Panic! At the Disco excel on their fifth studio LP, Death of a Bachelor, delivering a multitude of eccentric, entertaining & thrilling moments.
Brendon Urie is a god â a musical god that is! Panic! At the Disco continually plays to their strengths: incorporating a wide variety of styles and a heavy dosage of eccentricity. Some might consider their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, âweird,â but its idiosyncrasies actually make it a pretty rad affair. Ultimately, Death of a Bachelor is filled with its fair share of thrilling, wild, and creative moments. Face it; only Brendon Urie could deliver an album like this one!
âVictoriousâ
âTonight, we are victorious / Champagne pouring over us / All my friends were glorious / Tonight we are victorious.â â âVictoriousâ serves as a fierce opener from Death of a Bachelor â truly a tone setter. Brendon Urie serves up a heaping dosage of left-of-center lyrics, robust vocals, and epic production work. âVictoriousâ is both quirky to the nth degree and incredibly spirited.
âOh, we gotta turn up the crazyLivinâ like a washed-up celebrityShooting fireworks like itâs the Fourth of JulyUntil we feel alright.â
âAlright, alright, itâs a hell of a feeling though / Itâs a hell of feeling though!â Brendon Urie is turned-up to the nth degree on â âDonât Threaten Me with a Good Time,â another standout from Death of a Bachelor. Urie exudes exuberant spirit on the infectious chorus, excerpted above. Lyrically, itâs incredibly zany, with references to waking up in only his undies and losing a âBet to a guy in a Chiffon skirt,â yet, he âmakes these high heels work.â The narrative is wild AF â plum nuts! The chorus, continued below, only adds and further accentuates the craziness.
âChampagne, cocaine, gasolineAnd most things in betweenI roam the city in a shopping cartA pack of camels and a smoke alarm.â
âHallelujahâ
On another surefire gem, promo single â âHallelujahâ, Brendon Urieasserts, âAll you sinners stand up, sing hallelujah!âYes, on the âsanctifiedâ chorus, Urie is all about sinners everywhere allowing the spirit to move through them. Is the record spiritually driven? Eh. âHallelujahâ ranks among the deepest song of their career; itâs more transcendent and thought-provoking. Ultimately, it seems âHallelujahâ is directed toward the audience. While Urie uses his own experiences, they are such common experiences versus specific ones that anyone who listens can relate. âHallelujah,â hence, is more of a âcongregational hymn,â and an epic one at that!
âIf it feels good, tastes good / It must be mine / Dynasty decapitated / You just might see a ghost tonight.â â âEmperorâs New Clothesâ is another wild, creative musical gem gracing Death of a Bachelor. As always, Brendon Urie delivers a dynamic and energetic vocal performance â quite âroyalâ in its execution! In addition to the use of a royal title, the colorful âEmperorâs New Clothesâ features additional lyrical references, including, âIâm taking back the crown / Iâm all dressed up and naked.â Perhaps the crown jewel of lyrical gems is as follows:
âSycophants on velvet sofasLavish mansions, vintage wineI am so much more than royalSnatch your chain and mace your eyes.â
Ultimately, âEmperorâs New Clothesâ is quite the ambitious, distinct listening experience.
âDeath of a Bachelorâ
âIâm walking the long road / Watching the sky fall / The lace in your dress tangles my neck / How do I live?â The Sinatra-inspired title track, â 𤊠âDeath of a Bachelor,â is among the crème de la crème of Panic! At the Discoâs fifth LP. On âDeath of a Bachelor,â Urie manages to successfully fuse multiple styles (alternative/easy listening/R&B) into one successful song. Itâs a simply gorgeous, thanks to its superb production work, dynamic vocals (that falsetto is magnificent), and memorable songwriting, particularly the soaring chorus.
âThe death of a bachelorO-o-oh! Letting the water fallThe death of a bachelorO-o-oh! Seems so fitting forHappily, ever after, whoooHow could I ask for me?A lifetime of laughterAt the expense of the death of a bachelor.â
The only death that occurs here is the end of being single and becoming a married man. Urie married Sarah Orzechowski in 2013.
ââŚIf crazy equals genius / Then Iâm a f*cking arsonist / Iâm a rocket scientist.â Sigh, it canât be said enough that Brendon Urie has always been one of kind. It wouldnât be far-fetched to call him an eccentric genius. Here, on the CRAZY âCrazy=Genius,â his craziness and genius shines fusing big band, pop, and rock. Quite the adrenaline rush, it starkly contrasts âDeath of a Bachelor,â positively, of course.
âLA Devoteeâ maintains high energy and a quick tempo. Urie sings in his lower-middle vocal register on the verses, before âamping it upâ on the gargantuan chorus with his cutting tenor. One of the selling points is the use of a key change â modulations are so infrequent in mainstream music anymore, sigh.
Follow up âGolden Daysâ qualifies as a âdeep cutâ within Death of a Bachelor. Even so, it finds Urie continuing to exhibit the power of his pipes. Is the vocal control sketchy? Yes, he has delivered much more refined, controlled vocal performances, but the gift that is his voice is undeniable. Another record that gets minimal attention when mentioning the LP is âThe Good, the Bad and the Dirty.â Hey, it has a great name if nothing else! The song has ample swagger, featuring hip-hop production cues, and of course, the legend himself â Brendon!
âHouse of Memoriesâ
âIf youâre a lover, you should know / The lonely moments just get lonelier / The longer youâre in love / Than if youâre aloneâ Say what? Penultimate number âHouse of Memoriesâ deals with the anxieties of past and present love. Whatâs most intriguing about the aforementioned line is how Urie tackles loneliness from a committed perspective: âI donât want to be afraid / The deeper that I go / It takes my breath away.â By the chorus, with the âhouse built,â Urie asks for her word: âPromise me a place / In your house of memories.â Emo, poeticâŚchecks off many boxes.
â âImpossible Yearâ concludes Death of a Bachelor epically. On this gorgeous ballad, Urie delivers one of his most balanced performances to date. He exhibits control, but remains commanding, continuing to infuse soulfulness. The best way to describe this thoughtful number is moving.
Final Thoughts
All in all, Panic! At the Disco excels on their fifth studio album; Death of a Bachelor is fantastic. What makes the Grammy-nominated effort elite? To reiterate, itâs filled with eccentric, entertaining, and thrilling moments. Brendon Urie sings his butt off, and even if you argue with his level of vocal control at times, or even an âoverabundanceâ of instruments on some records, more often than not, Death of a Bachelor is truly a gem.
â Gems: âVictorious,â âDonât Threaten Me with A Good Time,â âHallelujah,â âEmperorâs New Clothes,â âDeath of A Bachelorâ & âImpossible Yearâ