While Nevada-rockers Panic! at the Disco has gone through quite a few changes as a band since the release of their third studio album Vices & Virtues in 2011, the quirky pop-rock album still remains an integral element of the emo music scene to this day.
Vices & Virtues, released in the Panic! era of Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith, took on themes of steampunk and explored baroque style instrumentalism, opening up the rock genre to a world of creativity and experimentalist endeavours. From ‘witchy’ style tracks like the aptly titled ‘Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)’ to the Mary Poppins inspired video brilliance of ‘Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)’, the album showed the brilliance of singer-songwriter Urie and the talent of the band which still continues on today (albeit in a slightly different form).
Arguably the most infamous track from the album is the incredibly popular ‘The Ballad of Mona Lisa’ which still remains a classic track to hear at emo/alternative club nights across the globe. The track is a personal one to Urie, exploring struggles and convictions years prior, yet it will always be a track that unites emo’s together in a way they can express themselves through the strange vibes that Vices & Virtues exudes.
Check out ‘The Ballad of Mona Lisa Below’:
