Panic! At The Disco - "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out" (Fueled By Ramen)

The U.S. can be accused of many things, but producing bad music just isn’t one of them. Modest Mouse, Death Cab For Cutie and Giant Drag have all made waves in the past year or so, and indeed, it's getting to the stage where the U.S. is about the only place left where you’re guaranteed to source a good album. Personally, hailing from a country that – up until now – has prided itself on being a great cultural nation, I think the prospect of America overtaking Britain as the source of quality indie music can only be daunting. We gave the world Oasis, Sleeper and more recently, the incredibly successful Kasabian, the Libertines and Bloc Party. Much as I love the likes of Death Cab, they're hardly blessed with sing-along anthems.

This being the case, Panic! At The Disco are a very strange band indeed. Yes, they are American, and yes, they are arguably Indie, but their sound is not in keeping with the rest of the US scene. In fact, the titles of their songs aren’t in keeping either... “The Only Difference Between Martyrdom & Suicide Is Press Coverage”? “Lying Is The Most Fun Women Can Have Without Taking Their Clothes Off”? This is one of three things: the finest Indie album ever made, the most eccentric Emo album ever made, or possibly the most appalling dance album ever made.

One of those would have sufficed, but in a very gracious, weirdly pleasant surprise move, Panic! has decided to have a go at making a mix of all three. Oh, the wackiness! In fact, by the sixth song, “Time To Dance”, you just don’t know which genre the band fits into anymore. This has both positive and negative effects. On the one hand, you have to praise the band’s brave decision to experiment. On the other hand, this is arguably originality taken that bit too far. No particular style sticks, and although the songs are catchy, they are also quite clearly designed with a view to controlled experimentation.

This album could have been stunning. In fact, based on the hype, I was expecting something so remarkable that the album of the year would be all but decided. However, I’m actually a little disappointed. If the band hadn’t held back to the extent that they have done, this CD would have been phenomenal. As it stands, you have a well-conceived, original pop album. You don’t have what I expected though, and you could argue that Panic! have sold themselves short with this debut. Still, not to worry. Bands who produce debuts that fall short of the standard tend to make sublime second albums, if only to prove themselves and make up for lost time. Kings Of Leon are the ultimate example of this; their second album, in complete contrast to the first, was actually enjoyable to listen to.

Give it time and Panic! will be brilliant. For now, they will do well, but they’re capable of greater things.

(A Fever That You Can’t Sweat Out is in shops now, and I recommend it if you fancy an interesting change.)