REVIEWSThe Blank Tapes, ‘Take a Vacation!’

7

• SPIN Rating:7 of 10

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Label: One Haven

Before splitting in two, Panic! at the Disco pulled off one of the most thorough stylistic switcheroos in recent mainstream rock when they swapped the platinum emo-pop of their 2005 debut for the orchestrated Sgt. Pepper-isms of 2008's Pretty. Odd. Here, former guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker further sabotage their teen success by embracing sunny harmonies, twee organs, and chiming Rickenbackers. Their love objects inhabit dreams or dangerous love triangles, and gently pained bittersweetness permeates all. The only thing more extreme than their adherence to '60s sonics is their sincerity.

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