How many beloved bands evolve into a solo project — and then arguably become more famous for it? Needless to say, that's a short list. And on top of that, how many of those acts go on to wield the entire 20th-century rock encyclopedia? Panic! at the Disco might be the only name remaining.
Yes, the band is just Brendon Urie now, but he's more than embraced the role. As it turns out, a large part of OG Panic!'s appeal was Urie's vocal prowess; now, those pipes are more golden than ever. And when you've got an inimitable presence like Urie front and center, you can play around with the musical components without messing up the magic.
And in the case of Viva Las Vengeance — Panic! at the Disco's vibrant new album — you can travel all the way back to the AOR era, when bands like Journey, Steve Miller Band, Electric Light Orchestra, and Boston dominated the airwaves.
Described by Urie in a press release as "a look back at who I was 17 years ago and who I am now with the fondness I didn't have before," the album is an examination of misspent youth in Sin City, beamed through a kaleidoscope of classic-rock references. (And at least partly recorded on analog equipment, to boot!)
It's all there in the lyrics: "Middle of a Breakup" contains an exhortation to "gimme T. Rex," "Local God" references the hesher-ready B.C. Rich electric guitar, and "Star Spangled Banger" namedrops Dead Kennedys — and that's just on the first half. Throughout the album's 12 tracks, the exultant music bounces from punk to bar-rock to new wave and back again — your parents' record collection, raided.
If you're unfamiliar with the classic-rock and punk-adjacent canons, Viva Las Vengeance can act as a Rosetta Stone to find some new (old) jams. Here's a guide to how each song can lead you to a classic album from rock's past — ranging from artists from the early '70s to the early '90s.
To clarify, nothing on the record can be considered a "ripoff." When you're a musician of any persuasion, everything that came before you should be considered the lending library. Also: none of the below selections are carbon copies of any sort — most songs blend half a dozen other acts in the stew.
Rather, take the following as mere guideposts; these Panic! at the Disco songs merely evoke their feeling, their vibe, their groove. And most importantly, use it to check out some monumental music of yore — that perhaps you may have never heard until now.
Like "Viva Las Vengeance"? Try The Buzzcocks' Singles Going Steady
From its first seconds, Viva Las Vengeance's title track conjures the Ramones (hello, "Beat on the Brat"!). But once Urie's nimble vocal melody enters, it recontextualizes those pounding power chords, suggesting something brainier and more emotional.
Ergo, the song’s spiritual descendants are moreso the English punk-pop heroes the Buzzcocks. What should be your first stop? Their immortal 1979 compilation Singles Going Steady.**
Like "Middle Of A Breakup"? Try The Records' Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses
Lyrically, the proximally closest analog to this chorus might be Machine Gun Kelly (the "make up" and "break up" rhyme evokes his "Make Up Sex").
But as far as the intro and verses, the classically rumbling drum roll and tightly-wound guitar interplay — coupled with the relentless melodicism — recalls obscure power-poppers the Records, most famous for 1978's "Starry Eyes."
Like "Don't Let The Light Go Out"? Try Badfinger's Straight Up
Before the tragic, early deaths of key members Tom Evans and Pete Ham, Badfinger emerged from under the Beatles' wing to write and record some of the most aching, soulful songs of the '70s.
Sure, it's a stretch to say that "Don't Let the Light Go Out" is any sort of homage. But if you connect with the jingle-jangling guitars, aching tempo and lump in Urie's throat here, you might have a new favorite band.
Like "Local God"? Try Sparks' Angst In My Pants
Unclassifiable alt-rock proginators Sparks are having a moment — both with a documentary and a new affiliation with Adam Driver by way of the 2021 film Annette — and the comically high-strung and dizzyingly sugary "Local God" most clearly recalls them.
If this is your highlight of Viva Las Vengeance, go for Sparks' early albums like 1982's Angst in My Pants, which were more firmly rooted in a new-wave language.
Then, if you dig that, check out their album Kimono My House, which built upon that influence (and many others, including glam) and resulted in something utterly original and idiosyncratic.
Like "Star Spangled Banger"? Try Steely Dan's Can't Buy A Thrill
The stampeding chorus of "Star Spangled Banger" is purely in that Queen or Sparks mold — no, nothing to do with the Dan at all.
But that shuffling verse, with Urie stuffing in too many syllables over economical, harmonized leads, has everything to do with them. If you love this song but bought into Donald Fagen and co.'s unfairly negative associations, please reevaluate your position.
Like "God Killed Rock And Roll"? Try Queen's A Night at the Opera
Queen is naturally going to be the go-to comparison tossed at Viva Las Vengeance, which makes sense — not just because of the Mercury-like harmonies echoing across the album, but the fact that Panic! covered "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the 2016 Suicide Squad soundtrack.
Now, Urie has a "Bohemian Rhapsody" of his own — thanks to the overture and overall arrangement of "God Killed Rock and Roll."
If you only know that theatrical classic in a bubble, let this Panic! track lead you to the LP home of "Bohemian Rhapsody": A Night at the Opera. From there, check out other classic Queen offerings, like 1974's Sheer Heart Attack and 1977's News of the World.
Like "Say It Louder"? Try The Cars' Self-Titled And Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The angular offbeats and drum-machine-style rhythm that open "Say it Louder" recall the mechanistic economy of the Cars. Well, not just them, but the new-wave milieu that birthed them, which went on to influence the sound of early-aughts acts like the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand.
But it doesn't stay that way: "Say it Louder" then evokes a many-hued fantasy realm that would make Goodbye Yellow Brick Road-era Elton proud.
Like "Sugar Soaker"? Try Steve Miller Band's Fly Like An Eagle
While the frazzled opening of "Sugar Soaker" might seem to foreshadow a noisy meltdown, it soon settles into an easy, chooglin' groove that classic-rock favorites Steve Miller Band largely dealt in. (And when the barrelhouse piano arrives, you get a tint of Stones.)
Like "Something About Maggie"? Check Out Jellyfish's Spilt Milk
A vanguard of the West Coast "unpopular pop" scene of the '90s, Jellyfish could both indulge in whimsical, theater-type excursions and sublime baroque pop a la the Beach Boys — oftentimes in the same song.
Of their two albums, check out Spilt Milk first; the irrepressible "Something About Maggie" could be a long-lost B-side thanks to its carnivalesque energy and fountain of melodies.
Like "Sad Clown"? Try Electric Light Orchestra's A New World Record
Urie lets his inner Jeff Lynne fly on "Sad Clown," which fussily toggles between sections while never failing to grab your ear.
To some extent, ELO were a greatest-hits band. But many of their records hold up from front to back, like 1976's A New World Record and their earlier opus, 1974's El Dorado.
Like "All By Yourself"? Try The Beach Boys' Sunflower
Amid all of the Beach Boys', well, beachy hits and their 1966 classic Pet Sounds, their run of '70s albums remain somewhat underrated — like 1970's Sunflower. "All By Yourself" subtly recalls that autumnal masterpiece in how it marries a mellow, stony feel with a rainbow of harmonies.
Like "Do It To Death"? Try Boston's Self-Titled Debut
Like that classic passion project by multi-instrumentalist Tom Scholz, "Do It To Death" both sounds like a rock band from Mars and the expression of one man — and the fact that Panic! at the Disco pulled that off with "Do it to Death" speaks volumes about his longevity. Viva Urie!
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