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Vices & Virtues

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Untitled

Vices & Virtues is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Panic! at the Disco. Produced by John Feldmann and Butch Walker, the album is set to be released on March 22, 2011.[2] A follow-up to the band's second album, Pretty. Odd. (2008), the album will be the first to not feature primary lyricist Ryan Ross.[2] Vices & Virtues marks the album debut of Panic!'s two-man lineup: singer/multi-instrumentalist Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith.[3]

Background

Material for a follow-up to Pretty. Odd. dates back to at least April 2008, just one month after the release of the record. Guitarist and primary songwriter Ryan Ross told NME the band had "nine or ten new songs going right now," which picked up in the same direction of Pretty. Odd.[4] In August, the band once again announced they were writing again to MTV News. "It was pretty much the same with the last record," bassist Jon Walker said. "We haven't stopped writing songs since we stopped recording Pretty. Odd., because we have a lot to write about [...] It's sounding 'pretty awesome,' which is probably what we're going to call the next record," Ross joked. "We've got quite a few new ideas and songs we've been working on, and we're hoping to record some of that stuff by the end of the year." The article explains that Walker said the band would be taking time off for the holidays and then re-entering the studio to record new music.[5] In June 2009, singer Brendon Urie revealed the band had been writing for "roughly half a year now" at Ross' Topanga Canyon, California home, and continued to take the band "further down the sun-dappled, retro-pop path [they] began exploring on Pretty. Odd.": "We've always been a pop band. We've always been fans of pop music, whether it's The Beatles — which is, like, the beginning of pop music — we've always been fans of good catchy melodies and lighthearted music." Spencer Smith, drummer, added "We moved to California since the last record, so that's inspiration. We started surfing, too, so maybe we'll get a little Beach Boys vibe on this one."[6] During this time, Smith moved in with Urie, while Ross began writing his own material with Walker at his home.[7]

On July 6, 2009, Ryan Ross and Jon Walker announced via the band's official website that the two were leaving the band.[8][9] The statement, in part, read: "Ryan Ross and Jon Walker will be leaving Panic at the Disco to embark on a musical excursion of their own. Though the four of us have made music together in the past, we’ve creatively evolved in different directions which has compromised what each of us want to personally achieve. Over the years, we have remained close and honest with each other, which helped us to realize that our goals were different and that parting ways is truly what is best for each of us."[9] In an interview following the split, Ross explained that he first brought the idea to Smith in late June 2009 over lunch: "Spencer and I had lunch and caught up for a while, and then the big question came up, like, 'Well, what do you want to do?' and I said, 'Well, I think it might be best if we kind of do our own thing for a while,' and he said, 'I'm glad you said that, because I was going to say the same thing,' " Ross recalled. "And there was really no argument, which is really the best way that could've worked out." Ross said the split was largely due to creative differences between him and Urie. Urie wanted the band to explore a more polished pop sound, while Ross — and, by extension, Walker — was interested in making retro-inspired rock.[10]

The news asserted that both tour plans with Blink-182 in August 2009 and new album production "will continue as previously announced,"[8] and the announcement ended with the teaser for a "surprise" soon to come.[9] The following day, Alternative Press broke the news that "New Perspective," the first song recorded without Ross and Walker, would debut the following month on radio and as a part of the soundtrack to the film Jennifer's Body.[11] "New Perspective" was recorded in spring 2009, when the band had just moved out to Topanga. Smith explained the song was inspired by the band's new experiences when there: "We're living near the ocean and going surfing every day, which we've never done before. We tried to get that out in the song, I guess."[12] The band reinserted the exclamation mark into its name a few days after the departure of Ross and Walker.[13]

Recording and production

The writing and recording process for Vices & Virtues took much longer than the band intended. The band was "very confused" after the split from Ross and Walker, desiring instead to go on tour instead to understand better.[14] As evidenced above, "Oh Glory" and "New Perspective" were largely recorded during the summer of 2009 with producer John Feldmann.[7] "These songs are just Brendon and I having fun, because that's what we want to do," Smith told MTV News.[7] Shortly after the departure of Ross and Walker, Smith revealed the band was recording: "We're working on an album now that, hopefully, takes the best parts from both of our records ... because we love them both and are really proud of them."[10] While on the Blink-182 Reunion Tour, Smith showed Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus several demos for the album, in hopes that he would produce a song or two.[7] Hoppus confirmed in August 2009 that he was committed to producing one "really strong" track on the record, as well as possible others if allowed.[15] During this time, Urie told news outlets the band had "about 10 songs" ready to consider for the band's third album.[16] In the beginning stages, a song featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, whom Urie later described as "super nice," was set to appear on the new album, but the song is absent from the final track listing.[17] The band initially planned to record the album in fall 2009, to be released the beginning of 2010.[16]

However, recording did not begin until April 2010. Friend and Pretty. Odd. producer Rob Mathes was "like family" to Smith and Urie, inspiring them to be excited to record despite the duo's nervousness in the beginning. He encouraged them to love the work they do, and "... Just get out of bed in the morning, don’t loathe the things that you actually love doing, because it’s just going to keep you down," for which Urie recalled the band "owed a lot" for.[14] After working with the demos produced during the summer with Feldmann for several months afterward, the duo decided they weren't satisfactory, so the band started over with new material. The biggest difference for the band was that it was now half the previous band, with Urie and Smith writing everything.[14] The album was produced by Feldmann and Butch Walker.[3] Urie recalled that they were initially nervous to experiment with new producers, but instead regarded Feldmann and Walker's input positively, regarding their help as "Hey, this is your record, I want to help you with your ideas. So you bring me the ideas, and we’ll help you do that. I don’t want to write anything for you, this is your record, it has to be your voice." The band continued working with Feldmann for four months in early 2010, later going to Walker to finalize and improve the songs.[14]

On May 7, 2010, the band posted a batch of photos during recording sessions for Vices & Virtues.[18] All guitars and bass for the album were completed by early July,[19] and, by the end of the month, Urie confirmed that recording of the album was complete and mixing would follow soon.[20] Near the end of the writing process, the band looked back upon the lyrics and noticed that "some of the motion was pining for something, or some of it was vanity, or some of it touched on subversion or overthrowing of somebody or manipulation." Urie likened it to the seven deadly sins, and, after research, settled on the title Vices & Virtues. "In the Biblical sense, there's all that stuff and then there’s just morals that we live by every day and human behavior", Urie said. "I guess this record was really a study in human behavior—mostly for us personally what we had been going through, and noticing all of that."[14]

Music

The duo performing on the first show of the Vices & Virtues Tour in New York City, February 1, 2011.

Vices & Virtues will feature a variety of different musical styles in its tracks. As a testament to the amount of time of production, each song will "sound different from the next," according to Urie. In the beginning, the band had no direction for music or lyrics. However, after returning to the studio and re-starting production, the band became excited to start anew with a second chance. "We've been working on music for about a year and a half, so I think that partly adds to why some of the songs have some varying styles," Smith said. "Part of it was us, at the beginning, trying to figure out what we wanted to do — we had a new opportunity with just the two of us — and as we sort of got a better hold on what that was, just kind of went from there."[21] The duo picked the best songs out of 30 written as time went on. Urie said the most exciting part of the recording process was "...You get all the work done, record the song, arrange it and then you can add the fun little stuff, little pieces of voices and talking and weird instruments you hadn’t used before."[14]

A majority of the band's previous material was written by former guitarist Ryan Ross. For Vices & Virtues, Urie had "to step up and take the reins lyrically," which he regarded as having not much experience in prior. The biggest inspiration for lyricism was keeping busy and going out, instead of locking themselves in and writing. Urie has regarded the lyrics as very honest and straightforward, as well as very fantastical with elements of storytelling. Urie explained "We were so self-conscious about everything, hyper-aware of what we’re doing, that when we’re writing I go, “Okay, I don’t want this to be Barry Manilow’s "Mandy," but I want it to be as romantic and cute…’ There’s a lot of that fighting within yourself. But it ended up being great, and I’m glad that we were able to figure out what we wanted to write about." The lyrics also reflect the confusion after the departure of Ross and Walker.[14] The sessions with Feldmann at his home studio led to experimentation with new sounds. "We really loved Paul Simon and got into using marimbas and string instruments," explains Urie. "We ended up buying some synths and messing around with them. It was two kids in a candy store… and we listened to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs on repeat for me for the past… well, since it came out [laughs]."[17]

"The Ballad of Mona Lisa" has been described by Alternative Press as "[having] the upbeat pop energy of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, with the focus and clarity of Pretty. Odd." Urie has explained that he and Smith desired to achieve a sound that is more similar to the former: "We missed a couple things from our first record in terms of sonically, with these little instruments that we hadn’t really used on our second record. There [were] a lot of organic instruments and not a lot of electronics or synthesizers. So we wanted to get back to some of that."[14] Smith agreed, and stated "I think there's stuff from the first album that we kind of got away from on the second record that people who were fans of the first one will enjoy."[21] "The Calendar", originally written about an intimate relationship between a male and a female, soon began to resemble the friendships in former members Ross and Walker; the song was finished as a direct response to their departure from the group.[22]

