Vacation Recap/ Updates

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. Today I’m going to recap the recent vacation I took. I had originally planned on writing this beautiful, thrilling narrative story to tell about the trip, but my anxiety has been horrible lately so I haven’t had much time to write. I’m going to briefly sum up every day of my trip. This probably isn’t the post you were expecting about my trip, but I just haven’t had time to write that amazing narrative. I will always put my physical and/or mental health first, and I want you to do the same, whoever you are that is reading this.

Day 1 (Friday, July 13): We weren’t even sure if we were going on the trip at first, because my youngest brother (he's seven) was sick the day before. Luckily, he was feeling better by the time we left Friday morning. The highlight of today was going to the Field of Dreams. This is a baseball field in the Middle of Nowhere in Dyersville, Iowa, and it’s where the 1989 sports fantasy movie Field of Dreams was filmed. They have a field you can play baseball on, a cornfield, and I'm pretty sure you can take a tour of the house used in the movie, but you have to schedule it beforehand. I had only seen the movie once, but it's one of my family's favorites, so they were more excited about it than I was. It was probably my least favorite part of the trip because I'm not a huge baseball fan and it was around 90°. Another "highlight" of the day was when my youngest brother got sick again at a Culver's. He had a sore throat and was tired. He was fine after taking some medicine for the time being. We stopped in Fairmont, Minnesota that night, at a Holiday Inn. The hotel was right next to a Perkins', which is one of my favorite breakfast restaurants. We went there in the morning. 

Day 2 (Saturday, July 14): We left Fairmont in the morning and headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota around noon. We decided to do one tourist-y thing while in the city. Mom had heard that the butterfly house and aquarium was cool, but it cost money to get in. Instead we checked out the Falls Park, which was free. My family enjoyed exploring the park and seeing how powerful the waterfalls were. The park is really big (it spans 123 acres) and the falls are pretty cool, so I'd recommend this one if you just want to walk around and see the sights. There's one part where you can see fish jumping out of the water, trying to get food. That part is awesome. We took a detour in Pierre for dinner and went to a sports bar called Drifters'. After that, we went to the Wall Drug because a friend of mine recommended I go there to try their donuts. The funny thing about the Wall Drug is that they have signs for it like 500 miles away. Like, you'll be just barely into South Dakota and you'll see "Get your free ice water and homemade pie at the Wall Drug!" My brothers decided against Wall Drug donuts and wanted to stop at the Dairy Queen nearby, which was fine with me. We ultimately stopped in Rapid City, where we stayed for three consecutive nights- in three different hotels! The first Rapid City hotel we stayed at was the Baymont, and this was probably my least favorite one because I had to sleep on the floor :(

Day 3 (Sunday, July 15): This day is ALL OVER THE PLACE. So it turns out that youngest brother had a virus similar to strep throat, and he had to go to an urgent care clinic. He was prescribed to take three pills a day for ten days. After that dilemma, we headed to Mount Rushmore! Except this was a total disappointment, because my other brother (he's thirteen) got carsick on the way up the mountain and puked thrice. It was probably because he didn't take his medication beforehand. Also disappointing was the fact that it was FOGGY. You couldn't see ANYTHING at Mount Rushmore, and we were incredibly disappointed. Because my other brother and my mom weren't feeling well, we stopped at the second Rapid City hotel early. This hotel was a Home2 Suite by Hilton, and it was the best hotel we had stayed at to that point on the trip. It was the first hotel we had stayed at with a pool, and it had a nicer TV, access to restaurants, and access to a WATERPARK. The waterpark was called WaTiki, and although the cost of $18 per person was a little expensive, my dad and brother went and had a great time! There was one waterslide which featured a funnel-like tube and it was an incredibly fun ride. This day was all over the place because the fun stuff was really fun and the not-as-fun stuff was horrible. I felt so bad for my brother!

Day 4 (Monday, July 16): The other brother was feeling a little better and was ready to try Mount Rushmore again. This was great because today it was actually clear and we could see everything! You'd be tempted to shrug Mount Rushmore off before seeing it because it's just four faces in a rock, why is that interesting? But once you see it in person, you're awestruck. It's amazing how much work and detail was put into it, and it can really bring out feelings of patriotism in anybody. After Mount Rushmore, we went to the nearby Custer State Park. This was one of the lesser parts of the trip for me because there was a massive drive up a hill that was even higher up than Mount Rushmore that really triggered my anxiety. Once we got to the park, it was kind of nice just to drive around, and I had my favorite music playing the entire time. However, I was expecting to see a lot more buffaloes than we actually saw. On this night we stayed at the Comfort Suites in Rapid City, and it was probably the best hotel of the three we stayed at in Rapid City. True, it didn't have the waterpark the Home2 did, but my parents had their own separate room and the kids all got their own beds. We went to Olive Garden for dinner and it was the best meal I had all trip. They've been doing this "Build Your Own Lasagna" thing, and I decided to give it a try. It was a four-cheese lasagna with alfredo sauce topped with cheese ravioli and a generous portion of Parmesan- hands down the cheesiest thing I've ever eaten, and one of the best. Although it was ENORMOUS so I barely made a dent in it before getting too full.

