Pretty Girls Make Graves |
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With all the expectations that have been building for Pretty Girls Make Graves, it’s now sink-or-swim time. Their debut album Good Health may have been a much more low-key affair, but after being picked up by Matador the pressure is on for the release of The New Romance. So with the support of a larger label and the guarantee of much more exposure, can they make it count?
Well, from the band perspective, you’ve got to say yes. The tone of the album is set wonderfully by opener ‘Something Bigger, Something Brighter’, which starts off with tapping on the drums, and gradually builds up to include arpeggios from the guitars and the vocals of Andrea Zollo, creating a delicate tension. On the 93rd second the drumming peaks and the power is finally unleashed. It’s these moments of pure energy that I live for in music. The guitar and bass are competing over riffs, the keyboards are distorted, the drums are being battered away awkwardly, making you want to air drum but leaving you looking very silly if you try, and then there is impassioned vocals of Zollo, swaying and heaving with the music. With an opener so good, it’s difficult not to fall in love with the album before the first five minutes have even passed.
Of course, that sets a very tough challenge for the other 11 songs to live up to that standard, but they cope surprisingly well. The two guitars and the bass are always attempting to play completely different songs from each other, so there is always the risk of tracks sounding disjointed, but through the entire racket they always fall into perfect sequence with the drumming. It’s this aspect which ties them into comparisons with At the Drive-In in their Relationship of Command period. However, the battle between the orchestrations is what also reminds me of Sleater-Kinney on The Hot Rock album, not simply because PGMG have a female vocalist.
Putting aside the comparisons, the fact remains that The New Romance has the potential to be one of the albums of the year. It can appeal to a riot-grrl crowd, the emo kids, the punks, and people who just love a good bit of quality rock filled with energy and passion. Most importantly, the record is a thrill to listen to. When you turn it up loud, you want to be part of it. It’s music to dance to, to hit your desk to, to shout along with. The band has fulfilled their part of the deal, so just enjoy it.
Steven McCarron
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