Pretty.Odd.
by Panic! At the Disco
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 261 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 193 out of 261
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 261
  3. Negative: 44 out of 261

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  1. AdamN.
    Apr 15, 2008
    7
    Totally has ELO written all over it and pieces of hooks borrowed from the Beatles. A huge mix of instrumentation and vocal arrangements demand some attention here; but the pay off is ample. I gave it 4 solid listens and now I'm hooked. One thing though- maybe it's just me but: The vocals are impeccable in an almost annoying way. It's like the singer is fake at times.
  2. AlexP.
    Apr 5, 2008
    10
    I just love their new album they took a chance on doing something completly different from their last album and I think they deserve a slap on the back.
  3. Sammy
    Apr 6, 2008
    9
    I'm taken aback by how much I like this album. Panic had a strong debut, but it never once felt original. This album truly establishes an original identity for the band. The tunes are wonderfully musical, and I can't stop listening to it.
  4. MattM.
    Mar 28, 2008
    8
    A really good album on it's own, but a complete departure from what was generally expected. The Nine in the Afternoon single took myself (and a few people I know) by surprise, it's no longer the speedy synth-pop esque sound that sold those 1.7 million records. I don't think this is a detriment though, their venture into 70's era catchy pop songs is for the most part a A really good album on it's own, but a complete departure from what was generally expected. The Nine in the Afternoon single took myself (and a few people I know) by surprise, it's no longer the speedy synth-pop esque sound that sold those 1.7 million records. I don't think this is a detriment though, their venture into 70's era catchy pop songs is for the most part a complete success, their use of horns and strings is well done, not over or under-used, and the lyrics are for the most part thoughtful. With the exception of one song (puns hurt) I found the whole album to be enjoyable. Highlights: Nine... Pas de Cheval That Green Gentleman… Expand
  5. RudeDog
    Apr 8, 2008
    8
    Decent sophomore effort. Been the main CD I've been listening to for the last week that I've had it. Different (but good) sound from the 1st album. I agree with reviews it sounds like they spent months discovering the Beatles. Although, as much as I like it, I feel the wheels drop off at track 11. Though 10 good, catchy tunes out of 15 isn't shabby. Worth the price? Yes.
  6. Steve
    Mar 28, 2008
    6
    Have you ever heard of the Beatles? Panic at the Disco acts like they just heard them for the first time and now they want to do anything to be just like them. The songs on the album are good, I won't lie. But they are not Panic songs.
  7. Porkchops
    Jun 21, 2022
    9
    I love this album so much. Panic! At The Disco is super talented! Brendon Urie is so good!
  8. AlexanderP.
    Mar 26, 2008
    0
    If you loved the first album like i did, keep away from this one. Its so totally boring what are they doing? The first one was so new and exiting, this one is like church music.
  9. friedoctopus37
    Sep 13, 2010
    0
    This album SUCKS. The other one is _AMAZING_, probably my favorite album by any band, ever. But this one... just disappointing. So SLOW and not clever at all!
  10. ivanm
    Aug 6, 2008
    2
    Gosh, when i heard panics first album i thought they are great.their funny songs and dancing beat,their unique style and circus performances were great!and now...what to say?i hope next album will be better.
  11. [Anonymous]
    Mar 26, 2008
    1
    Sucks sucks sucks...go back to the studio, listen to your first album....AND DO THAT WITH JUST NEW WORDS!!!
  12. AkashR.
    Apr 29, 2008
    5
    Hey! What happened to the dancy disco beats? Yes! It's true that fans that anticipated an album like "A Fever To Sweat Out" will turn Pretty Odd with "Pretty.Odd" Was expecting that hip disco beat not granddad or grandma songs!
  13. SteveO
    Apr 11, 2008
    3
    You gotta be kidding me!!!! A "teeny bop" band to the max!!! what an ANNOYING voice!!! and here they try and rip off the Beatles??? they need to get a life... maybe a LITTLE better then their stupid debut but FAR from listenable.
  14. golferbml
    Nov 30, 2017
    3
    Panic! At the Disco is probably my third favorite band. This album however, is garbage. There's probably three or four songs that I don't skip whenever they come on shuffle. If you are a Panic! fan, would recommend skipping most of this when checking out their discography (with the exception of Nine In the Afternoon, Northern Downpour, and That Green Gentleman).
  15. MichaelS.
    Apr 4, 2008
    10
    I love this album! It totally removes all the negative points that people have about Panic at the Disco. This album is catchy and absolutely delves into a new and interesting, even more refreshing musical style. It incorporates the musical styles of the Beatles and even in some ways the beach boys. It just proves that the band have matured and their recent success in the UK album chart I love this album! It totally removes all the negative points that people have about Panic at the Disco. This album is catchy and absolutely delves into a new and interesting, even more refreshing musical style. It incorporates the musical styles of the Beatles and even in some ways the beach boys. It just proves that the band have matured and their recent success in the UK album chart has proved it successful.… Expand
  16. KyleJ
    May 3, 2008
    10
    Probably the best new music I've heard in a long while. It's excellent that they're exploring other genres and adding variety to their repertoire. They may lose some of the "emo" crowd with music that's more uplifting... but in the words of the band in an NME interview, "Emo is bull__. We want to be the new Radiohead." They're definitely separating themselves from Probably the best new music I've heard in a long while. It's excellent that they're exploring other genres and adding variety to their repertoire. They may lose some of the "emo" crowd with music that's more uplifting... but in the words of the band in an NME interview, "Emo is bull__. We want to be the new Radiohead." They're definitely separating themselves from the crowd.… Expand
  17. Octavius
    Mar 25, 2008
    10
    I'm not really a PATD fan but I must say that this album impressed me so much especially considering its predecessor did absolutely nothing for me. I know everyone's saying they ripped off the Beatles, but to be honest what band hasn't ripped The Beatles in one way or another? And since so many bands have why hold PATD to a different standard? I think people who are pushing I'm not really a PATD fan but I must say that this album impressed me so much especially considering its predecessor did absolutely nothing for me. I know everyone's saying they ripped off the Beatles, but to be honest what band hasn't ripped The Beatles in one way or another? And since so many bands have why hold PATD to a different standard? I think people who are pushing this issue are just haters. This is coming from a person who could have cared less about this band before this album. I'm willing to give praise and congrats when its earned and Panic At The Disco will have deserved all the praise and kudos it gets from this great album.… Expand
  18. Leah
    Apr 1, 2008
    9
    A valiant effort - ambitious as hell and pleasing. I'm never really into this type of music, but they really don't sound like anything else out there right now. People who've decided they're no good on principle need to deflate their egos - it's a good album. True, it's not In Rainbows or Boxer or anything, but it's good and significantly different from A valiant effort - ambitious as hell and pleasing. I'm never really into this type of music, but they really don't sound like anything else out there right now. People who've decided they're no good on principle need to deflate their egos - it's a good album. True, it's not In Rainbows or Boxer or anything, but it's good and significantly different from anything else they could have done - they've got so much potential for a bunch of 20 year olds.… Expand
  19. Will
    Apr 1, 2008
    3
    They were a new level of terrible before (what kind of hook is "haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?"), and they are just as horrible now. They've just got a few more dollars and an ambitious producer. 3 and not 1 for letting someone take their sound in a somewhat palatable direction, 3 and not anything higher for still being made of the same corny, They were a new level of terrible before (what kind of hook is "haven't you people ever heard of closing the goddamn door?"), and they are just as horrible now. They've just got a few more dollars and an ambitious producer. 3 and not 1 for letting someone take their sound in a somewhat palatable direction, 3 and not anything higher for still being made of the same corny, overwrought, pseudo-weird, pseudo-intellectual stock as System of a Down, Ludo, etc.… Expand
  20. NathanielO.
    Apr 1, 2008
    0
    Poor effort
  21. JanmikS.
    Apr 24, 2008
    10
    I think the shift was very daring and awesome.. It sounds nothing like rushed up, unplanned music.
  22. DevonS
    Apr 27, 2008
    10
    Okay, you "emo" kids that can't deal with the fact that Panic has changed need to grow up. They sound much more mature in this album, and the best part is, they're songs don't sound completely computer-generated! I can't stop listening to it! I highly recommend it.
  23. AnonYmous
    Apr 3, 2008
    7
    The debut was immense. The follow-up... meh not so much. It kinda reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.
  24. Andrew
    Apr 3, 2008
    9
    Their first album was a Fall Out Boy rip-off. This one is refreshingly different and ambitious and every song is great easy listening for summer.
  25. Bronwynn
    Apr 7, 2008
    10
    I loved this album, it's so diffrent from a fever you can't sweat out, but i still loved it...there are so many songs on this album that make you wanna get up and dance (which is what music should do).