Release and promotion

The album's title and more early information was announced in Alternative Press in the December 2010 issue: it set the album for a March 2011 release, "with the first single tentatively titled 'Mona Lisa' due out in January of 2011."[23] The band did a promotional Vices & Virtues photoshoot with designer Anthony Franco on the January 8, 2011.[24] On January 18, the band revealed via a post on their website that Vices and Virtues would be released March 22, 2011,[2][3] and on January 25, the cover art was revealed.[25] On February 15, 2011, responding to eager public demand, the release date for Vices & Virtues was moved up to a week before by the band.[26]

The first single is "The Ballad of Mona Lisa", released February 1, 2011. The music video for the single was released February 8, 2011 and entered heavy rotation across the MTV Networks.[27][26] The single received positive reviews, many noting the similarity in sound to A Fever You Can't Sweat Out.[28]

The deluxe edition of the album includes the demo "Oh Glory", which was initially released via the band's official website in July 2009 as a 30-second sample.[29] Like Pretty. Odd., Vices & Virtues has been receiving heavy popularity through online music stores; by February 2011, the record was already up to the top five overall on the "Top Albums" chart.[26] Promotion for Vices & Virtues includes an appearance on Conan a week after the record's release on March 28, and Lopez Tonight a week after that on April 4, 2011.[26]

In promotion of the record, Smith and Urie filmed a short film to accompany the album, titled The Overture. Directed by Shane Drake, the film was released on March 9, 2011 and contains several musical snippets from the record.[30] The nearly seven-minute mini-film, features Urie and Smith with a score of actors ranging from identical twins to a little person couple.[31] The film is filled with symbolism regarding the departure of Ross and Walker, and the process of moving on without them.[30]

On Monday, March 14, 2011, the band began streaming the album in its entirety (with the exception of bonus tracks) from the official Panic! at the Disco Facebook page, along with an accompanying introductory video from Urie and Smith [32]The stream was met with thousands of listens for each track and fan acclaim. Later in the day, Vices & Virtues became the top non-hashtag trending topic on social networking site Twitter.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Alternative Press[33]
Spin6/10[34]
CultureTease(5/10)[35]

Vices & Virtues has, thus far, acquired limited mixed reviews. William Goodman of Spin criticized Urie's lyricism of the album ("the result is verbose and generic diary-entry romance") but praised the musical experimentation, remarking, "Vices & Virtues's saving grace, though, is the varied instrumentation — marimbas, xylophones, accordion, synths, and digital atmospherics."[34] Evan Lucy of Alternative Press was, as a whole, far more positive in his reaction to the record, enjoying the "Elfman-esque string arrangements, creepy undertones and twinkling pianos" on several tracks but also praised the "scaled-back," more personal tracks, such as "The Calendar" and "Memories".[33]

Release history

Region Date
Australia March 18, 2011 (2011-03-18)[36]
Brazil March 22, 2011 (2011-03-22)
United States
Canada
Germany March 25, 2011 (2011-03-25)
United Kingdom March 28, 2011 (2011-03-28)
Japan April 13, 2011 (2011-04-13)

Vices & Virtues tour

Main article: Vices & Virtues Tour

In support of the record, Panic! at the Disco has announced multiple tours. Dubbed thus far as "An Intimate Evening with Panic! at the Disco", the tour began in February 2011 with a short North American tour. A full-fledged European tour has been announced for April-May 2011.[37] Panic! announced tour dates on March 14, 2011 for North America over May 2011.[38] Continuing the album's theme of getting back to their roots, the tour takes them back to the small stages they first played during their A Fever You Can't Sweat Out era. Joining them for the jaunt will be their labelmates fun., with Foxy Shazam and Funeral Party splitting duties as the third act on the bill.[37]

The tour has sported the same electric, over-the-top theatricality the band was known for during the Fever era. "I really miss wearing costumes and makeup," Urie told Spin. "I love throwing a big production. I've recently been reading about Tesla coils and I'm trying to figure out how I can get one that sits on the stage and shoots sparks without hurting anybody."[38]

Track listing

Note: Album differs from Facebook stream

All tracks are written by Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith

No.TitleLength
1."The Ballad of Mona Lisa"3:46
2."Let's Kill Tonight"3:33
3."Hurricane"4:25
4."Memories"3:25
5."Trade Mistakes"3:36
6."Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)"3:37
7."Always"2:33
8."The Calendar"4:43
9."Sarah Smiles"3:33
10."Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met...)"4:16
Deluxe Edition
No.TitleLength
11."Stall Me"3:09
12."Oh Glory" (Demo)3:02
13."I Wanna Be Free" 
14."Turn Off the Lights" 
Deluxe iTunes Edition[39]
No.TitleLength
11."Stall Me"3:09
12."Oh Glory" (Demo)3:02
13."The Ballad of Mona Lisa" (Music video)3:32
Deluxe iTunes Preorder Edition[40]
No.TitleLength
11."Stall Me"3:09
12."Oh Glory" (Demo)3:02
13."The Ballad of Mona Lisa" (Music video)3:32
14."Bittersweet" 

