Panic! At The Disco – Pray for the Wicked

By starrymag | June 25, 2018

By: Robert Warren

 

 

Indulging in an entire album of Panic! At the Disco track-to-track like it is some addictive thing, this enthralling fast paced emo-pop music in Pray for the Wicked can leave you feeling guilty because of how much you like it. Brendon Urie’s voice blesses you from the start of the album to the end. With music that has evolved wonderfully it has been a real journey for fans traveling through Fever You Can`t Sweat Out (2005), Pretty. Odd. (2008), Vices & Virtues (2011), Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die (2013) and Death of a Bachelor (2016). Pray for the Wicked shines perfectly in this collection of Panic! At the Disco heavenly sounds. It’s stunning what is here, beautiful and may I even say a bit wicked. Opening into the album the first few songs may seem upbeat to reality, be ready for the later tracks of the album to taste the noxious themes of drinking, partying and being torn through relationships as this record gets dark.

 

(Fuck a) Silver Lining

 

The opening introduction to this song is the smooth swinging sound of string instruments. Sailing in on a fluttered light melody the considerably light-hearted sound clicks at the drop of a hat into a new beat completely different and more with the P!ATD tastes. Right from the open, this explicit song greets you into the disgust of idioms like “every cloud has a silver lining,” where the narrator basically says “(Fuck a)” quite literally in the lyrics to that idea as this song acts as a desire for more than just some cherry on top. Ambitiously driving your way through trying to excel at great heights in everything, the lining is more than just breaking barriers and this is a bold move using “Silver Lining” as the first song on the album. In fact, it uses it quite repetitiously like a sailor in practically every couple of lines. It’s about wanting more and being driven. The theme is very relatable of goal-chasing and the song has a quite monumental P!ATD sound that fans can clingingly connect to with instant love – something of course you would say as this is Brendon Urie singing after all. In great melodic shifts, “Silver Lining” is a relatable theme with classic P!ATD tastes making this is a song wonderfully constructed.

 

Say Amen (Saturday Night)

 

What may seem crazier than this song right from the get-go is the violent music video surrounding it and how it connects with music from previous albums. Finding out this music video links to a trilogy of other music videos connecting songs from previous albums together is just crazy in itself. In a journey of a museum’s stolen key in the video, the outfit worn and the sound of the heartbeat works as a transition uniting these all together. Watch the music videos for “Say Amen (Saturday Night,)” followed by “This is Gospel” and end it with “Emperor’s New Clothes” to see the trilogy in order and have your mind blown. It is amazing what P!ATD has done and this is why we love them. “Say Amen” is a journey of looking at Urie from the past, present and future. It’s a real self-reflection song that works well with this album of retrospect.

 

Hey Look Ma, I Made It

 

Celebrating in a brassiness of magnificent success, Urie takes an upbeat dance style beat of remembrance to the work done to reach this point of satisfaction in his achievements. Wake up, this is real. It is a dreamer’s song of goal-achieving, reaching, grasping and sharing with the world. This song takes on a role of telling people of this amazing thing that actually happened. A “Look, I actually did it” It is a celebration to show. It is proof you can push through the struggles of a starving artist. What more could you want from a song? “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” is a song that is great for when you just feel like dancing and feeling good about yourself.

 

High Hopes

 

Perfect transition song! The way the upbeat nature carries over into this is great and what works well is the way the themes transition as Urie talks about his mother. In “Hey Look Ma, I Made It,” Urie brags to his mom about the achievements in his life. With “High Hopes,” Urie reflects on the advice his mother gave him on his journey to pursue music. The advice she offered helped Urie pursue his dreams and that is what makes this song special. This is a motivational song that truly carries high hopes and is a push to seek your dream not in a year but rather in this very moment. This s an upbeat jitter of love in a listen. Such a great song. You needed motivation? Look no further.

 

Roaring 20`s

 

In more of a theatrical style “Roaring 20`s,” is about fighting when you are scared and attempting to combat that fear. It is a look at when Urie played Charlie Price in Kinky Boots on Broadway. This song has a real push and pull of sounds. It is a song of having very mixed emotions and there are a lot of staccato beats to it. This is a song that builds really well like a theatrical musical performance and even includes a few horns in it. This is a great song. Definitely worth a listen.

 

Dancing`s Not a Crime

 

Extraordinary to the album this is a song about just being in love and enjoying the simplicity of just dancing with the person you are enamored with. It is a song about appreciating the small things and caring for the people that are close to you. This song put very simply is about desires, escapes and love. You may think you have life all figured out, but what could be more precious than just dancing with the person you love? This song reminds us even the freedom to being able to dance is special and not to be overlooked.

 

One of the Drunks

 

Flipping into the later part of the album the songs seem to get a bit darker as in this song “One of the Drunks,” which looks at the party lifestyle and the excessive drinking. In a real trippy staccato, build upon itself melody, this song shows us what it feels like when you become one of the drunks. The lyrics guide us through the stages of the alcohol and when the night reaches its end there is a desire to live this crazy intoxicated life all over again. This song really makes it out to be a recurring process of a want to party, drink and repeat. What makes this song work really well is not only is there a catchy chorus, but there is also a post and pre chorus that with repetition make this very chantable. The way P!ATD can use repetition in their favor is really phenomenal and this song acts as a shining example of that.

 

The Overpass

 

Oh boy, when it comes to relationships, either bad or good, it can make for some top-notch tracks. This relationship, which is torn apart (I told you it gets darker), is longed for and this longing is a biting voice in the back of the head that keeps appearing. These voices are echoed behind the song as Urie looks to meet this desired person at the overpass. Abruptly this song cuts to the end quickly and we never get to know if this person actually arrives at their meeting place. We are left waiting, just like what could happen in reality. This is a song that makes you want more. Clever.

 

King of the Clouds

 

Leaving the world to be “the king of the clouds” shows there is a lack of trust of anyone below the clouds. It is a spinning sensation of escapism and being alone in a place away from other people. This is a dreamy, spinning and swirling sound of a track. It is dark and imaginative song that is stunningly beautiful yet darkly twisted.

 

Old Fashioned

 

Going back in pop-y beats and snappy sounds, this Panic! At the Disco song quickly speeds up with the wonderful singing of Urie who is reminiscing on the booze and medicine that happened in his teenage years. This song really emphasizes these dark habits that were involved in his times of youth. This is one of the catchiest songs on the album. Urie’s singing really stands out in this. Very catchy.

 

Dying in LA

 

When it comes to beautiful ballads Brendon Urie can sing the heck out of them. This song is a sincere sad look a story of someone (whether real or not) who wanted to be successful in LA but was not. This is a look at just blending in, fading into being like everyone else and just being in the background. This song is sentimental, and tender complemented by gentle taps on the piano. It is what you would want from a sad song—it makes you feel depressed for the situation. Broken dreams are really what this song is all about. Losing your hopes and dreams when you don’t make it is definitely a tragic theme, especially when no one knows your name.

 

Summation

In an album that walks through the highs and lows of dreams this is everything you could want from a Panic! At The Disco discography. This piece makes you sad when you feel like being down and brings you up when you want cheer. It gives you songs to serenade you during any emotion. There are plenty of tunes to dance to with a mix of sad and sweet. Check out Pray for the Wicked as it has a wide variety of tunes and this is a great addition to any P!ATD collection.