Soundbites

By Josh Eiserike

Published: April 17, 2008

Panic at the Disco, “Pretty. Odd.”
First, the obvious: Panic at the Disco has dropped the exclamation point in its name and changed up its sound. The band’s debut, 2005’s “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” was a highly orchestrated (and fairly bland) gloomy pop-punk outing. “Pretty. Odd.” finds the band somewhere between Abbey Road, Broadway and Bourbon Street. Wha-huh?!?! It’s a pretty sharp left turn. Lead singer Brendon Urie announces “You don’t have to worry because we’re still the same band” on the opening number, “We’re So Starving.” If it weren’t for his distinctive voice, it would be pretty hard to tell it’s a Panic album. “She’s a Handsome Woman” comes close, but the majority of it, songs like “Nine In The Afternoon” and “When The Day Met The Night” are drenched in horns, pianos, strings and a whole lot of optimism. Then there’s the occasional misstep, like “The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know,” which sounds like Panic’s ode to “Cabaret’s” “Mein Herr.” The lack of angsty, eyeliner anthems might cost them a few fans, but hopefully everyone else will understand what this really means — that Panic at the Disco is a band that’s not afraid to take risks, even with a few failures along the way.
WANT TO GO?
What’s up: Panic at the Disco performs at the “Honda Civic Tour” with Phantom Planet, Motion City Soundtrack and The Hush Sound
When: April 30
Where: DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. N.W., Washington, D.C.
Tickets: $34, Ticketmaster.com
Info: PanicattheDisco.com

» Tally Hall, “Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum”
“Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum” (try and say that five times fast) is a case of rock ’n’ roll schizophrenia. Some critics compare the group to early Barenaked Ladies — whimsical, melodic, goofy. Maybe, but a better point of entry is They Might Be Giant’s “Fingertips,” the sprawling mess song snippets that closed out 1992’s “Apollo 18.” It’s hard to find a focus on “Marvin’s…” but that’s really its charm. Tally Hall has a great sense of melody (check out “Be Born” and “Haiku”) but the only thing serious on this album is attention to instrumentation and arrangements. Even that gets thrown out the window in some parts, especially on single “Good Day” as songs alternate between movements, only briefly touching ideas before moving on. But there’s also a prevailing sense of humor. “The Whole World and You” may as well play on Sesame Street. “Two WUV” takes aim at the Olsen Twins. If you’ve been missing bands like Moxy Fruvous and are a bit put off by maturing nerd rockers like Barenaked Ladies, Tally Hall is worth a look.
WANT TO GO?
What’s up: Tally Hall performs with The Republic Tigers
When: April 17
Where: DC9, 1940 9th St. N.W., Washington, D.C.
Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door
Info: DCnine.com or TallyHall.com

— Josh Eiserike