  26. Sophie
    Aug 10, 2008
    8
    This is nothing like their old stuff i found that i could sing along to every word of every song on the last album, but apart from a few very catchy songs theres nothing outstanding. However, I still love P!ATD so therefore i love the album.
  27. JonathanS.
    Mar 26, 2008
    6
    Well this CD was completely devoid of energy...And no, they're not the "new" Beatles. First of all, no one will ever be the "new" Beatles, and secondly, Panic tries far too hard to imitate the stylings of the Beatles, and it just comes off as a lack of creativity-- rather than take the influences and combine it with their own style while still remaining the same band. However, I Well this CD was completely devoid of energy...And no, they're not the "new" Beatles. First of all, no one will ever be the "new" Beatles, and secondly, Panic tries far too hard to imitate the stylings of the Beatles, and it just comes off as a lack of creativity-- rather than take the influences and combine it with their own style while still remaining the same band. However, I really, really did love "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out", despite the fact that most of the pathetic band-wagon "emo" bands nowadays cling to that album as one of their inspirations. But what made that album so fun and musically enjoyable was the creativity and underdog feel, with the energy blazing through each song. And while I understand that Panic At the Disco can see that so many poseur bands are just jumping the pop-punk-wish-I-were-emo train for the fans, and want to set up their own niche that will keep them from growing stale (ala My Chemical Romance)-- but when you're one of the kings of the genre, it's for a reason: you're good at what you do. They shouldn't have worried about being cooped into a sub-group with generic artists just looking for a buck, since they have the talent to stay fresh-- and they're one of the bands that MAKE the other bands look generic. So with all that said, I really wish Panic had stayed to their original style. Rather, they've opted for an infusion of pop-rock with mild 60s stylings (a trend a lot of bands are adopting nowadays-- which, ironically, means they're trying to jump the bandwagon before it forms; doing the EXACT thing they want to avoid). The wishful 60s throwbacks are evident much too easily, especially in the choice of guitar chords chosen, and the fact that the opening song even included mixed strings from "Abbey Road". And, it seems, with the loss of the exclamation mark from the band name, the symbolic energy an exclamation mark implies was also lost in the process. The songs are not nearly as bombastic, lack most the the endearing theatricality and wacky musical stylings/lyrics of the first album, generally follow the same vocal pattern of the sing-songy up-down rhythm-- and, not to mention, Urie sings in an octave up most of the time from the voice he usually sang in which makes it sound more forgettable; unfortunate, since his pleasant low voice was fun to listen to, and he now reverts to too much vibrotto in his singing now. The circus theatricality-- which stemmed from the pattern of a low vocal intro, with bombasts of intruments and a greatly varied pitch throughout the song-- has been lost with the more general vocal melody, and the effects and instruments are underused, spent trying to moderately imitate the style of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club". My last complaint is that the album all seems too thought out and processed-- it's pretty obvious that "Northern Downpour" is likely to be their next single, and is meant to be the song all the fans love. This sort of calculation takes more genuity out of the album, which it had already lost in transition to a different style. So, undoubtedly, all the "OMG" fans are going to think, well, "omg" about this album, but Panic's serious musical fans (generally the ones out of middle school and not brainwashed by fake emo bands and Hot Topic, let's put it nicely) are going to enjoy this effort far less than "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out", though it still has enjoyable enough songs.… Expand
  28. JasonM
    Mar 26, 2008
    9
    This album is defenitely a departure from their previous work, but if nothing else it is a step forward toward greatness.
  29. JeffM.
    Mar 26, 2008
    0
    Why is this band still around? Seriously. They're horrible.
  30. ConnorS.
    Mar 27, 2008
    10
    Perfect. Super awesome.
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Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Most Discussed Album of 2008
16
#16 Most Shared Album of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Sputnikmusic
    40
    More often than not (and this is the kicker, ladies and gentlemen), Pretty. Odd. is just pretty dull.
    Read full review
  2. Rolling Stone
    70
    Even when it's over the top, which is basically always, Pretty. Odd. sounds cheerful, with a broad sense of humor that does honor to the noble legacy of ELO mastermind Jeff Lynne.
    Read full review
  3. Spin
    80
    Pretty.Odd lives up to its title because it dares to be optimistically beautiful at a time when sadness and ugliness might have won them easier credibility. [Apr 2008, p.92]
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