Day 5 (Tuesday, July 17): Today we stopped at the Badlands National Park. I didn't know what to expect from the Badlands, but I had heard from some friends that they were really cool and pretty so I was excited. The Badlands are these giant rock formations that were amazing to see. You can take a drive through the park, stopping to take a hike or look at the views whenever you want. My dad, thirteen-year-old brother, and I went on a very short hike and saw some cool views. My favorite part of the Badlands were the rocks that had all different colors, reds and yellows, in them. They were gorgeous. After the Badlands, we drove for some time and I had gas station mac and cheese (which was better than I expected, but still nothing special). We stopped for the night back in Sioux Falls, where we stayed in the StayBridge. My family decided this was the best hotel room of the trip because it had...wait for it...TWO bathrooms! All of the kids also got their own beds once again, which was nice. I tried Ruby Tuesday for the first time in Sioux Falls, and I got this peach tea-marinated chicken that was really good. 

Day 6 (Wednesday, July 18): This was the last day we were in South Dakota, because we spent the first part of the day driving into Minnesota! We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Minneapolis, because it was right by the Mall of America. Originally we planned to go to the Mall of America today but we decided to just check out the stuff at the Great Wolf Lodge instead. The room we had at this hotel wasn't the best, but there's so much stuff to do there I can't help but recommend it, especially if you're in a family with younger kids. My youngest brother had a ton of fun there. The whole family got to spend time at the waterpark there. Despite the fact that I had a panic attack at the waterpark (the less said about it, the better), I had a great time there! There was one group tube slide where you get to go in the dark, and it was so fun I rode it three times. After the waterpark, we got dinner at one of the on-location restaurants and I tried Ben & Jerry's for the first time. It was a life-changing experience. 

Day 7 (Thursday, July 19): Last day of the trip, sadly. Fortunately, it was probably the best day of the trip. We checked out the Mall of America and it was kind of overwhelming in how much stuff there was to do. We spent four or five hours there and we barely even made a dent! At first my youngest brother was disappointed that we weren't doing the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but he forgot all about it once we went to the aquarium. My family really enjoyed the aquarium. We got to touch coral, see sharks, and marvel at the beauty of sea turtles! Sea turtles are my favorite aquatic animal because I just think they're so cool to watch. After the aquarium, we went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for lunch. I didn't know what to expect considering the fact that I've never seen Forrest Gump (yes, I know), but it was pretty great. I ordered this shrimp mac and cheese and it was amazing and so flavorful. I let both of my parents try it and my dad said it was the best mac and cheese he had ever had. We actually didn't buy much at the Mall of America. We mostly just looked around at the many, many stores there. I did get a souvenir: I shamelessly spent $25 on a Mall of America-exclusive Build-A-Bear. It's a moose and I named her Maggie and I love her to death. We also tried this one place called Dough Dough, which is a place where they have nothing but cookie dough. We got seven different flavors to see which one was the best. I'm partial to the puppy chow flavor, so get that one if you're not allergic to peanut butter. After our amazing time at the Mall and on this trip, we had to head home. We drove for four or five hours to get home, only stopping at Subway for dinner and a gas station for gas and snacks. All in all, we spent 40 hours in the car. 

So that's about it for my trip experience. Honestly, there were some not-so-fun things that happened on this trip (both of my brothers getting sick, Mount Rushmore being disappointing on the first day, etc.), but it was all worth it for the fun moments. Besides, even if the trip ended up being a total failure, I'd still be grateful for it because I love traveling and I love spending time with my family even more. On that note, I'm gonna end this with a few updates, basically telling you all about my planned schedule for the rest of the summer. 

Wednesday, August 1: A music-related post that will be both lengthy and concise. How is that possible? Tune in next week (winks)!
Wednesday, August 8: I'm planning on taking my youngest brother to see Teen Titans GO! To The Movies at some point, so I should have a review then. Otherwise, I'll find something else to do.
Wednesday, August 15: To build up hype for Ariana Grande's new album Sweetener, I'm counting down my top 10 favorite episodes of Victorious, the Nickelodeon sitcom on which she got famous. It might be a collaboration with one of my friends, but I have to ask them tbh.
Wednesday, August 22: I'm reviewing Sweetener. My expectations are so high for this album I swear to God.
Thursday, August 23: Surprise, I'm posting on a Thursday! This is for my one-year anniversary of making Stellar in Neverland, so I'm going to do something to celebrate!
Wednesday, August 29: I sort of owed it to myself to end the summer with my Top 20 Favorite Fall Out Boy songs, considering the fact that I'm pretty sure I outright promised it in some other post. Get hyped.

Okay, so that's all I have for today. See you next week, everyone!

Stellar

Stellar's Music Tag

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. I’m going on vacation in a few days and it will last a week, so I’m letting you know ahead of time that I’m skipping next week’s post. I also knew I wanted to do an easier post this week because I knew most of my week would be taken up by preparing for the trip. This is sort of similar to some other posts I’ve done and don’t feel like linking, and it is a Music Tag. It’s just going to be me answering 31 music-related questions, which I found from here. I think you’re supposed to “tag” people and ask them to do it, but I’m not going to because I don’t really have any blogger friends.

#1. The last song you listened to?

“No Tears Left To Cry” by Ariana Grande, because I am a good stan.

#2. Last song you purchased?

I don’t buy music usually. I use Spotify or YouTube.

#3. Song you discovered on YouTube/Tumblr?

I discovered “Reminder” by The Weeknd from a “Try Not To Sing Along” video. Issa bop.

#4. Favorite soundtrack piece?

Based off of what the person I stole this from put for their answer, I’m guessing this question is referring to like, instrumental scores. I don’t listen to scores outside of the movie, TV show, or video game they come from. Most of the Mario Kart songs are pretty awesome, especially when it’s on the last lap and it speeds up.

#5. Favorite band?

Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco. I genuinely can’t decide which of the two I like more, because they both have really special places in my heart.

#6. Favorite solo artist?

Ariana Grande.

#7. Favorite album?

Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy.

#8. Best live gig/ act you want to see?

I’ve never been to a concert, so I’ll do artists I want to see live before I die. Outside of the artists I listed as my favorites, I want to see Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga because they’re all really great performers. On the other side of the spectrum, a Twenty One Pilots show would be pretty cool. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, they do a great job of getting the crowd hyped.

#9. Guilty pleasure song?

I know I gave it a 5/10 when I reviewed the album, but “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj has become a guilty pleasure for me. Like yeah, Katy’s lyrics are baffling and embarrassing and the music video is unbelievably stupid, but everything else is actually pretty good. The 90s-house beat is awesome, the melody is catchy, and Nicki’s verse might be my favorite she’s ever done. It’s just so over-the-top and has some great lines (the Offset line is hilarious) to me. My favorite moment is when Nicki’s like “damn man, this b***h is a stan” because I find it really funny. I think this song’s just grown on me because it’s on Just Dance 2018 and I have fun playing it, but it’s still a guilty pleasure for me.

#10. Song you used to hate but now like?

“XO TOUR Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert. I didn’t really hate it, but I wasn’t exactly a fan at first because I thought Uzi’s voice was annoying. The more I listened to it, the more I liked it.

#11. Song you used to like but now can’t stand?

“One Dance” by Drake and some other people. When it first came out, I was like OMG THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVER. Then it got massively overplayed and dominated the charts for way too long. I also just realized it’s not that great of a song, at least compared to some of Drake’s other work.

#12. Group you wish had never split?

Does One Direction count? I know they’re all doing solo projects now, but I think they’ve broken up for good now. I like their solo projects fine (especially Harry’s), but I’d love more cheesy bubblegum singles from the whole group.

#13. Favorite song from a video game?

The Just Dance games have a lot of really great songs. I don’t know what my all-time favorite is, but for now I’m just gonna say “Hey Ya” by Outkast because everybody loves that song.

#14. Favorite song from a film?

“I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan. Best Disney song ever.

#15. Favorite song from an advert (commercial)?

“24K Magic” by Bruno Mars. I’m pretty sure it was in some Hershey commercial. Not necessarily my all-time favorite song, but I do like it a lot.

#16. Song you grew up with?

“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. I was so obsessed with it when I was six or seven. I’m pretty sure the only reason why I still like it now is because of my nostalgia.

#17. First song/album you ever bought?

I’ve never bought an album for myself, but somebody bought me a High School Musical soundtrack album when I was little.

#18. Album you accidentally found and love?