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "How the formation of The Young Veins benefits Panic! At The Disco". March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Panic At The Disco confirm new album release date". NME. January 19, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c Jillian Mapes (January 19, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Sets Mar. 29 Release for Vices & Virtues". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ NME staff (April 21, 2008). "Panic At The Disco talk 'Pretty. Odd' follow-up". NME. Retrieved January 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Chris Harris (August 1, 2008). "Panic At The Disco Working On 'Pretty Awesome' New Material, May Direct Next Video Themselves". MTV News. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  6. ^ James Montgomery (June 2, 2009). "Panic At The Disco On New Album: 'We've Always Been Fans Of Pop Music'". MTV News. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d James Montgomery (August 3, 2009). "Panic! At The Disco's Spencer Smith Wants New Music To Do The Talking". MTV News. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  8. ^ a b Tamar Anitai (July 6, 2009). "Ryan Ross And Jon Walker Quit Panic! At The Disco". MTV News. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c Jon Azpiri (July 6, 2009). "Panic at the Disco Breaking Up? Ryan Ross & Jon Walker Leave Band". NowPublic. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  10. ^ a b James Montgomery (July 13, 2009). "Exclusive: Ryan Ross Talks About Leaving Panic! At The Disco". MTV News. Retrieved January 20, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "split" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ "AltPress Exclusive: First Ryan Ross-less Panic At The Disco song out August 17". Alternative Press. July 7, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Lorri Lea (August 19, 2009). "Why the new vibe for Panic! At the Disco? Credit a scenery change". Michigan Live. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  13. ^ "Panic! At The Disco regain exclamation point, post new demo". Alternative Press. July 10, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Annie Zaleski (January 24, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie opens up about Vices & Virtues". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 24, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ James Montgomery (August 13, 2009). "Mark Hoppus Confirms He's Working With Panic! At The Disco". MTV News. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Gary Graff (August 21, 2009). "Panic! At the Disco survivors gain "Perspective"". Reuters. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  17. ^ a b William Goodman (January 31, 2011). "Panic! at the Disco Grow Up for New Album". Spin. Retrieved January 31, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Tim Karan (May 7, 2010). "Panic! At The Disco post pics from the studio". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Cole Faulkner (July 5, 2010). "Panic At The Disco Report Recording Progress". ThePunkSite. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  20. ^ Cole Faulkner (July 31, 2010). "Panic! At The Disco Aiming For 2011 Release". ThePunkSite. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  21. ^ a b James Montgomery (January 25, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Say Vices & Virtues Is 'All Over The Place'". MTV News. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  22. ^ James Montgomery (February 2, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Move Forward, Address The Past On Vices & Virtues". MTV News. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  23. ^ Tyler Common (December 20, 2010). "Panic! At The Disco say new album is "nearly finished", reveal title and single details". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 19, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ cd & promos shoot. P!ATDOnine.ncom. Retrieved on January 20, 2011.
  25. ^ Danny James (January 25, 2011). "Panic! At the Disco Unveil Vices & Virtues Cover Art -- Exclusive". AOL. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  26. ^ a b c d "Panic! At The Disco Respond to Public Demand; VICES & VIRTUES to Be Released on March 22nd". Marketwire. February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  27. ^ Kyle Anderson (February 9, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco's 'The Ballad Of Mona Lisa' Video: The Key Scene". MTV News. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  28. ^ Emily Tan (February 2, 2011). "Panic! At the Disco Cry at 'Vices & Virtues' Live Debut". AOL. Retrieved February 3, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ Marie Scarsella (July 16, 2009). "Panic! at the Disco's "Oh Glory"". SILive.com. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  30. ^ a b Kevin Rutherford (March 10, 2011). "Panic! at the Disco Alludes to Departure of Members in Short Film". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ William Goodman (March 10, 2011). "Panic! Address Breakup in Trippy Mini Movie". Spin. Retrieved March 10, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ "Panic! At the Disco Facebook". Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  33. ^ a b Evan Lucy (March 9, 2011). "Vices & Virtues - Review". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 9, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ a b William Goodman (March 9, 2011). "Vices & Virtues - Review". Spin. Retrieved March 9, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  35. ^ http://culturetease.com/2011/03/panic-at-the-disco-vices-and-virtues/
  36. ^ http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/music/alternative/vices-virtues/633252
  37. ^ a b Michael Duncan (February 24, 2011). "Panic! At The Disco Announce European Tour". Rock Edition. Retrieved March 14, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "maytour" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  38. ^ a b Vann Alexandra (March 14, 2011). "Preview: Panic! at the Disco Plot Spring Tour". Spin. Retrieved March 14, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/vices-virtues-deluxe-version/id417055616
  40. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/vices-virtues-deluxe-version/id417055616
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