Review Summary: A fever Brendon Urie is trying to sweat out, maybe to a fault. But it's a damn valiant effort.
Even before listening to so much as a second of this 36-minute full-length, I had to give Brendon Urie props for assembling the entirety of this record by himself. Then again, of course there's other personnel, (producers, secondary instrumentalists, etc) but Urie compiled not just the bulk, but the entire load of the primary input of this record. Some could say retaining the name Panic! At the Disco is only used to sell copies, seeing as Urie is the sole official member of this alternative rock band turned solo project in disguise. But I think the decision works to his advantage. A one-man show is a feat fans will want to see reached and longtime fans are sure to raise the bar way up high for Urie. But, he reaches it.
Before I delve into any specific track, the album collectively is exactly what you'd get if Panic! was still a multi-person project; flamboyance, melancholy, and infectious party-friendly intonation. This record plays not only like the soundtrack to a night at the club, but also the soundtrack to the hangover you get the lesser part of ten hours later. Urie, penning or co-penning every track on the album, can tread the waters of provocation at times, but once again, I feel as though the approach and intention matches the end result very well, and pulls off the multi-instrumentalist role well also.
Opening track "Victorious" wouldn't be out of place on a Saturday night outing. This album, like it's 2013 predecessor "Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die", is through and through with party-friendly derision. This mantra works for the album, perhaps to a fault, seeing as the album never really takes itself seriously. But at the same time, that might be the album's calling card. "Victorious" would also be a welcome addition on the last Panic! full-length outing, continuing the penchant for the high-octane rhythmic provision that "Too Weird.." encompassed. "Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time" pulls off something unique, if exponentially confusing. It comes out of both left and right field, blending familiarity with shock and even disdain. The lyrical content spews out some questionable behavior on Urie's part, ("I woke up in my underwear...how did we get in the neighbor's pool upside down with a perfect view?") but Urie's vocal performance is strong, focused, and that saves the song from total obscurity.
The titular track also reminds fans and first-timers alike that Urie is an infectious vocalist, putting his falsetto front and center, as this track also sees Urie's vocals fly in to save the day. Furthermore, that's one of the album's few glaring weaknesses, and believe me, there's a lot that you need to look far under the hood to see. But one of the more evident problems is that Urie, while never an outstanding lyricist, has to strain himself vocally to keep things going. As mentioned earlier, that might amount to a bit of fault. It's as if he is trying too hard to be an earworm.
"Golden Days", however, doesn't see Brendon put the cart before the horse with his falsetto. "Hallejuah" plays like a proverbial bid of appraisal, but the listener isn't very enticed to do so. Other tracks try and take the album to too many different places, and while I can certainly respect the effort to run the gamut, the album has too many stories to tell and that also holds the album back from really shining. "The Good, The Bad and the Dirty" beats the "oh-oh-oh" like a dead horse, as do multiple other tracks, and "Crazy=Genius" might as well have been pulled out of Aladdin.
By and large, far and away, this is a very passible release. It just tries to pull off too many theatrics, too many bells and whistles, and tries to please too many divisions of listeners. Some fans will be pleased, others will be a tad disappointed, but not fully. I cannot sway you one way or the other. If you enjoy previous Panic! discography, this record might find its way off the store shelf and onto yours. If not, you won't be nearly as enticed to give the album a spin. As far as I myself am concerned, I think Urie's efforts to please fans is worth noting, and on those grounds alone, "Death of a Bachelor" warrants itself a few spins.
