| A Fever You Can't Sweat Out |
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| Studio album by Panic! at the Disco |
| Released |
September 27, 2005 |
| Recorded |
SOMD! Studios
College Park, Maryland
Dang! Studios
Lewisville, Texas |
| Genre |
Emo
Pop punk
Dance punk |
| Length |
40:16 |
| Label |
Decaydance, Fueled by Ramen |
| Producer |
Matt Squire |
| Professional reviews |
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| Panic! at the Disco chronology |
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Singles from
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out |
- "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage"
Released: January 23, 2006
- "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
Released: February 27, 2006
- "But It's Better If You Do"
Released: May 16, 2006
- "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off"
Released: August 7, 2006
- "Build God, Then We'll Talk"
Released: March 5, 2007
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A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is the debut album by rock band Panic! at the Disco, released on September 27, 2005 by Fueled by Ramen. It is the only album to feature Brent Wilson on bass.
The album primarily deals with social issues that the band points on through various songs. Topics such as sanctity of marriage, adultery, alcoholism, prostitution, and religions are woven throughout the album. Guitarist Ryan Ross also relates two of the songs to living with an alcoholic father. The album has sold over 1.6 million copies in the US and 2.2 million worldwide.
25,000 collector's editions of the album were released November 14, 2006 containing photographs, lyric cards, a DVD of a concert, and many items reminiscent of vaudevillian shows. The collection shipped in a faux velvet-lined box with a purposefully aged appearance. Because of the limited release, second hand versions are selling for much higher than retail.
Track listing
Reception
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out received very mixed reviews upon its release. Kerrang! was very positive, awarding the record four out five stars. They also named the album the 15th best album of 2006.[1] Rolling Stone also gave a positive review, with a good three and a half stars out of five.[2] Webzines like Gigwise and Sputnikmusic also gave very positive reviews.[3][4]
Pitchfork gave a more negative review, awarding the record a poor 1.5/10.0 rating, stating "there's no sincerity, creativity, or originality."[5] Allmusic shared some of Pitchfork's views, and gave it a modest two out of five stars.[6]
What recognizes the release of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out is how quickly it became a modern phenomenon in youth culture. The band grew to fame through MySpace, where they had posted two demos prior to the album's release, and the youth generation of the Information Age was already well aware of the band when the debut was released. Sales figures sky rocketed and has today passed 2.2 million.[7]
The hit single "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" received massive airplay all across the world, and Panic! at the Disco's success came to a high-point when they won "Video of the Year" on the annual MTV Video Music Awards in 2006, beating fellow nominees like Madonna and Shakira.
Structure
The album is split in two stylistically, with tracks 1 through 7 featuring electronic instruments such as synthesizers and drum machines and tracks 9 through 13 using traditional instruments such as the accordion and organ. Track 8 (Intermission) serves as a link between the two halves, beginning with techno-style dance beats before switching to the piano interlude. On the vinyl record version of the album, side A holds songs 1-8 while side B holds songs 9-13, further highlighting the stylistic split in the album.
Credits
- Panic! At the Disco
- Brendon Urie – vocals, guitar, keyboard, piano, accordion, organ
- Ryan Ross – guitar, lyrics, keyboard, piano, accordion, organ
- Brent Wilson - bass
- Spencer Smith – drums and percussion
- Additional instruments
- William Brousserd - trumpet on tracks 9,12
- Heather Stebbins - cello on tracks 8,10,12,13
- Samantha Bynes - violin on tracks 10,12
Pop culture references
- The first track, "Introduction", contains a sample of what appears to be a radio broadcast in Polish. The speaker is saying "...spotkało się z szerokim rozgłosem", which means "...gained significant popularity".
- The title of "London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines" is part of a line from Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland: "extremely torrid tunage from London beckoned-songs about money written by machines".[8]
- "Intermission" includes a sample from Orson Welles' famous radio adaptation of the classic novel The War of the Worlds: "Due to circumstances beyond our control..."[8]
- The title "But It's Better If You Do" is from the last half of a line from the film Closer: "Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off but it's better if you do."[8]
- The title of "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" was inspired by a line from Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland: "What I write are not sins, I write tragedies."[8]
- The bridge melody of "Build God, Then We'll Talk" is derivative from the chorus of "My Favorite Things".[9]
- "Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks" is a quote from Ryan Ross' father.[citation needed]
Several tracks on the album reference novels by Chuck Palahniuk:
- The title of "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage" is a line from Survivor.[8]
- "London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines"'s bridge, "Just for the record, the weather today is..." is a recurring phrase in Diary.[8]
References
External links
