When most people think of Panic! at the Disco nowadays, they probably think of the group’s more recent work, which essentially amounts to Brendon Urie’s solo project as a mainstream pop artist making radio hits. While this music has its appeal, and it’s nice that Brendon is doing what he wants to do, my opinion is that none of this work comes close to touching the genius of Panic’s first two albums, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out and Pretty. Odd., when original guitarist and songwriter Ryan Ross was in the band. Most pop-punk fans will probably agree. Allow me to explain.

Panic! burst onto the scene in 2005 with their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. At this time, Brendon, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson were only 18, while Ryan was 19. When I listen to the album, it blows my mind that it was made by kids who were just barely out of high school. It’s almost impossible to believe that such a young group of guys created an album so clean, so well-produced, and so musically and lyrically complex. Some of the songs have original demo versions out there on YouTube, which were adapted into the versions we know. However, everything that made the final cut sounds immaculate, not at all the rough-around-the-edges sound you would expect from a new, up-and-coming group, and with a fascinating variety of sounds and instrumentation. Even more incredible is the complexity and originality of the album’s concept. It’s basically a marriage of classic emo pop punk, electronic rock, and burlesque-style show tunes. Midway through the album, a cleverly constructed intermission track embodies the transition of the first half, which is comprised of the electronic-sounding songs, into the second half, which contains the burlesque aesthetic. Panic’s live shows during this time were more like theatrical productions than standard rock concerts, with burlesque dancers on stage and what almost looked like an entire carnival or circus accompanying the group at times. There’s truly nothing else like it that I’ve been able to find. Lyrically, song topics ranged all over the place, from denouncing critics to telling off cheating girlfriends to wreaking havoc in the club to, of course, closing the goddamn door. Some of the most intriguing songs to me are about Ryan’s alcoholic father, who was sick and dying in the hospital at the time and with whom he had a complex relationship. Ryan was the heart and soul behind the lyrics while he was in the group, and Brendon had the beautiful, emphatic voice through which he expressed them. It was comparable to the Pete Wentz-Patrick Stump dynamic in Fall Out Boy, but sadly much more short-lived. During this time, Ryan was very active on his LiveJournal account, which was how he connected with Pete and got Panic! signed to Decaydance Records. His angsty teenage posts from this era can be fascinating to read through. They may embody the platonic ideal of mid-2000s emo ramblings, but at the same time, they give you a real glimpse into how Ryan’s creative mind worked and where his genius came from. 

After the massive overnight success of Fever, Panic! went through a bit of an identity crisis. In early 2007, the group, which now consisted of Brendon, Ryan, Spencer, and new bassist Jon Walker, retreated to a cabin in the mountains of rural Nevada for creative inspiration. They stayed there for a few months, and it sounds like it was an absolutely wild time. The members of Panic! got drunk, tripped on mushrooms, and brainstormed ideas for their second album. This probably should have been the time of their lives, and their creative minds should have been thriving from the psychedelics. At first, this seemed to be the case. Panic’s original idea was to create a very ambitious, grandiose, godlike concept album with a trippy, surreal sound. This album would have been titled Cricket and Clover, and it was described by Ryan as a “modern-day fairy tale with a romantic twist.” However, the band got burned out trying to complete the project and scrapped it; few remnants survive on YouTube from this era. Back in Los Angeles, away from the mushroom cabin, Panic! began working on a completely different album. The songs were much lighter, simpler, and more positive, while still drawing influence from the cabin songs with complex musical composition and lyrics that were bizarre in a fun way. Panic’s second album was finally released in March 2008, and it was titled Pretty. Odd. It was a wild left turn from the style of Fever, both lyrically and musically, and it was jarring to Panic’s fanbase, leading to less commercial success than their debut. Being more of an acquired taste, Pretty. Odd. has grown on me the more I’ve listened to it. The catchy, summery, happy music combines with mushroom-inspired, borderline nonsensical lyrics such as “Jealous orchard/The sky is falling off the ceiling/While I’m tucking fibs into a cookie jar” and “Don’t you know that those watermelon smiles/Just can’t ripen underwater?” to form quite an addictive product once you get in the spirit of it. I’m no Beatles stan, but on my first listen to Pretty. Odd., I would have believed you if you said it was a Beatles cover album. I dig the modern-day hippie aesthetic. The band also briefly rebranded its name to fit with the new style, dropping the exclamation point to become simply Panic at the Disco during this time.

Sadly, the Pretty. Odd. era was short-lived, as Ryan and Jon split from the group in July 2009 due to creative differences. We haven’t heard much from Ryan since, but a few of his solo songs and solo live performances can be found on YouTube. I hope he’s doing well. As for Brendon and Spencer, they remained as Panic! at the Disco while adding new bassist Dallon Weekes (it’s now down to just Brendon). The first post-Ryan album, Vices and Virtues, is actually pretty damn good in my opinion. It’s absolutely beautiful musically despite not reaching Ryan’s level of lyrical genius. However, all of the post-Ryan albums fall more into the category of mainstream pop. Although there is certainly some good work in the mix that deserves credit, these albums are not as much my cup of tea. If only we could go back in time and stop the split from happening so we could be blessed with an entire discography of Ryan Ross-influenced Panic! albums. But over the course of two completely different, completely brilliant musical releases in the 2000s, Panic! captured lightning in a bottle and made magic.