The Importance of Doing Your Research

So there’s this album I’ve been spinning for days called Pretty. Odd. Maybe you’ve heard of it around the site.

Now, I’ve seen good reviews and bad reviews and mediocre reviews and people getting on their high horses about “OMG NOT ENOUGH LIKE A FEVER YOU CAN’T SWEAT OUT!” and “TOO MUCH LIKE THE BEATLES NOBODY CAN EVER TRY TO SOUND LIKE THEM!!!” But most of those people have at least done their research.

I’ve made mistakes in my stuff. There was a blog I won’t link to because I don’t want to start THAT again, but let’s basically say I misspelled an author’s name and mentioned characters having fangs when they didn’t really have fangs and that somehow invalidated every bit of literary theory and psychological intent in my blog. Which, you know, whatever. I’d never intended to draw attention to that blog and yet people were glad to show up from all over telling me I’m an idiot and I can’t spell…when they themselves apparently didn’t understand the concept of spell check. But hey, what do I know, I’m not as well read as an angry 16 year old, apparently.

*lights my B.A. on fire, since it’s apparently useless*

AWAY FROM THAT RANT:

But it’s not like I was trying to have too many people take that bit seriously. I wasn’t trying to focus on minutia, I was trying to look at a broader picture. So, a few facts got left behind while I wrote in extreme anger. But when you’re going to nitpick at things, really, like people’s musical influence in an album review? You should PROBABLY research the band, first.

Case in point.

So, here’s a few NITPICK sort of things about this review:

1) Brendon Urie grew up on The Beatles and knew their music. Ryan Ross was the one who hadn’t listened to them before working on Pretty. Odd.2) If you really don’t think Pretty. Odd. is a departure from Panic’s previous musical style? I’m going to assume you never listened to A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.3) If you can’t hear the Beatles influence on Pretty. Odd. I’m going to assume you have never listened to The Beatles.4) There are actually Panic fans who are over the age of 15. We exist. In larger numbers than you think.5) The idea of “parody” implies that what you’re writing will be…you know…funny?

In closing, I think I’ve written a more accurate review of an album that I haven’t even heard.