I don’t know if I’ve ever “accidentally found” an album. Most albums I’ve listened to, I’ve done so because either A. It is by a band/artist I like, B. It’s by an artist I’ve heard a little bit from and think I will like, or C. It is by a huge pop star and I’m listening to it for my blog. I’m skipping this.

#19. Favorite foreign language song?

The Spanish national anthem: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, obviously. There’s also this one song I discovered from Just Dance 2017 called “Bonbon” by Era Istrefi. I don’t even know what language it’s in (Wikipedia says Albanian, also holy crap there’s a Post Malone remix) but it’s got a cool beat.

#20. A song from the year you were born?

“Clocks” by Coldplay. Wikipedia says it technically wasn’t released as a single until 2003 but the album it’s on (A Rush of Blood to the Head) was released in 2002 so it counts.

#21. Song from your favorite music genre?

I think ultimately my favorite genre is pop. I obviously don’t love every pop song out there, but when pop is good, it’s simply stellar. It’s also the most fun to talk about for me. A random pop song from my playlist is “Touch” by Little Mix.

There was no question #22 so I’m making one up. A song you like by an artist you normally don’t?

I have so many opinions on Taylor Swift and a lot of them are negative, but “Delicate” has really grown on me. I gave it a 6.5/10 initially when I reviewed Reputation, but I’d probably upgrade that to a 9.5/10, if I’m being honest. I think it’s now my favorite Taylor Swift song at this point.

#23. Most overrated song?

“Havana” by Camila Cabello. Fight me.

#24. Song you would recommend to everyone?

Skipping this one, because music is so subjective. I have songs that are very close to my heart, but I wouldn’t share them with every single person I know. The idea of playing a song I love for someone close to me, only to have them say “this is annoying” or “you like this?” gives me anxiety.

#25. Song that reminds you of a specific event?

“Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy. The event? Waiting to get out of shop class in middle school, hearing one of the workshops playing “Sugar, We’re Goin Down”, and subtly losing it. And by subtly losing it, I mean “keeping calm on the outside, but dying of excitement and happiness on the inside”. The song still gives me a massive rush of happiness to this day.

#26. Song you can’t help but sing along to?

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. I’ve read that one of the most telling signs that somebody is white is if they go “BA BA BA” during the chorus of “Sweet Caroline”. And going by that logic, I am whiter than mayonnaise.

#27. Favorite parody song?

I know I said in some other post that thecomputernerd01’s parodies aren’t actually parodies. To quote that post: “Google defines a parody as "an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect" which isn't really what his videos are. They're more just random funny sentences set to the tune of various popular songs.” But in hindsight, that quote was really dumb. I mean, Weird Al is the most famous and beloved parody maker ever, and "Word Crimes" doesn’t make fun of Robin Thicke or his “Blurred Lines” song at all. (That’s not a dig at Weird Al at all, I think “Word Crimes” is hilarious. It’s a dig at my stupid quote more than anything.) So I’m going to pick "Froot Loops", thecomputernerd01’s parody of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. I like it a thousand times more than I like the original, and I can rap the entire verse on command.

#28. Favorite slow song?

“She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5 will always be my favorite song of theirs. I just find it really sweet and charming. I don’t know if it’s my absolute favorite slow song, but I’m too lazy to think of what my absolute favorite slow song would be.

#29. Favorite fast song?

I like a lot of uptempo songs so I don’t know what my absolute favorite is. I’ll just name a random fast song I love, which is “Time to Dance” by Panic! At The Disco. I feel like that song goes at a particularly fast speed, but I don’t know how to tell a song’s exact tempo.

#30. Favorite song at the moment?

“Nice For What” by Drake. I don’t even know why, it just makes me happy every time I hear it.

#31. Favorite song of all time?

“Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon. It’s not always the song I want to listen to most, but in the grand scheme of things, it is my favorite song.

That’s all I have today. This is one of the shortest posts I’ve done, but I didn’t have the motivation to write anything super complex this week because of my excitement for the trip. As I said at the beginning, I’m not posting next week because of my vacation, but the week after that, I’ll have a post recapping my adventures. I’ll see you then. Peace!

Stellar

Album Review #4- Panic! At The Disco's Pray for the Wicked

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland, where we talk about music. We talk about other things on occasion, but mostly music. I was gonna do this post last week, but I skipped for reasons I talked about in that brief post I did last week. But now I’m here, and I’m going to review Pray for the Wicked by US alternative-rock-electropop-whatever-you-want-to-call-them band Panic! At The Disco. I haven’t done an album review since what, December? Plus I get to talk about a band who’ve pretty much defined my teenage years thus far, like it or not.

