Whatever Panic! at the Disco did to make themselves pop sensations with their debut release, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, they neglected to do on their sophomore release. That conscious decision made by the band to leave behind their commercially successful sound in favor of exploring new territory resulted in Pretty. Odd., an odd alt-rock folk hybrid.

Pretty. Odd.’s best quality has to be the fact that it makes no concessions with its inherent peculiarity. This release couldn’t have been any more unexpected considering its source. Las Vegas natives, Panic! at the Disco, hadn’t all graduated high school yet at the time of their signing to Decaydance Records in 2005. Just three years later they showed phenomenal growth artistically reflected in Pretty. Odd.

Standout tracks on Pretty. Odd. include:

“Nine in the Afternoon,” a catchy song that’s charm is inescapable.

“Northern Downpour,” a soothing ballad that fits right in with the album’s quirkiness.

“Mad as Rabbits,” a fun bit of nonsense with a retrospective approach.

Much of Pretty. Odd. is dedicated to recreating the singer-songwriter style of music from the late 1960’s albeit with a modern twist. During the writing process for Pretty. Odd., the band began every song with a simple acoustic guitar and voice. This bare-bones approach to songwriting for Panic! at the Disco ended up being the most influential piece that shaped their album’s sound.

After touring for Pretty. Odd., Panic! at the Disco split. Guitarist and bassist, Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, left the band in order to explore this folk sound further. Remaining members, Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, continued on with the Panic! at the Disco moniker. It is a shame that the original lineup won’t be around to give us all another equally eccentric album as their best offering to date, Pretty. Odd.

—Drew L.