Customer Reviews

Elan Vital

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Does the phrase "life-force" give a band the right to experiment and feed off seemingly disparate musical influences? If you called your band "Pretty Girls Make Graves," are you feeding into a misogynstic culture that preys on beauty, uses it up and spits it out like so many discarded Maxim magazines? Or rather did you simply get drunk at a Seattle music dive one night and one of your friends who for some reason has this odd fascinating prejudice against female beauty exclaimed the reason I dislike hot women is that they make graves? But knowing this hyper-literate arty friend that uttered the aforementioned bombastic beauty prejudiced phrase, you know she was really making some thinly veiled reference to the English Poet, translator, and novelist author of "I, Cladius," I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International), Robert Graves and then it strikes you, you really don't know how hot or sexy Robert Graves' mother was back in the day so there really isn't any empirical evidence to back up your friend's assertion that yes or no...pretty girls either do or do not make graves. Robert Graves Mom (and Dad I guess) made Robert but who knows how pretty Mrs. Graves really was? Stay with me here. Back to the Seattle bar and your friend, you laughed loud and hard and then named your band after your friend's attempt at humor and his quixotic disdain for all things hot and all things female..."Pretty Girls Make Graves." What does this have to do with the music you very well may ask, well I'll tell you...absolutely nothing.

The Seattle group is evolving and finding themselves on "Elan Vital." The CD begins with "The Nocturnal House," finding themselves in Clash-ish territory. Singer Andrea Zollo goes mostly Siouxsie on us here as she banshees about, "I'm waiting for hours / And now it's time for cake / My mouth waters and my teeth ache / Won't wait any longer / Magnetic, Magnetic / There's static, there's static in my skin." Either Andrea is really hungy or really impatient or maybe both and is stuck at one of those atrocious kid birthday party places like Chucky Cheese's and just wants to get through all the screaming and fake animals playing bad music and really really just wants to get to the cake part of the whole event or cake is the only thing she could think of that rhymed with ache. Despite the occasional lyrical miscue the song does remain coherent giving off a sense of tension and uneasiness in one's skin as the music drives statically charged behind Zollo's howl.

And then there's some real gems here as well. Like "Pyrite Pedastal," a hit if there ever was one. Zollo's vocals are more toned down and poppified to good effect. And there's this great back-up vocal lines reaffirming the self-dissatisfaction revealed by the lyrics, "It's like I'm even under a spell / one time darling / It's like I don't even like myself / two times darling / things are going to change." You go on with your bad self girl and up that self-esteem. With that bouncing bass line that seemed to be perfected with mid-80's alternative rock-pop-sters receiving a healthy ressurection in this song, its bound to make anyone feel good again.

And then the girls are on "Parade," with track 4 oddly enough titled, "Parade." It's some type of funny anthem to either a revolution among the workaday blue collar types or some type of post-feminist manifesto...but what it really is, is good fun. With a minimalist approach with a keyboard line aptly played by newcomer pretty girl Leona Marrs and nothing much else except this lithly top hat marching drumline, this song has it going on. For some reason I picture a bunch of mad maids marching around outside a Motel Six in Tacoma just fed up and tired of being the backbone of commerce cleaning up after others and folding those crazy towel animals and now they've just had it. "We are throwing down our pushbrooms / we're hanging up our apron ties / tell your brother and your sister / tell your auntie and your uncle too." And then she throws in this addition for good measure, "tell your mother and your father / friends and your cousins and everyone you knew," because after all for this maid revolution to really work its going to take as much family and friends and cousins as one can muster up. Don't take my word for it, just listen to this song and you'll want to march around all silly like in pretend revolt for doing menial labour and getting paid for it.

And then there's the sublime track, "Pictures of a Night Scene," which is ghostly mysterious with some undertoned male vocals which is hard to even understand what the dude is saying. But by the time the keyboards tinkle and crawl up and down the scales and the drums start getting serious and then back off to that killer rolling bass line, you are there, you are convinced the Pretty Girls hype train is more than just hype. Get the album yourself and see. Some of their others albums may be more listenable and enjoyable but if you like a little edgy experimentation in your music, combined with some charged lyrics, and a healthy sense of hook, "Elan Vital," may just be for you. ...mmw

Not much to complain about the last album from Pretty Girls Make Graves except, of course, the fact that it is their last album. With artistic progression evident on all fronts on this release this music fan will be eagerly awaiting future projects from the band's members. Quick note on this album's tunes: For one of the best and catchiest feminist protest/marching song ever check out track 4 (Parade).

...'cause of some of the bad reviews this is getting- I really like it! Some great jams emerge as the album winds its way through spooky-cool experimentation. The saccharin ending and useless male vocal tracks are my only gripes.

I'm a huge fan of pretty girls make graves. Their first two albums really rocked the joint. But I'm sorry to report that this album really doesn't add up. It just doesn't make much sense to me at all. There is none of that old magic which really made the other albums rock here!

instead they've gone for a really lazy, laid back style which doesn't hold yer interest. for example one song starts off with a crunchy rocking guitar riff, which sounds promising enough, but then it disappears and is replaced by a dull bass line and doesn't re-appear at all. They then get bored of the bass line and move on to something else at which point the song ends!! the whole album goes like that. Songs barely get going and then promptly end.

The second guitar play has disappeared to! which means you don't get that cool guitar interplay sound which defined their other albums ( I reckon he was the talented one). They've replaced 2nd guitar with a keyboard player who, i kid u not, puts samples of fireworks in one song!! (I've said enough)

C'mon people! lets have a bit of structure/effort/balls. I heard that andrea's vocals are shot n' the doc said she had to cool it down, so I can only assume they are trying to change their direction or something.. But they are heading in the direction of Dido or goldfrapp or something bad like that.

I've listened to the album about 12 times now and can honestly say not a single one really sticks out in my mind.. What d'you guys think about it?

I hope they get their acts together and recover from this droop.
It's like Henry Rollins Said "If you aint gonna put 110% in don't even bother"

I think some of the other reviewers are being too kind to Pretty Girls Make Graves on this album. They have apparently abandoned their more melodic, interesting songs in favor of simple, boring dance-pop. To make matters worse, they aren't even really very good at dance-pop. Maybe the popularity of bands like Bloc Party has influenced them too much.

The album could have been saved if it had been recorded better and performed with any amount of energy and enthusiasm. It sounds like it was recorded in a closet. This is probably one of the most disappointing releases that I've ever purchased, I'm sorry to say.

Anyone looking for good Pretty Girls Make Graves records should purchase either "Good Health" or "The New Romance" because they are both great records. I can only hope that they return to their own style and put out some better records in the future.

I've been a fan of PGMG for a while now..and this album is amazing! They have matured greatly. In this album you'll notice a great transition...a good one. I love everything about it.

At first listen, this album didn't grab me like their first 2 albums did. The songs have potential and they'll probably grow on me over time, but with the other albums I liked them immediately. They've tried to expand their horizons. Somebody learned to play accordian, and they even let one of the guys man the mike on one of the songs. It's never a good sign when a band has to use a noisy filler track (the magic hour). I liked them better when they rocked out more often. Good tracks are Selling the Wind and Pearls on a plate. And they saved the best song for last Bullet Charm. They're still a great band, I would recommend earlier albums for new comers.