Before we talk about Pray for the Wicked, let’s talk about the band and how they’ve evolved. Originally I was going to write this lengthy intro, but halfway through I decided: Stellar, you don’t need all this exposition. I’ll sum up each album in a short paragraph instead.

A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out: It came out in 2005 and was polarizing to critics but beloved by fans. It went double platinum and is probably their most successful album, containing their biggest hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. I was three at the time, so I can’t speak from experience, but I know Panic! were a love-it-or-hate-it thing early on in their career. Some thought OMG I LOVE PANIC! BRENDON URIE IS SO DREAMY!, and some thought oh my god you guys panic! at the disco is so gay. I discovered them years after this album came out, so I fell in love with the music before anything else. This album is a weird mix of electronica-infused pop punk and baroque-inspired pop. I love it and consider it my favorite Panic! album. Six of the album’s thirteen tracks are in my top 20 for the band, which is more than any of their other albums. (Which six, you ask? READ THE LIST.)

Pretty. Odd.: In 2008, the band dropped the exclamation point in their name (Panic! At The Disco became Panic At The Disco) and switched up their style. They went for a more psychedelic-Beatles-inspired thing on this album. It bamboozled everyone and wasn’t as successful as their previous album, but now it’s something of a cult classic. I think this album is good, but I prefer most other Panic! albums because this one’s style just isn’t for me. However, it has a couple songs (there are two in my top 10, and “Nine in the Afternoon” is pretty awesome too) that I love. While touring for Pretty. Odd., guitarist and songwriter Ryan Ross, as well as bassist Jon Walker, left the band due to disagreements over how their next album would sound.

Vices & Virtues: After Pretty. Odd., lead singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith continued releasing music as Panic! At The Disco. They took the band in a new direction: timeless-sounding, vintage-esque power pop. They released Vices & Virtues in 2011, and it was kind of a commercial failure. I think it’s probably their most underrated album and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes good, solid pop music. It does have “Let’s Kill Tonight”, which I’d consider one of their worst songs, but everything else ranges from pretty good to awe-inspiring. The only complaint I have is that the bonus tracks should’ve made the album proper, because they’re all pretty awesome. In a perfect world, “Bittersweet” would be track 2 instead of “Let’s Kill Tonight”, but I digress. One last thing worth mentioning about the Vices & Virtues era is that the band got a new bassist, Dallon Weekes. He originally joined only as a touring member, but he got promoted early in the era.

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare To Die!: With their 2013 album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, the theme was Vegas-inspired 80s synthpop. This style appeals to my tastes the most of all the styles they’ve tried on. 80s throwback pop (both songs from the 80s and more recent songs that sound like they are) is like crack for me, so I really enjoy this album. It’s more mainstream, but it’s not really a sell-out, as songs like “Nicotine” and “This Is Gospel” are still traditional Panic! pop-rock. The thing that really appeals to me about this album is how cohesive it is, and it does what it tries to perfectly. Plus it has a little song called “Collar Full”, which may not be the best song they’ve ever made, but it’s certainly my favorite in their discography. This era brought the band back to success, with the album peaking at #2 and songs like “Miss Jackson” and “This Is Gospel” being some of their most famous songs.

Death of a Bachelor: In 2015, both Spencer Smith and Dallon Weekes left the band (the former left for good, the latter was just demoted back to a touring member), meaning Panic! at the Disco is basically just a Brendon Urie solo project at this point. With the band’s 2016 album, Death of a Bachelor, Brendon had complete creative control, so he made an album that sounds like the lovechild of Frank Sinatra and Queen. It’s my least favorite album of theirs, because sounds less like a cohesive album and more like a collection of random songs. It’s all over the place sonically and lyrically, and at times (specifically the song “Victorious”), it can be pretty obnoxious. But it does have its moments (like “House of Memories” and “LA Devotee”), and it brought them a level of success they hadn’t seen since the Fever era. They got their first #1 album and Grammy nomination, and I heard their songs on the radio a lot more than before. I became a fan of the band about two months after Death of a Bachelor came out. I had gotten into Fall Out Boy, the band who signed Panic!, a few months prior, and one of my friends played me a few songs from DoaB that I ended up loving.

