“Here is a CD you’ll like I think” Seb Wood said to me a few days ago. He always says that when handing me a CD he is always sure I do not know. As usual, I said “ok, thanks” and put the record in my bag pack after reading the name.

Pretty Girls Make Graves. It sounds good, a kind of passive aggressive ambiguous concept involving beauty and death, but let’s get not carried away with a stylistic bullshit analysis. I like the name.

Matador Records. Well, it deserves not be commented for hours, it’s supposedly a label of quality in the indie world, isn’t it?

The artwork. The cover is weird, a close up on the upper part of a dog’s face (BH: actually, i think it's a horse, maybe a cute little poney), with its eye wide open. It does not work, aesthetically I mean, it does not appeal to me. The booklet is sober, lyrics and photos of the band. The singer makes me think of Christina Aguilera (when she is a brunette), but god rested on the seventh day so I must not be normal.

First impressions. It sounds ok at first, they are not entrapped into one recipe. Anyway I had to skip some tracks and it’s not a good sign, generally speaking. Some songs start like electro pop and I don’t really like that, anyway it’s not a long album so I’ll go back at length to it after lunch.

My opinion: I was wrong skipping tracks. Following the change of tones in the music, the she-singer’s voice is alternatively sad and beautiful or dynamic (Something Bigger Something Brighter, Blue Lights), close to the singers of Sleater Kinney that is to say on the edge of being unendurable (for some people) but I like SK a lot. Sleater Kinney seems to be an reference to point out but Pretty Girls Make Graves urges towards more emo stuff at times (All Medicated Geniuses, The Teeth Collector). Among this rare collection of really good material there are songs that I would call “hype band in the” songs, that is to say easy on the ear pop rock stuff (The Grandmother Wolf, This is our Emergency). It only depends on the listener’s reception to them but they are nonetheless enjoyable. It’s a pity the record ends on a weak song (A certain Cemetery), I mean weaker than the rest. It’s a different atmosphere, maybe pretentiously darker, I don’t know.

Question. What’s the name for this music? Indie pop, I suppose.

Lyrics: No comment. Judge not lest be judged. A line I like and can relate to: Hello I’m neurotic, creating problems that don’t exist, don’t believe me when I say it’s alright.

Problems:  Unnecessary short electro instrumental interludes (Mr Club, 7). One song does not fit with the rest (The New Romance), and I have to say that because of the electro pop dimension it conveys that fortunately does not stain the rest of the songs.

Conclusion: Thank you Seb, I like this one, you were right. It’s a pain in the arse to give it back to you so I guess I will wait impatiently for my pay check.

/feb 15th 2004/