SOUND BITES

On his second record as the sole remaining member of Panic! At the Disco (fifth for the band overall), Brendon Urie uses a small army of songwriters to help bring some Broadway flare and a heavy dose of modern pop sheen to the proceedings. It's a far cry from the band's emo beginnings, but Urie's neo-debauched Rat Pack motif lends itself to the music that's been created here. As different as the music may be from what fans of Panic's early work might hope for, there's an effortless cool on display here, alongside a mountain of sharp hooks and some smartly used samples. Say Amen (Saturday Night) is a clear early favourite, boasting a massive, horn-fueled chorus (and, thanks to outside help and samples, a total of fifteen songwriting credits, but that's pop these days). There are smash hits waiting to happen up and down the track list, like the slinky and groovy Hey Look Ma, I Made It , the percussive and triumphant anthem High Hopes and the propulsive...

Depending on your mindset of what does or does not constitute an album, Bad Witch is either Nine Inch Nails' ninth album, or the third and final EP to close out the set that started in late 2016 with Not the Actual Events . Maybe, for the sake of our sanity, let's call it something in between; it only has six songs (two of which are instrumentals), yet is over a half hour long. Plus, even though its track list is short, there is a lot happening within the confines of these six songs. Bad Witch starts out with muscle, bile and swagger; Shit Mirror chugs along on a noisy soundtrack, with a little snap and pep (along with barely audible background vocals from Trent Reznor's wife Mariqueen and The Cult's Ian Astbury), while Ahead of Ourselves propels itself with a frenetic break beat and just a little punk attitude. This pair of tracks are sure to be welcomed by longtime fans who like their NIN fast and loud, though something is a bit different about these songs; th...