folklore will have 16 songs on the standard edition, but the physical deluxe editions will include a bonus track “the lakes.” Because this is my 8th studio album, I made 8 deluxe CDs & 8 deluxe vinyls available for 1 week. Each has unique covers & photos.”

Folklore is a dreamy album with calm melodies accompanied by Swift’s sweet vocals. The collection of 16 songs leans away from Swift’s usual contemporary pop sound and drifts into a whimsical, indie-pop category. With breathy vocals, melodic synths, and echoes of piano and guitars, Folklore is a breath of fresh air for Swift.

Although Swift has released Folklore in full, the only song featured with a theatrical music video is cardigan. Opening with Swift on a piano stool in a dusty cottage filled with relics and the glow of a lamp, she enters a fantasy world through her piano. Changing between a lush, magical forest to a dark and stormy sea, the music video gives off an Alice in Wonderland magic feel. Drastic scene changes as she enters a glimmering pixie-dust portal through her piano let the watcher feel the fantasy of the song and album.

The lyrics of cardigan lend the listener to the story of heartache. Lines like “Chase two girls, lose the one,” “Leaving like a father / Running like water,” and the final verse “But I knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss / I knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs / The smell of smoke would hang around this long / ‘Cause I knew everything when I was young / I knew I’d curse you for the longest time,” All have the listener imagine a lost love, the heartache of love slipping through your fingers, and how young relationships feel like “the one” until they aren’t. The chorus reminds me of Wildest Dreams, Swift’s 2015 song also detailing a longing love.

Most of the songs in Folklore reflect a melancholy feeling of lost love and longing. Swift penned a letter to fans about Folklore saying, “In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory. I’ve told these stories to the best of my ability with all the love, wonder, and whimsy they deserve.”

Critically, fans and reviewers love Folklore. Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The Times, and many more have rated Folklore with A’s and 9 out of 10 ratings. Swift conceived her eighth album in isolation during the current COVID-19 pandemic, with collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. On why she opted for a surprise release, Swift said her gut was telling her “if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world.” [X]

Folklore is a fresh departure from the contemporary pop world that Taylor Swift fans have grown to know. In a new age of quiet quarantine and melancholy feelings, Folklore capitalizes on a magical cottagecore aesthetic that fans will love for years to come.

Niana Gutierrez

Listen to Folklore Below

Song Review: Panic! At The Disco’s Hallelujah

Panic! At The Disco released the first song since Spencer Smith had resigned and it is awesome. Released on April 19, 2015, Panic!’s song “Hallelujah” is their first single off their fifth upcoming, untitled studio album, rumored to be released later this year. Selling over 71,000 copies and debuting on Bilboard’s Top 100  Hallelujah is opening the golden gates of a new era in the world of Panic! At The Disco.

Panic! At The Disco’s album art for Hallelujah

Hallelujah starts off with a drum riff, some background talking and a fanfare of trumpets, lead singer, Brendon Urie, is laughing and he goes on to say “A moment you’ll never remember, and a night you’ll never forget”, there’s an elongated “oooooh” and the beat drops into a jazzy, soulful and downtempo beat straight into the chorus. (below)

“All you sinners stand up sing hallelujah / show praise with your body, stand up sing hallelujah / and if you can’t stop shaking, lean back let it move right through ya / say your prayers, say your prayers say your prayers”

From the chorus itself, it sounds to be pretty religious. Images of TV ministers and their elaborate religious schemes and over excited audiences fill your head as you take in the chorus. KROQ asked about the meaning behind Hallelujah Brendon said “It’s just, for me, you know, the spirituality of being able to own up to your sins, as they’re called, and take responsibility for your actions really hit me this time around, and so that song really is about that, it’s, you know, taking responsibility for things that you felt guilty for in the past and just owning it, because, now, that’s a piece of you and you can’t get rid of that history, so, that’s really what it was. But it was a chance to, kind of also, you know, there’s a little tagline in there that I throw out to our fans, I like to call them ‘my sinners’, and I’m a fellow sinner, and so I think that’s a little special little throw-out to them.”

gif by Emily @ http://panic-at-the-blog.tumblr.com/

Panic! At The Disco also performed Hallelujah for the first time at the 7th Annual Shorty Awards along with their previous album’s single Miss Jackson. 
It’s always interesting to see what new sound Panic! comes up with with every new album they come out with, and you can never pin it on the first single since with their last album, Too Weird To Live, To Rare To Die their first released single Miss Jackson was vastly different than the electronic synth pop of the rest of the album.

The new era of Panic! At The Disco is upon us, the only original member left is lead singer Brendon Urie, and although fans can probably not expect drastic changes, new experiences will flood the lyrics and new style changes in this upcoming fifth album.

Niana Gutierrez

Listen to Hallelujah Below

Bury Me in Rock and Roll Interviews Samantha Green of Stress Free Tips 101

We are all stressed out, it is a fact of life. Being in the music business seems to put a different kind of weight on the individual; cut to band breakups, band and crew fighting and the various other dangerous methods that some people turn to to become numb. Some of the greatest band’s music comes from deep sadness within their writers, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. Sometimes people just don’t have the correct resources to help, and constantly being on the road, writing or in the studio doesn’t offer much stability when it comes to seeing a therapist, or what have you. One vital thing we all have though is technology, and while it isn’t necessarily the same thing as talking to someone, a person can really find some great resources on becoming stress free within themselves and their environments.

I sat down with WordPress blogger, Samantha Green, to talk about her blog Stress Free Tips 101. In this interview she talks in depth about her blog topic, what she hopes people will take away from it and what she thinks she can take away from it herself.

Check out her interview below

Samantha also interviewed myself on her own blog where I talk about my experience running Bury Me in Rock and Roll. Check out her website and interview HERE.
Niana Gutierrez

Blog Review: Consequence of Sound

Although I haven’t been in the WordPress blogging game for long, I can say that Consequence of Sound is an organization that I really look up to.

Birthed in 2007, calling Chicago its hometown, Consequence of Sound has become one of the forerunners on the Internet in music and film news. With different categories, and categories in the categories, it’d be hard to not find what you’re looking for. With constant coverage on everything from mainstream to underground film and music, readers are subject to find new things to give a listen to or watch.

Consequence of Sound also features many platforms for readers to experience, through youtube fan videos of an event to links to check out different artists work, the reader never feels bored while browsing the website. Consequence of Sound also is prevalent on social media and has a mobile app for reading on the go, one will never feel out of the loop with the many interesting updates on the music and film scene that this organization puts out to the public.

Consequence of Sound is an excellent example of music and film reviews, they offer so much more than that and it’s such a refreshing site to see amongst the sea of misinformation and purely mainstream digital diaries kept online. I’m looking forward to becoming a more integrated part of this community and to see what Consequence of Sound has in store for their future.

Niana Gutierrez

Album Review: All Time Low’s Future Hearts

With All Time Low’s sixth studio released album, Future Hearts has been a success so far since it’s release on April 3, 2015. Accomplishing No. 2 on the UK Rock Chart and No. 24 on the US Hot Rock Songs with their lead single, Something’s Gotta Give, commercial performance in the UK was spectacular. Debuting at No. 1 in the UK Album Charts on April 12, selling 19,400 copies in the first week, making Future Hearts All Time Low’s first ever UK Top Number 1 Album. In the US, Billboard has listed Future Hearts in the Top Album Sales category of this week, Billboard also chart highlighted All Time Low as a “hot shot debut”.

All Time Low’s Future Hearts album art

The first single released off Future Hearts was Something’s Gotta Give, sent out to the public on January 12th, the song opens with a guitar riff that continues throughout the background of the verses until the big release in the chorus, where the full band is featured, after the chorus, the repeating guitar riff comes back, with “oohs” in the pre-chorus building up to the actual chorus. The song is full of All Time Low’s classic self depreciating lyrics, with verses like “don’t even know myself, I wish I could be someone else, but I don’t have a clue at all” and “Maybe I’m a fucking waste filling up the empty space , I’ve been here way too long” the song sends a message that the main character of the story is feeling really low, feeling like they aren’t worth anything at all. The chorus breaks out into a desperate plea for help saying “Oh Wake me up ‘Say enough is enough’ I’m dying to live Something’s gotta give / Oh Pull me out Of this sinking town I’m dying to live Something’s gotta give.” 

gif by Sarah @ http://knowhope.co.vu/

All Time Low has always been one to come up with fantastic lyrical stories through their songs, stories that have shown to really touch base with their predominately teen fanbase. We all can relate to feeling lost and alone, not worth anything, desperately hoping for someone to wake us up and say enough is enough. Lead singer, Alex Gaskarth’s vocals are rough and “yell-y” throughout the choruses and bridge, really taking home that dire need for someone to help pull them out of their depression.

gif by Kanika @ http://darkeyeddreamerrrr.tumblr.com/

  The second single released off the Future Hearts album on March 9, was Kids in the Dark. This song also focuses on being alone, being a kid left in the dark through whatever alienating situation it may be. The song itself is upbeat and very rock oriented. With a quick, simple intro, angry driving guitars and a drum beat that pumps you up, you can almost forget that the lyrics themselves are pretty heavy with meaning. The music video really helps push the lyrics meaning, if anyone was confused by the song. It features a young girl tired of her parents fighting, she receives a note from the “kids in the dark” asking her to come escape with them. The young girl enters what seems to be a rave setting with black light and paint where everyone there accepts her and helps her break out of her sadness and into having fun, showing that no matter how alone you feel there will always be people there to cheer you up.

Future Hearts album package ft collectable poloroid photos / picture taken by Gabriela @ http://likewedid.co.vu/

Throughout the album, it does feature a lot of post production, no doubt due to the musical stylings of producer John Feldmann. Different reviews from fans and magazines alike say that while the album is okay overall, the overproduction in some of the songs is overkill. Writer, Branan Ranjanathan, of Exclaim! goes to say in his review of Future Hearts “the unashamedly formulaic nature of most of these songs, and the saturation of pop-production clichés such as the “woah-ohs” that seem to appear in every other track along with other gimmicky, overused techniques make this album tedious at times. Throughout the album, there are brief moments where the band let loose, and their ability to write far punchier songs becomes apparent, but many tracks on this album — especially towards the second half — are overproduced to the point that even the highlights are overshadowed.” [X]

In a Rock Sound interview, lead singer, Alex Gaskarth, talks briefly about Future Heart’s new sound, “It feels like a definite progression. I wouldn’t say it’s an insane departure or anything like that. We haven’t gone completely the other way and tried all kinds of new things. We’ve certainly tried some new things, but I don’t think it’s necessarily going to alienate anyone or push people away that loved the last record.” [X] Despite what the critics are saying, most fans of All Time Low have embraced the band’s new direction, it will be interesting to see where All Time Low takes this new sound and what they’ll do with it in future albums to come.

Niana Gutierrez

Listen to the full album below

Music News: Spencer Smith to leave Panic! At The Disco?

Panic! At The Disco has been no stranger to band-related drama, with drummer, Spencer Smith out of the picture the only founding member left of Panic! is lead singer Brendon Urie.

In 2013 on July 30th, Spencer wrote a letter to the fans on the official Panic! website coming clean about his addiction struggles. In the letter, Spencer talked about how after coming off the Vices and Virtues tour, he slipped deeper into his addition. “I was taking a dangerous amount of pills while drinking to chase that high, and just like with any other substance, the higher the high is, the lower the low is.”Spencer says in his letter, “What started out as a way for me to numb anxiety and depression had become the major cause of it.” Spencer goes on to say that that last fall of 2012 he had finally checked into rehab with the support of his friends and family and that “releasing this is to try and relate to anyone who has experienced addiction personally or with a loved one, and to be honest with everyone else. To let people know that anxiety, depression, and addiction are not picky. They plague people of all ages from all walks of life. But, you can recover!! So, please seek help if you’re suffering personally, and urge anyone you know to get help if they are suffering. It gets better one day at a time.” [X]

Now two years later, Spencer Smith has made it official that he is leaving the band. In another statement on the band’s Tumblr page on April 2, 2015, Spencer’s opening lines to the fans were “After 10 years of being a part of this unbelievable journey it saddens me to say that I will be leaving Panic.” He goes on to talk about his favorite memories and what he’ll miss most about the band itself, “Looking back over the past decade I still have to pinch myself to believe it was all real.” Spencer says. He ends his letter with a heartfelt thank you to the fans saying “…none of it was possible without you. Whether it was in front of 15 people at Brendon’s church social or 15,000 people in a field somewhere in England. What we created, the four of us onstage, and you in the audience, that was something special. It was on those nights I’d say to myself “If I could be anywhere in the world tonight, with anyone I wanted, it would be right here with you”. It’s what I’ll miss the most. So, thank you. I truly cannot wait to see what’s next for Panic, whatever it is, it’s going to be great.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving me the life I only dreamed of 10 short years ago.” [X]

A lot of fans have been left wondering if Spencer’s exit will put Panic!’s future in jeopardy, but in a recent interview with Billboard, interviewer Joe Lynch, he asks leads singer Brendon Urie what’s it’s like to be the “last man standing”. Brendon goes on to say “Thinking about where I started — I joined as the last member of the band before we started touring and got signed. Now I’m last man standing. But to me I love it so much. I love this band. I love everything about it — touring, songwriting. So for me it’s never been a question of stopping or letting go of it all because I love it too much.” [X]

It’s safe to say that while it’s sad that Spencer Smith has left Panic! At The Disco, he is in the place he needs to be, and fans of the band will continue to hear “last man standing” Brendon Urie and co-writer and bassist, Dallon Weekes, churn out new music for the time to come.

Niana Gutierrez

Listen to Spencer Smith’s last album with Panic!, Vices and Virtues Below:

Song Review: Kayne West’s Only One ft Paul McCartney

There is none more controversial or outspoken an artist than the likes of Kanye West, but regardless of his antics, you can’t deny the musicality of his work.

With hits like 2012’s Mercy, Ni–as In Paris, and his newest album released in 2013, Yeezus, fans are always excited to see what Kanye will do next. So when word broke out that Kanye was working with famed former Beatle, Paul McCartney, people were left wondering what exactly would come from the somewhat odd pairing.

“Only One” album art featuring Kanye West and daughter, North West taken by Inez and Vinoodh

Released on December 31, 2014 and reaching number 35 on Billboard’s Top 100 by January 17, 2015 , Only One is a tender and heartfelt song sung by Kanye through the perspective of his late mother, Donda West, who passed away in 2007.

The song itself opens with a soft keyboard melody that lasts throughout the whole song, contributed by Paul McCartney. Kanye comes in with autotuned vocals, putting a twist on what would be a simple ballad. The lyrics are incredibly touching, with empowering lines like “Remember who you are, no you’re not perfect but you’re not your mistakes” and “And if you knew how proud I was you’d never shed a tear, have a fear, no you wouldn’t do that. And though I didn’t pick the day to turn the page I know it’s not the end every time I see her face” given the listener some perspective on how Kayne feels about what his late mother would be telling him if she could speak to him in that moment. The track finishes with the repeated phrase “Tell Nori about me”, which we can infer is Kanye’s mother telling him to tell his daughter about her and how much she would have loved her.

Kanye West and Paul McCartney by Inez and Vinoodh

The song doesn’t feature anything elaborate, just soft, smooth keyboard sounds accompanied by autotuned background and main vocals. It would be interesting to know why Kanye chose to have his vocals autotuned, and not fully give a bare bones rendition of the song, personally I feel like it may have taken away from the overall emotion of the message but the lyrics are so beautifully written that it doesn’t really matter in the grand scope of things.

Only One‘s music video was released January 29, 2015 directed by Spike Jonze is simple as well, just featuring Kanye and his daughter, North on a country back road in the rural town of L’Erable, Illinois where Kanye grew up. The song in the video has some minor changes, and is different than the actual studio version of the track. You can hear Kanye singing through the video with the track and not just having the studio audio overlap the video at all.

Overall, this single from Kanye West is incredibly personal, touching and beautifully written. It tugs at all your heartstrings and shows a different side of the artist that we usually don’t get to see, if not at all. This song is definitely worth checking out, and a wonderful precursor to Kanye’s next studio album.

Niana Gutierrez

Check out the song and music video below

Album Review: Fall Out Boy’s American Beauty/American Psycho

Everyone’s favorite pop punk band has been going strong since coming off hiatus in February of 2013, but to much of the old early 2000s fan’s surprise, their sound isn’t so much of a throwback to the Sugar We’re Going Down days, but a much more pop-oriented sound entirely.

American Beauty / American Psycho Album Cover

Released on January 20, 2015 with 92,000 first week sales and 218,000 equivalent album units, becoming their third No. 1 album according to Billboard, Fall Out Boy has surprised many fans by taking a completely different take on their sound. With references to Uma Thurman, Pulp Fiction, American Psycho and the Munster’s theme song, it could be inferred that Fall Out Boy is taking a more commercial approach with their music nowadays.

gif by Nadia @ http://stumpspunk.tumblr.com

The first single released off the album was Centuries, sounding a lot like their last albums single My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark we hear a lot of the same kind of heavy rock influence, the kind that makes someone want to throw their fist into the air in the name of punk rock. Featured artist Lolo sings a sample of Suzanne Vega’s 1987 release of Tom’s Diner which is played throughout the background of the song with some key featured moments, a clever move by Fall Out Boy seeing as the song is about being remembered for centuries and they take a nod at one of the late 80’s most popular earworms immortalizing it in the new millennium. The song itself leans heavily on the alternative rock styles of Fall Out Boy, with a heavy focus on the drums to drive the rhythm out, the descending piano key notes that give the song some edge, and of course it wouldn’t really be a Fall Out Boy song without some “hey yeahs” being chanted somewhere. This song was released five months before the initial album release date in January, so the September buzz around this single was that maybe Fall Out Boy was going to keep going in the alt rock styling direction of their last album Save Rock and Roll. The fans couldn’t have been more surprised when the next single came out sounding nothing like Centuries at all.

gif by Em @ http://ewpunk.tumblr.com

In October 2014, just a month after releasing Centuries, Fall Out Boy released Immortals which was going to be a part of Disney’s newest movie Big Hero Six. Listening to it without any context of the movie put a big question mark over a lot of the fans heads. The song opens with a Tokyo inspired riff that loops throughout the track, that seems to come out of left field from anything Fall Out Boy has ever done. Throughout the song it’s hard to pick out genuine instruments over the synthesized snaps, claps and “oohs” which seem to take major precedence in the melodies. Patrick’s voice sounds a bit stretched as well, almost like he’s struggling to hit the higher registers. At first listen, long time Fall Out Boy fans reported to immediately hate it, I being among those. But after seeing the movie, and gaining some context, you can understand why they chose to include the Tokyo inspired riff as the main characters live in fictional “San Fransokyo” and the movie has an air of Asian influence. Having watched the movie and coming back to the track, it has a tendency to start growing on you, but maybe more-so because of the magic of Disney and not so much the musicality of Fall Out Boy.

Another stand out track from the album, and a fan favorite, is Jet Pack Blues which could be considered the ballad of the

gif by http://thesmalllprint.tumblr.com

album. This would probably be the closest to “old Fall Out Boy” the new reincarnation of the band will get. While the whole album is centered around heartache this song really lets the listener feel the sadness with beautifully poetic lyrics like “she was singing ‘baby come home’ in a melody of tears while the rhythm of the rain keeps time”.  This song, at track six, takes the listener on a much needed break from the pop and sample driven past five tracks. It’s simple piano melody and chiming bells accompany Patrick’s pleading voice perfectly. The only time the song sounds desperate is on the bridge and the chorus, but purposely done because the main character of the story is supposed to sound desperate. Repeated background voices sing “baby come home” and “I remember” almost like a couple talking to each other followed by the chorus of “Did you ever love her? Did you know? Or did you never want to be alone?” painting a picture of potential love lost and desperate questions wanting to be asked but not really being answered. The verses are simple and not piled on with a lot of different sounds or samples, just the piano, chimes and Patrick’s voice. At 2:05 we hear a clean guitar solo over acoustic guitar chords being played, leading into the bridge and chorus again until the end of the song at one second shy of the three minute mark. This track is definitely one of the top contenders of being a stand out of the entire album.

