A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
Panic! at the Disco have enough ideas on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out to make a much less organised record. Electronic beats, bright synthesizers, piano flourishes and theatrical singing all demand space. The surprise is how often the band fit those competing interests inside a catchy, compact song.
The album is divided into two broad approaches. The first half leans towards programmed sounds and dance rhythms, while the later songs introduce more old-fashioned theatrical textures. Intermission connects the two, moving from an electronic loop towards piano. It is a clear statement of the design, even if the transition takes longer than it needs to.
Time to Dance makes especially good use of the first approach. The fast rhythm suits Brendon Urie's busy delivery, and the electronic detail helps the song move rather than simply decorating it. London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines also turns its crowded arrangement into a useful sense of urgency.
Urie is a strong presence, though he can make every line sound as though it deserves a dramatic gesture. That insistence becomes tiring when the writing is less clear. Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks is a weaker meeting of vocal effect and tune, with the surface demanding more attention than the song rewards.
The second half finds a more distinctive balance. But It's Better If You Do gives the piano and voice a playful setting, and I Write Sins Not Tragedies turns a small scene of public embarrassment into an exceptionally memorable pop song. Its string figure and carefully timed interruptions make the drama easy to follow.
Build God, Then We'll Talk closes with another strong melody and a more developed atmosphere. The record's cleverness can be showy, and the words sometimes seem more concerned with sounding unusual than saying something precise. Yet the hooks keep justifying the extra activity. A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is an awkward, inventive debut whose best songs make the awkwardness part of the attraction.
