Panic! At the Disco - Mona Lisa (Single)
As a jaded twenty-something when Panic launched their career in the mid 00’s, I was completely against their sound and that of their peers Fall Out Boy. “Super sleek, over wordy and devoid of substance (sonic or otherwise)”. That was until I heard they’re 2009 opus “Pretty Odd” with an intoxicating blend of pitch perfect production and a “Sgt. Peppers” feel and aesthetic which blended 50 years of pop/rock and baroque elements into something completely fresh and way beyond the years of its players. I went back and revisited the early album to find that I could get behind what the band did a little more, knowing what they were capable.
It is that knowledge that splits my opinion on the first follow up single to that project. “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” is a driving straight ahead power pop song, immediately catchy and lyrically quite sharp and witty. But it is just a little too ordinary. It is a little difficult to not see this as a bit of a step backwards for a band that can produce some seriously sublime sonic treats.
Part of this may be the fact that they’ve lost a member and key song writer in the interim between the two projects, or it could have to do with sales. The last album didn’t exactly appeal to the same teenage demographic as the first. And, fearing a loss of relevance, they could have gone back to something a little simpler. But I don’t want to be too quick to judge. I do like the song, and there is an album coming soon. I’m hoping to see flashes of that brilliance again.