American Beauty / American Psycho is definitely a step in a new direction for Fall Out Boy, and it’s exciting to see how far they’ve come and how they aren’t scared to venture into new territory. They aren’t the same band from the early 2000s, and that’s okay, but they’re back and they’ve come with fresh ideas and new sounds and they’re absolutely worth looking into as the years pass and as they release new music to the world.

Niana Gutierrez

Listen to the full album below

Album Review: Panic! At The Disco’s Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!

This is an oldie, but a goodie!

Panic! At The Disco is pretty hard to pin in a certain genre, seeing as with every studio album they release it is a totally new and different sound than the last. Members, Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, Jon Walker and Spencer Smith, released their 2005 debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, sporting a vaudeville feel in tunes like their most famed single I Write Sins Not Tragedies and Build God, Then We’ll Talk, with accordions, keyboards and stringed instruments dancing around the tracks.

Their 2008 sophomore release, Pretty. Odd, affectionately features a more Beatles-esque, 1960’s pop vibe in tracks like That Green Gentlemen (Things Have Changed) and their most popular single from that track Nine In The Afternoon which feature a more clean cut melody with simple harmonic vocals, clean guitars and piano. It’s not so much the fast paced dance music of the previous album.

Three years consisting of band feuds and line-up changes, the foursome became a twosome, leaving vocalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith to release the long awaited junior album in 2011 Vices and Virtues, which, true to form, was just as different as their last two albums. This one was very rock oriented, but of course, it wouldn’t be a Panic! album without their excessive use of strings. You can hear the new direction in music with their driving, rock tracks like Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind) and The Ballad of Mona Lisa (fun fact: The Ballad of Mona Lisa’s music video opening scenes pay tribute to Panic!’s first hit single I Write Sins Not Tragedies)

Which brings us to Panic!’s newest studio album, released in 2013, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! marks yet another milestone in this band’s illustrious career.  Released October 8th and selling 84,000 copies in its first week, this synth-pop driven dance music is a far cry from the rockin’ guitar riffs of Vices and Virtues.

TWTLTRTD album art

The first single the band released was Miss Jackson ft LOLO , it opens with featured artist Lolo singing the hook through what sounds like maybe a vinyl recording, white noise infused sound byte. I remember thinking, “This sounds a lot like Fall Out Boy’s My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark“; the same kind of chanting, the same heavy guitars and vocal layering, though this could be due to the fact the same producer, Butch Walker, worked on both tracks. I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed though, we already have a band sounding like Fall Out Boy, and they were back from hiatus! I was weary of the entire album sounding along the lines of Fall Out Boy.

gif by Gabriela @ http://likewedid.co.vu

The next single, This Is Gospel was like a breath of fresh air, “now THIS is what Panic! sounds like!” I remember thinking. The reverb on Brendon Urie’s vocals gives the track in kind of a synth-rock feel that is carried throughout the whole album. The track starts off slow, with the bass drum emulating a heartbeat, Brendon’s voice comes in low and steady, at 0:16 the drums kick up faster as the background vocals sing “this is the beat of my heart”, giving the listener a feeling of a quickened heartbeat. It all builds slow and steady until the chorus where Brendon belts out “if you love me, let me go”, there he reaches full vocals and you can hear his voice truly soar. The vocals, partnered with a melodic guitar riff and steady drum beat makes this a standout song on the entire album, the music video is really incredible as well.

gif by Aleena @ http://drellabove.tumblr.com/

Nicotine is another stand out track, with it’s simple repeated piano melody echoed by the guitar, the funky bass solo, and its clever use of double entendre within the lyrics helps you realize what a great writer Urie is. While it’s not one of the best tracks on the album, it’s definitely dance-y enough that it will get stuck in your head, and you’ll find yourself hitting repeat.

Each song has it’s own flavor, but they’re all equally drenched in that modern 80’s synth. But while each album is completely different from the last, they’re all quintessentially Panic! It’s just one of those weird things this band has, and maybe you can chock it up to Brendon Urie’s insane vocals, but no matter what this band does, you can always know when one of their songs comes on without having to Shazam it!

Niana Gutierrez

Listen to the full album below