Panic takes slower pace

With Panic at the Disco back for their long-awaited sophomore album, "Pretty. Odd.," you'd think it would reflect a sense of urgency and excitement upon its release.

But just prior to issuing their newest disc, the band dropped the exclamation point from their name, and, likewise, their music has transformed from fast-paced to mellow and relaxed.

Panic's 2005 debut, "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, propelled by hits like "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and "But It's Better If You Do," which were made famous by the band's unique blend of flowery vocals and biting lyrics.

While their new album still is charged with eccentric instrumentation and vividly written lyrics, it mainly differs from "Fever" in its slower-paced rhythms and even more bizarre verses.

The opening track of the album, "We're So Starving," is an immediate assurance that these Las Vegas locals are still the same erratic musicians who sang about corrupt wedding ceremonies and other Las Vegas-inspired scenes, with frontman Brendon Urie apologizing for being gone for so long during the recording of the disc.

The record's first single, "Nine In the Afternoon," is a catchy number recognized for its relation to Panic's debut. While the majority of "Odd" was written at a more restrained pace, "Nine In the Afternoon" remains upbeat and buoyant.

The album's second single, "Mad As Rabbits," also was penned in the same style and is one of the best songs on "Pretty."

It's not until later in the album that Panic delivers their more mellow tracks.

Songs such as "Northern Downpour," "She Had the World" and "When the Day Met the Night" encompass the overall sound that they experiment with on their new release.

Rather than the usual synthesized introduction, "Northern Downpour" begins with an acoustic guitar and softly sung lyrics. Unlike the past, this slow-simmering track doesn't evolve into a hard-hitting upbeat single.

Like many other songs on the album, it was written more like a lullaby than an alternative rock song.

And so while their musical theme has shifted, Panic's change was not only intentional, but well-executed. While their new sound doesn't encompass the entire album, their lyrics are still out of the ordinary, and even though some of the songs are slower, they're still catchy.

"Pretty. Odd." then, is also pretty darn good.