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Élan Vital

by

Pretty Girls Make Graves

 
Élan Vital
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Avg: 3.5 (99 ratings)

Seattle quintet push post-punk to the breaking point.

  • We Say...

    Review by Jon Dolan

    It makes sense that Pretty Girls Make Graves' greatest song to date is called "Speakers Push the Air." The power of art to change the world around it is a big theme for this Seattle quintet, whose music melts gut-check emotional intensity into atmospheric swirls of sonic revelry, suggesting the thrill of puzzling out a life that's always slipping out of focus. Though often compared to riot-grrrl gods Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill, possibly due to singer Andrea Zollo's wake-the-town holler and personal-as-political lyrics, Pretty Girls quickly moved beyond punk after their debut mini-album, 2002's nine-song Good Health, emphasizing keyboard textures and complex song structure to cull fresh meanings from punk immediacy. Their second full-length, Élan Vital, is their most adventurous and elusive album. At times, it's their best. Opening track "The Nocturnal House" works early U2 guitar sustain into a Fugazi-like dub reggae groove. "Pyrite Pedestal" sends out a diarist S.O.S. over ominous power chords and shy-eyed keyboard swells.

    And the goofily inspirational "Parade" sets a pro-workers sentiment worthy of the I.W.W. (they even yell "Strike!") to a slowly building alt-rock churn that tempers the revolutionary rush by reminding us just how tough such struggles can be. There is straight-ahead rock & roll fun, like the garage-pop roil of "The Number" or the you-go-girl disco-punk of "Domino." But Élan Vital concerns itself mainly with pushing Pretty Girls' sound, not honing it. Collin Stewart's difficult, shape-shifting production — mixing electronics, horns, random noise and guitar magic — makes sure of that, adding another dimension to Zollo's major theme: That hard-won epiphanies are the only ones worth having.

  • They Say...

    Review by Tim Sendra, All Music Guide

    Anyone expecting a drop-off in quality, a slackening of spirit, or a slump of any kind is going to be disappointed with Pretty Girls Make Graves' new album. From the first 30 dubbed-out, totally committed and ferocious seconds of "The Nocturnal House" it is clear that Pretty Girls are playing for all the marbles on Élan Vital. The overall excellence of their last album The New Romance presented the group a high hurdle to leap but they have flown over it like Edwin Moses in his prime. Equal parts post-punk inspired, early-'90s indie fueled, and punk forged, the band is tighter then ever and more expansive, too. They've kept all the fury and drive of their early sound and given it widescreen scope. (Just like on The New Romance but even more so.) Every member has improved their game measurably, but Andrea Zollo really shines; her vocals are more mature and assured but no less fiery and live-wire. Also, the addition of full-time keyboardist and sometime-backup-vocalist Leona Marrs has added a new dimension to their sound. She never plays too much, but adds perfectly placed accents and melodies. In fact, the whole band subscribes to that less-is-more philosophy, and they and producer Colin Stewart have crafted a perfectly arranged record. None of which would be more than merely admirable without songs that kick you in the guts and steal your mittens; Élan Vital has nothing but. Pretty Girls have written a raft of songs with big, fat hooks that you can almost hear the mall kids singing along with like "The Number," with its undeniably accurate "Because I want/And I don't know what I want/But when I want it I want it" chorus or "Parade," a rollicking f*ck-the-office anthem perfect for cubicle dwellers and anyone else stuck in the 9-to-5 world. Not content to stick to one style, they also drop a slinky disco tune ("Domino"), a thrashing post-hardcore-meets-prog call to arms ("Selling the Wind"), a dreamy indie electronic ballad ("Pearls on a Plate"), and a few songs that sound like no one except Pretty Girls ("Bullet Charm," "The Nocturnal House"). There aren't many post-punk influenced bands around that sound as original and as removed from their influences as Pretty Girls Make Graves. There also aren't many that could write an album jammed with so many memorable songs. There aren't many that have released one album as good as Élan Vital, let alone two in a row.

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