Take one part fancy, one part fury, mix with frantic instrumentation and a voice which alone speaks volumes, and you’ll have only a portion of the recipe used in Elan Vital, the latest from rockers Pretty Girls Make Graves.
The indie group stirs things up a bit on its first album in three years, which features 12 tracks of pulse charging, electronically augmented tunes.
“The Nocturnal House” fires up the album with a running guitar riff and bursts of whistle effects, fueled by the steaming vocals of lead singer Andrea Zollo. Zollo’s voice resonates in an almost angry tone – gritty and demanding as she sings, “I’ve waited for hours/and now it’s time for cake/My mouth waters/and my teeth ache/Won’t wait any longer” bringing the track to a climactic bridge pulsating with the help of the keyboardist Leona Marrs.
Marrs whisks in the intro of “The Number” with a staccato rhythm, which continues throughout as Zollo is accompanied by backup vocals.
The track is an anthem to misplaced ambition, chanting, “Because I want/and I don’t know what I want/but when I want it/I want it.”
“Parade” is a departure from the majority of the album’s synthesized sound with its crisp, repetitive rock rhythm mixed with an undiluted, clean version of Zollo’s outstanding vocals. The song calls for social revolution, inciting the working class of the world to hang up their uniforms and take charge of what they want in life – “Been meeting on the front lawn/Been gathering in the parking lot/Been talking in the break room/Labor and unrest and eying the clock/Are you okay with what you’ve got?”
Pretty Girls have cited bands such as Bloc Party for inspiration, which is present in tracks like the instrumental “The Magic Hour,” that has a gypsy-electronica-carnival feel and leads nicely into the guitar stimulated “Selling the Wind,” which serves up an ebb and flow of watered down vocals up to the point when Zollo screams “Open up your eyes/This hate’s eating me alive.” The latter track is stuffed with clashing symbols, probably one of the few strong statements made by drummer Nick Dewitt on the entire album.
“Wildcat” is unique on the album, where the band utilizes male vocals in a haunting tune rallied with “Halloween” theme piano feel as the vocals mutter, “I’m sorry I missed you/I mean I’m sorry I miss you/I didn’t know you had it in you/Do you remember your way?/There’s ice on the lake again/Thin enough to be a hazard when/The smallest steps are to heavy and/You can’t will it away.” This track, though the male voice is sadly uninteresting compared to Zollo’s, is one of the most delicious ingredients included in Elan Vital.
The album cools down with the unlisted bonus track, which is smooth and light-footed, pacing with a simple bass line. Zollo once again carries the track with her vocal vigor, but is joined with chilling harmonies from Marrs. The two peak in chorus with “We’re running through the weeds/and kissing in doorways/I’m blinded by sunrise/as I see your dark eyes,” followed by fleeting horn effects.
All cooked up and served hot, Elan Vital is more than just fresh – it’s outright tasty.
