‘Pretty. Odd.’ is pretty good

‘Pretty. Odd.’

Panic at the Disco (Fueled By Ramen/Atlantic)

Grade: B

The last time we checked on Panic at the Disco they had an exclamation point in their name, dressed like carnival barkers at a Spandau Ballet reunion, and made glamorous, dramatic songs with long names (”The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage”) and lyrics about dead skin on linoleum. And they sounded like The Cure on a sugar rush.

Now, the emo-licious Panic may have dropped the foppish clothes, the Cure obsession and the big punctuation, but they haven’t quite lost the spirit of constant exclamation or the schmaltzy contagion that went with it.

Instead, warbling crooner Brendon Urie and lyricist/guitarist Ryan Ross refocus their glam minidramas and kiddish pick-up lines around Beatles-y chord changes, string arrangements and horn charts for a sound that’s odd, for sure, but prettier than ever.

While “She’s a Handsome Woman” and “Northern Downpour” are charming, gorgeous and sprightly, Panic is equally capable of richly mature ballads like “That Green Gentleman” that never allow Urie to shy from Ross’ dippy lyricism. Which is good; that’s the kind-of kink that makes the frenetic “I Have Friends in Holy Spaces” and the rest of Panic’s fast tracks so fabulash.

— A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘Mountain Battles’

The Breeders (4AD)

Grade: B

On the back of the rousing, quirky anthems “Cannonball” and “Divine Hammer,” the Breeders’ “Last Splash” was a big hit in 1993. But the album title turned out to be too prescient: It took Kim and Kelley Deal until 2002 to release the underwhelming “Title TK,” and another six years (with an interim Pixies reunion for Kim) until the new “Mountain Battles.”

Backed, as on Title TK, by Jose Medeles and Mando Lopez, the Deal sisters still excel at brief, stop-start rockers; they’re less compelling when they slow down for strung-out ballads like “We’re Gonna Rise.”

There’s no splashy single here (although “It’s The Love” comes close), but “Mountain Battles” contains plenty of satisfyingly familiar Breeders moments: jagged, minimal guitar riffs, melodic bass lines played mostly on the lowest strings, and the Deals’ casually cool voices.

— Steve Klinge, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig’

Nick Cave the Bad Seeds (Anti Records)

Grade: A

Age has done little to lighten Nick Cave’s mood.

The singer-songwriter’s first disc in four years, “Dig, Lazarus, Dig,” provides another showcase for his provocative storytelling and serpentine baritone.

Cave and his band blend dark atmosphere with simple dusty, bluesy rock — and his voice continues to slither its way through the shadows, conjuring creepy images.

The boldness of the title track questions whether Lazarus even wanted to be raised from the dead, and the idea becomes clear: Did we ask for what the religious establishment thrusts at us?

Cave continually touches on stark ideas of religion, class distinctions and the state of the world with deeply poetic lyrics and remarkable vocal restraint — raising his scattered outbursts to another plain entirely.

That’s not to say Cave doesn’t know how to have a rockin’ good time — “Today’s Message,” “Lie Down Here [& Be My Girl]” and “Albert Goes West” each swing — but even these tracks contain a measure of poignancy.

The rousing and angry “We Call Upon The Author” demands answers for the ills of the world (“What we once thought we had, we didn’t, and what we have now will never be that way again. And we call upon the author to explain”).

A weak moment may be hard to find — the lost-at-sea vibe of “Night of the Lotus Eaters,” the longing of “Moonland” and “Jesus of the Moon,” and the dreamy swagger of “Midnight Man” are each worthy of mention.

This is another wonderfully disturbing addition to Nick Cave’s catalog.

— John Kosik, Associated Press

‘Live at the Bass Performance Hall’

Lindsey Buckingham (Reprise)

Grade: C+

As on his recent work with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar playing amazes. Peripatetic and brilliant, Buckingham continues to strive for new sounds and for tweaking the arrangements of old tunes from his solo and group career to keep the music fresh. Many of these virtues are heard on this expertly engineered live set from a Fort Worth, Texas, concert recorded during his 2007 solo tour.

But Buckingham’s penchant for self-indulgence makes this combination DVD/CD package less than superlative. His voice has deepened and lost range so that demanding set pieces like “Go Your Own Way” elude his vocal grasp. Also, too many selections are included from his recent, impenetrable solo album “Under the Skin” while none show up from his most accessible and finest solo work, “Out of the Cradle.”

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald

‘Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947’

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder (Skaggs Family)

Grade: B

Long a champion of classic bluegrass, Ricky Skaggs goes right to the source this time out. He and his excellent band, Kentucky Thunder, revisit 12 songs written or cowritten by Bill Monroe. They know this music inside out, and, as usual, they deliver everything beautifully: The thrilling instrumental virtuosity and stirring vocal harmonies bring out the music’s enduring heart. The set, however, raises an issue that comes up often with tribute albums: If you’re not going to do anything different with the material, what’s the point?

— Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer

‘We Weren’t Crazy’

Josh Gracin (Lyric Street)

Grade: D

“American Idol” Season Two finalist Josh Gracin can sing. But that doesn’t mean he has anything to say.

Gracin hits the required notes but, like too many contestants on these programs, not enough emphasis is put on honest expression or conveying anything of interest or originality.

“We Weren’t Crazy,” Gracin’s delayed second CD, is competent mainstream country. As such, it’s everything that is wrong with mainstream country. The melodies are mush and forgettable, the lyrics are trite, the hooks are dull.

Like label mates Rascal Flatts, this is music made by committee to safely navigate the airwaves and offend the fewest people possible without revealing any distinct personality.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald