Élan Vital

Pretty Girls Make Graves

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2006)
• Original Release Date: April 11, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Matador Records
• ASIN: B000EAV73U
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #127,953 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Weeks on the road with the likes of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party certainly made an impression this Seattle quintet. On the follow-up to 2003's The New Romance, Pretty Girls Make Graves edge away from scratchy indie rock and embrace a more svelte, early '80s inspired post-punk sound. Much of it has to do with the addition of keyboardist Leona Marrs, whose economical melodies put electronics and retro dance grooves at the fore. Tracks like "Pyrite Pedestal" and "Domino" point the way forward, coming across like a hybrid of The Slits and The Fall. But the experimentation doesn't end there. Tracks like prog-ish "The Magic Hour" and punky-reggae "Selling the Wind" pull the band in more directions than it can always handle. Nobody said growing up is easy. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description
The Seattle quintet's follow-up to the universally acclaimed "The New Romance", and their first album since the addition of keyboardist Leona Marrs, is by far their most ambitious, multifarious, and scorching to date. Produced by Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer), "Elan Vital" provides the band with a bigger, bolder canvas with which to weave their magic. The new material, road-tested at gigs around the globe with Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, and Death Cab For Cutie, shows a blindingly original American band who are improving with each successive album.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Magnetic", July 8, 2006

By	indie01 (WI, USA) - See all my reviews

At first, I didn't know what to think of this cd. I have loved PGMG since I heard "Speakers Push the Air" and the rest of Good Health. This cd is a departure from the straight up indie pop/rock that I have become comfortable with to a more artistic sound and it took me awhile to develop my opinion on it. I really like this cd. PGMG have developed their sound, which I believe has a lot to do with their new keyboardist (and you're really going to love when they sing harmony or duel together...it's great). I respect it when a band takes a chance and grows, which is what PGMG did.

Again, I didn't really care for this cd at first because I didn't know what to think of it. There really is no song you could point to and say "There is the single", where the other cd's had "Speakers Push the Air" and "All Medicated Geniuses". The cd doesn't really "rock" either. It just flows and you find yourself bobbing your head along without even realizing it.

The first track starts off with a whistle and a curious guitar riff. Later on, Andrea belts out one word that describes the whole cd: "Magnetic". After one listen, I wrote off the cd. Then I kept getting parts of the cd in my head, and here I am, giving it a 4/5.

"The Number" is probably my favorite song. It has a great breakdown near the middle of the song that just sounds amazing and breaks into a bass/drum showcase

The album is so different that when "Domino" comes up and Andrea asks "How do you like me, How do you like me now?" You can't help but think that maybe she's asking the listener the same thing.

"Selling the Wind" is a good song, but one can't help but think that it's very Decemberists-influenced.

This cd is best when listened straight through, but if I have to pick the best songs, they would be tracks 1-8 (except track 6...which is just an intermission type track). The end of the cd seems to fade a bit. If you listened to it and didn't like it, try once more. In fact, we should be happy that an indie-fav didn't just quit and make mainstream pop-sounding music.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, April 11, 2006

By	Atrox7 "Atrox7" (Des Moines) - See all my reviews

Since this was just released today, I have only listened to it once while at work with multiple interruptions from my co-workers. But if I could assign it 7 stars I would. Much more sonically diverse than the last album. It gives me hope once again for American music. (This will probably be all I listen to for a while.) All should buy it, all will dig it!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Just O.K. , May 1, 2006

By	kibblesthepig (ATX) - See all my reviews

My two favorite girl fronted bands put out new cds around the same time. While The Yeah Yeah Yeahs new more "mature" record is my favorite of theirs, Pretty Girls "Elan Vital" didn't fair as well (although how great will that ice cream cone look on a t-shirt). I've been a fan of PGMG from the beginning, and seen them live 3 or 4 times. Their album Good Health grabbed me, every song I loved, especially Sad Girls, Por Vida. The day their second album came out I was walking downtown in the rain to get my copy. It was less punk and more dance, but still awesome. This new record feels a world away from Good Health. Andrea gave up yelling, they lost a guitarist- and it makes a HUGE difference. It's not a bad record, it's just not the Pretty Girls I know and love. Tracks 3, 7 and 10 are great, and how come they waited till album #3 to let a dude sing? That track is awesome. Not sure which guy it is, but he has a very nice voice. So, maybe wait till ya have some extra cash or buy this one used.