I haven’t heard any of the songs from Pray for the Wicked yet because I purposely avoided them for this post. This is the first First Impressions post that can truly be called a First Impression, because I have heard about 30 seconds of “Say Amen” and NOTHING ELSE. What do I expect? With Brendon having creative control once again and with the success of Death of a Bachelor, I’m expecting it to be similar in style to that album. I’m also hoping Pray for the Wicked is better than Death of a Bachelor because it’s his second time doing this, which means he can learn from what he did wrong on that album (lack of cohesion, some songs are loud and obnoxious) and make improvements. Lastly, Brendon had a stint on Broadway last year, appearing in the musical Kinky Boots, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some show-tune elements come into play, nor would I be surprised if the Broadway training helped Brendon’s (already great) vocals improve even more. As per the usual, I’m going to talk about each song on the album and give each a score out of 10. When that’s finished, I’ll give some final statements on the album as a whole, score the whole thing out of 10, and list my favorite and least favorite tracks. So I’m done with my rambling: here is Pray for the Wicked by Panic! At The Disco. At least in my opinion. You might disagree and that’s fine!

On an unrelated note, I think this album cover is pretty sweet. I like how it looks like he's a giant, towering over the city buildings, and I think the hand-painted font is cool. Not my favorite Panic! album art (I'll always be partial to that of Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die), but it's pretty cool. Panic! At The Disco's album covers are pretty consistently awesome for me. 

1. “(F**k a) Silver Lining”

I believe this song and “Say Amen” were the first two songs released from the album, but I haven’t really listened to either until now. The intro to this one caught me really off-guard. It has a slow, dreamy, oldies-inspired intro with a deep voice that says “Ode to the old and to the new, we rededicate this song to you”...and then Brendon Urie starts dropping f-bombs. It’s a weird intro, but the song itself is pretty good. It wouldn’t sound out of place on Death of a Bachelor, and the chorus (especially the “it’s just cherries on top” part) are insanely catchy. The lyrics are about how he wants nothing but the best in life, and they have a playful shoutout to Beyonce and her Lemonade album. One thing worth mentioning is Brendon’s insane high notes in the song’s outro. The band’s music as a whole can be love-it-or-hate-it depending on your tastes, but I think Brendon Urie’s talents are undeniable. 8/10

2. “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”

This was Pray for the Wicked’s lead single, and I’ve heard maybe 30 seconds of it. Do you ever have a song where it’s like, you like it a lot but there’s that one element that prevents you from loving it? That’s “Say Amen” for me. The melody in the verses has a Broadway-ish feel that I’m totally on board with, the chorus is bombastic and fun, and Brendon sounds great as always. That one high note at the end is awesome. This might be one of their best songs ever...if it weren’t for that damn high-pitched sample that appears throughout the track. Apparently it’s sampled from a song called “Aphasia” by the Budos Band, and it just gets on my nerves. It’s annoying and repetitive, and I’d enjoy the song so much more if it wasn’t there. That sample prevents me from wholeheartedly embracing the track, but I can’t get too mad at it since it doesn’t take up the entire song. Still, it would’ve been a 9 or higher without that sample. 7.5/10

3. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”

As you can probably guess from the title, this song is Brendon celebrating his success in the music industry. Lyrically it’s sort of a sequel to “Silver Lining”. There are some good lines here, like “In the garden of evil, I’m gonna be the greatest”, but there are some lyrics where I can’t help but think, “Brendon, you know I love you, but why would you write that?” The two big ones are “I’m a hooker selling songs and my pimp’s a record label” and “If you lose, boo-hoo”, which are corny and juvenile, respectively. This one has a catchy chorus, but it’s not as catchy as the previous two. Sonically, I would describe it as a lavish, jazzy party. I can dig it. This is probably my least favorite of the three songs I’ve heard, but it’s still fine enough. Blame (or whatever the positive version of “blame” is) Brendon’s confident vocals for holding the song together. 6.5/10

4. “High Hopes”

This was the second single released from the album. It’s sort of like “That Green Gentleman” from Pretty. Odd. in the way it’s so damn positive and just puts a smile on your face. I’d say the message of this song boils down to “dream big and expect the best, cuz then you’ll get the best”. It’s inspiring to see how Brendon’s come so far from dreaming big, and it can give you the motivation to make your dreams come true like he did. The chorus is really catchy even if it does feel like it repeats a lot, and the lyrics are pretty good. My favorite line is “Burn your biographies, rewrite your history”, which is not only good advice, but also makes sense in the context of the band, who is constantly rewriting their history and changing. For lack of a better term, this one’s a bop, and I hope it does well on the charts. If it gets the right promotion, it could be really successful for the band. 8.5/10

5. “Roaring 20s”

Time to be honest: the first ten seconds or so of this song are unbearable. It starts off with this loud, obnoxious, and extremely high-pitched saxophone that hurts my ears. Other than that, the song’s pretty good. Lyrically, the song is about Brendon’s Kinky Boots stint and the anxiety he felt going on Broadway. It’s a good example of that show-tune vibe I was expecting the album to provide, complete with a dramatic tempo change. I like how the “roaring 20s” in the title refers to both the 1920s, the decade which the song sounds like, and how Brendon was ending his twenties when he took on the Kinky Boots role. There’s also a reference to the book Lord of the Flies (which I read in English last year!) and some good SAT words like “tourniquet” and “inebriate”. Once again, Brendon’s vocals are probably the highlight, because his vocal style is just naturally really good for Broadway-style music and he approaches the song with tons of gusto. This isn’t one of the better songs I’ve heard from the album (because of that damn intro), but it’s still solid. 7/10

6. “Dancing’s Not a Crime”

For every album I listen to, I try to guess which song’s gonna be the best based on the title. My guess for Pray for the Wicked was “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, and honestly...I’m not sure if I’m right or not. Let’s start out with the positives. Brendon sounds great as always, dipping into his falsetto in the chorus and generally sounding like he’s having a blast. I like the catchy, energetic chorus and the use of horns. I also like the main lyric “dancing’s not a crime unless you do it without me” and how the song is just a light-hearted banger you don’t really need analyze to enjoy. Sometimes you just need one of those. However, there are some negatives. The biggest one is the pitch-shifted vocals that appear throughout. They kind of give me flashbacks to “Young and Menace” by Fall Out Boy, if I’m being honest. It’s not as bad as that song (Can any song use pitch-shifted vocals to a worse effect than “Young and Menace”?), but the fact that I’m even suggesting it to be in the same ballpark as the song I have indirectly called FOB's worst ever should raise a few eyebrows. Another problem I have is the part where he says something about “throwing shade”. I’ve never spoken about this, but using modern slang in music is a pet peeve of mine. It makes the artist sound like they’re trying too hard and it will inevitably come off as dated ten years from now. So all in all, “Dancing’s Not a Crime” has a lot of good qualities but some really bad qualities that prevent me from giving it anything higher than a 6.5/10.

7. “One of the Drunks”

And we go from one song which uses pitch-shifting to its disadvantage to another. This album’s making me realize that I kind of hate pitch-shifted vocals, if I’m being honest. The pitch-shifting isn’t as annoying as it was on “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, but it still ruins any potential the song had for me. And that’s a shame, because this song could’ve maybe been a nice throwback to the Too Weird to Live era. It weirdly reminds me of “Can’t Fight Against the Youth”, a bonus track from that album I like quite a bit. Also, the vocoder at the end could’ve been cool but it’s a little too distorted to the point where I can’t understand what it’s saying. Lyrically, this song is about the dangers of alcoholism, and it had potential, but I’ve seen this theme done better. “Swimming Pools” by Kendrick Lamar and “Chandelier” by Sia are two songs that talk about this topic in a much more affecting way. This song’s lyrics are kind of repetitive and generic, and the song is overall probably my least favorite on the album thus far. At least “Dancing’s Not a Crime” was upbeat. 6/10

8. “The Overpass”

The opening of this song assaults you with horns, so to speak. I dig it, though. The horn melody reminds me of the one in “Confident” by Demi Lovato, which is a good thing in my book. This song has more of a rock vibe than the others on the album, but it mixes it with an old-school funk and soul vibe. It’s my favorite on the album so far. I see the lyrics as being about a secret lover Brendon hasn’t talked to in a while, and how he wants to meet up with her at an overpass, where no one can see them be themselves. This song has the best lyrics on the album thus far, because most of the other songs are Brendon bragging and this one’s about his love for another person. My favorite thing this song is the interplay between Brendon and an uncredited female vocalist (at least I think it’s an uncredited female vocalist. I can’t tell if it’s a girl or just him using his falsetto tbh) in the verses. It’s playful and fun. I would say the only negative about this song is that the line “everything about you is perfect, down to your blood type” is kind of creepy, but that’s just me nitpicking. This song is great. 9/10

9. “King of the Clouds”

This song’s intro is acapella, in what Genius says is a homage to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I’m fond of spontaneous acapella moments in music, so I enjoy the intro. I also like the outro, where Brendon shows off with some pretty solid vocal runs and subtle falsetto. I just wish everything in between the intro and outro was better. “King of the Clouds” has a dreamy vibe that feels like you’re floating on a cloud (naturally), but the chorus is too repetitive for me. The most noteworthy thing about the lyrics is that they’re all things Brendon said when he was high, which is an amusing idea, but I don’t think they should’ve actually gone through with it. Yeah, when you’re drunk or high, you can say stupid and occasionally hilarious things, but I don’t get why he’d essentially troll the listener by making the lyrics stupid/funny. The vocals are also pretty good up until the worst moment in the song, which is (surprise surprise) the pitch-shifted vocals! I sound like such a broken record complaining about pitch-shifted vocals, but I find them really grating and not a good fit for Panic! At The Disco at all. 6.5/10

