Panic release their second single from Pretty.Odd, That Green Gentleman. Oh, and it’s the song that features the album title in the lyrics – we love spotting those ones!

The surrealism of previous Panic At The Disco songs remains, but this acoustic tune is far more mainstream than we’ve seen the band venture to date.

The metamorphosis from slightly weirder Fall Out Boy clones to a much more mainstream act can’t have been easy, especially as they risked alienating their fanbase, but the result is some Pretty.Good pop music. We’re loving the acoustic intro and the subtle electric guitar work that plays through the song.

You can tell that the PATD boys are putting a lot of thought into their songwriting. Could it be that this stylistic detour might pay dividends? We think so.

Now, prepare to be confuddled by another Panic video -

Panic weren’t behind the door about wearing their Beatles influences on their sleeves for their new album, but I didn’t expect this. Nine In The Afternoon is a veritable tribute to the Not-so Fab Four, something which I’m not comfortable with.

Is this the same band that gave us the amazing I Write Sins Not Tragedies?

Panic fans, don’t get me wrong, I like the song. But it’s Beatles-esque to a disturbing degree. From the piano-pounding verses through to the cellos on the outro, it’s obscene really. And let’s not overlook the trippy video and the pretty odd (geddit?) Sgt Pepper’s style outfits.

And so I find myself conflicted folks. On one hand I like the song and I want to like it because Panic At The Disco are a cool band. On the other hand, I think it’s strange for a band to put out such a shameless soundalike song as the lead track from their second album. And it sounds like a band I hate!

At this stage in their careers I’d expect Panic to be refining their sound, not morphing into a tribute band. As always, I’ll remain optimistic for the second single from Pretty.Odd. Don’t let me down guys.

Panic At The Disco are preparing a major assault on our charts and eardrums with a new single and album release over the next month or so. They’ve announced the title of the new album as Pretty. Odd. which at least describes their hair. Only joking Emo kids!

Pretty. Odd. will be released on 25th March 2008. To whet your appetite, Panic will be releasing the first single from the album, Nine In The Afternoon on January 29.

Recorded in Las Vegas with additional work at Abbey Road studios, Pretty. Odd. should see a maturing of the band’s sound. Guitarist Ryan Ross says “We’ve grown up a lot in these past few years and the different types of music we’ve been into will show through.  We want to focus on the melody and what’s happening in the song rather than throwing a lot of distortion over everything.”

In other notable news, the band has dropped the exclamation mark from Panic! and are now simply Panic At The Disco. Well, that’s one less character to type…phew…

And finally, Panic have been selected as the headline act for the 8th Honda Civic Tour, which will start in April 2008. Looks like we could be hearing a lot from these guys in 2008.

Funny how a great track can totally pass you by. I Write Sins Not Tragedies has been getting a load of radio play recently, so I assume it’s a new tune in the Fall Out Boy tradition.

Wrong. It was actually released in February and October last year.

I could write about how this sounds so like Fall Out Boy that it’s almost emo-by-numbers, but the truth is the song just rocks. What greater pleasure is there in life other than screaming “haven’t you people ever heard of/closing the goddamn door” at the top of your lungs?

I Write Sins was Panic! At The Disco’s first single to have a music video, and what a freak-fest it is too. It features a wedding attended by a bunch of clowns (if you’ve ever gotten married, you’ll relate to this), where the bride argues with the groom and is later found outside kissing one of the circus freaks.

Great tune, great video. Here it is again in case you missed it first time round…