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ISSUE #31 MMUSICMAG.COM SPOTLIGHT . Kirzhner R lex A PANIC! AT THE DISCO The emo-pop rockers expand their studio skills on a new album THE MEMBERS OF PANIC! AT THE girl, so the lyrics were true to a memory I Disco haven’t limited their experimentation was trying to get off my chest. I didn’t want to their instruments, as evidenced by their to reveal her real name,” says Urie of the fourth album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare single “Miss Jackson.” “Someone mentioned, to Die! (a quote from Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘It would be cool to use a celebrity name.’ I Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, as well as a was looking at videos, and Janet Jackson’s nod to their hometown). Produced by Butch ‘Nasty’ came on. I started singing ‘Miss Walker, the album allowed frontman Brendon Jackson’ as a joke. As I was laughing, I was Urie to become more ambitious in the studio. like, ‘Wow, I’m actually in love with this. It “I was working with new programs, makes me excited about the song.’” Issue #31 trying to make myself a better songwriter, The band also used their newfound M MUSIC & MUSICIANS but also trying to learn producing,” says studio knowledge on “Miss Jackson” by Urie. “I don’t think there’s a better person taking the opening hook—written and sung by MAGAZINE to do that with than Butch Walker. He is Lauren “Lolo” Pritchard—and “treating it like an amazing mentor to me. He’s so willing a hip-hop song where we sample it. It was a to answer any questions. I was like a little new experience—but it’s an awesome idea.” kid: ‘Oh, Mr. Walker, how do you do this?’” Urie is encouraged by the results of his While learning from the production inaugural studio efforts, but remains quick master, Urie also broadened his songwriting to credit his mentors. technique by experimenting with “I like working in the studio. I love doing synthesizers. “I’ve always been a fan but collaborative stuff as well as my own stuff,” never really knew how to work synthesizers,” says Urie. “But it was validating when Butch he says. “A lot of times the sound would Walker told me, ‘These are good, let’s just dictate a song instead of a lyric, which was add this part.’ A lot of the songs are pretty pretty exciting.” true to the demos I recorded, which is Lyrics, however, still play a central role flattering. But everything got to that point in Panic!’s songwriting. For Too Weird, Urie because Butch and [engineer] Jake Sinclair wanted the songs to be confessional but not were showing me these tricks of the trade.” too personal. “I was writing a song about a –Amanda Farah 18 M mag 31.indd 18 11/26/13 2:15 PM.