10. “Old Fashioned”

If you to remove the horns (which I’m pretty sure are in a different key than the rest of the song), you’d get something that sounds like it’s from Vices and Virtues. The melody on the chorus is classic and the song just overall has that retro pop-rock vibe found on that album. The throwback to an earlier Panic! is appropriate, considering the lyrics are about reminiscing about the best times of your youth. I will say it’s hypocritical to have a song that is in part about drinking (hell, the song is named after a popular cocktail) three songs after a song about the dangers of drinking, but I digress. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, but it’s not perfect. That “get boozy, boozy, boozy” bridge is pretty awkward and even a little cringeworthy. 8.5/10

11. “Dying in LA”

After ten mostly upbeat, catchy songs, we end with a downer piano ballad about how LA can be misleading. Many people come to the city because they want to be famous and they love the glamorous facade, but all they find is rejection. It’s also about the struggles and sacrifices people make to be famous. I’m normally not huge on Panic!’s ballads, but I really like this one. Lyrically it’s one of the best songs Brendon’s written and his vocals are restrained but still packed with emotion. The stripped-back instrumentation is gorgeous, and I actually really like the outro. Sonically this song reminds me of the piano version of "This Is Gospel", and that is 100% a good thing. This album has had some of the worst Panic! songs I’ve heard (not saying much since I really like this band), so it’s nice that the album ends on a high note. 8.5/10

So...that’s Pray for the Wicked for you. I’m not gonna say this album is a huge disappointment or it’s the worst album I’ve ever heard, but it’s easily my least favorite Panic! album to date. Comparing it to their last record, it’s more cohesive, but is an overall weaker collection of songs. Death of a Bachelor was my least favorite Panic! album before this one, but at the very least, it had songs like “LA Devotee” and especially “House of Memories” which were indisputable 10/10s. Pray for the Wicked’s best song is a 9/10, which is nothing compared to the highlights of the band’s previous works. Some of the musical elements (every time a high-pitched, chopped up vocal sample comes into play on this record, I feel like a hole is being drilled through my brain) can be pretty obnoxious, the lyrics can be embarrassing and feel like they’re trying too hard, and far too many songs are Brendon bragging about how great he is. One or two bragging songs is fine, but it’s excessive and tiring when he’s doing it in Every. Freaking. Song. It’s like they took “Victorious”, an obnoxious song about how amazing he is, and stretched it out into an entire album. Once again, there are good songs, but overall this album doesn’t do it for me as much as the band’s past works have. I really want them (or just Brendon) to go into another direction on this album, but I’m not sure if they/he will. Overall I give Pray for the Wicked a 6.5/10. If you’re a diehard Panic! At The Disco fan, you’ll love it, but if you’re looking to get into the band, choose a different record. I’d recommend either Fever or Vices as a good starting point :)

Best Songs (or at least my favorites): “The Overpass”, “Old Fashioned”, “Dying in LA”,  and “High Hopes”

Worst Songs (or at least my least favorites): “One of the Drunks”, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”, “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, and “King of the Clouds”

This was a lot more negative than I expected, considering it’s a new album by one of my favorite bands. But reminder: just because I love an artist doesn’t mean I think they’re incapable of releasing less-than-stellar music, nor does it mean I’m going to blindly say every song they’ve made is wonderful. I love Panic! At The Disco because they’re responsible for a bunch of my favorite songs ever and I think Brendon Urie is an extremely talented and charismatic individual. But as the legendary prophet Miley Cyrus once said, nobody’s perfect, and frankly, expecting anybody to be 100% perfect all the time is ridiculous. And more importantly: a true fan of an artist (or really anything) enjoys the majority of their faves’ work, but can admit when they screw up. The fact that Pray for the Wicked was not my favorite album does not take away from the fact that I still really love a crap-ton of Panic! At The Disco songs.

So on that note, I know this post was somewhat negative, and I’m hoping next week’s post will be more positive. As for what next week’s post will be, I have no idea on that. I kind of wanted to review the new Drake album because it’s a huge commercial success and a lot of people are talking about it, but then I realized it was 25 songs long. I can’t handle that much Drake. And besides, I already know that there won’t be a single song on that album I’ll like more than “Nice For What”, which is still my Song of the Year™, in case you were wondering. So anyways, I’ll see you next week. Peace!

Stellar