[2001-2007]
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Sounds Like: Art Punk
Drinking Buddies: The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Q and not U, Les Savy Fay
Synopsis: Graves, girls, and a gorgeous, unique style. How can you go wrong?
Makes You Want To...: Look at modern art; Learn guitar; Turn up the volume!
Evolved Into:
- Jaguar Love
- Hint Hint
- The Cave Singers
- Dutch Dub
- Moonrats
[Myspace]
This month is one of old and new.
Voilà! is featuring bands that have broken up.
This week, the featured artist is Pretty Girls Make Graves.
You know those cheesy, but always really awesome looking magic tricks with the table cloth? We've all seen it. They walk up to the table with all number of breakable things on it, and promise not to break a thing. Most of the time, they pull away the table cloth and - like magic - nothing is damaged. But sometimes, all those cups fall off the table and get broken. Imagine a band working the same way, when it's time for them to break up. It's one thing to separate as a recording artist, essentially setting your fanbase loose in all directions, and freeing up all band members for further opportunities. It's a little bit of strangeness - a little bit of confusion.
But if I may be a total dork, let me quote the Joker from The Dark Night. "Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order..." Sure, the Joker may be a sick and twisted villain from a recent Hollywood extravaganza, but maybe he has a point. Maybe upsetting the established order of a band can be beneficial. Positive, even? Imagine all the wonderful bands that have formed due to past break ups. Last week I mentioned Blink-182's break up. Yeah, it was the falling out of a wonderful thing, but out of the ashes, we have +44 and Angels & Airwaves.
But there are many more: Cap'n Jazz and The Geese came together and formed American Football, the fall of Nirvana brought about the rise of Foo Fighters, Islands would never have started without ex-The Unicorns members Nick Thorburn and J’Aime Tambeur, and Minus the Bear would have never started without the band members of Botch, Sharks Keep Moving, and Kill Sadie.
Now, if you wouldn't mind, please focus on another offshoot band from former members of Kill Sadie. Along with Minus the Bear, in that rainy Seattle city skyline, is the novel, thoroughly unique sound of a band named Pretty Girls Make Graves. Now, putting the argument of whether they got their name from The Smiths or Jack Kerouac aside, these five folks made a name for themselves in the music biz with their eclectic, powerful, artistic sound. Reminiscent of day begone Fugazi, Pretty Girls Make Graves stepped up to the speakers with full bursts of energy, released all at once in a deafening blast of vicious emotion and steady rhythms.
"Speakers Push the Air" indeed. Unlikes Some By Sea or Test Icicles, Pretty Girls Make Graves left a more defined, pronounced, visible groove in their wake. After the release of their debut, self-titled EP, they quickly followed up with their debut LP, Good Health, which received a steady stream of acclaim. One subsequent signing to Matador records later, and they released their sophomore album, The New Romance, unleashing the band alongside the likes of Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, as well as Death Cab for Cutie for major tours.
Pretty Girls Make Graves continued to enjoy success through 2006, when they released their third album, Élan Vital, to yet more critical acclaim. Unfortunately, the band unfurled when drummer Nick DeWitt called it quits after their set of 2007 spring tours came to a close. Unwilling to continue the band after the departure of DeWitt, Pretty Girls Make Graves gracefully dissolved off of centre stage.
These folks may have had one of the most unique sounds for over half a decade, but not all is lost! "Upset the established order..." Turns out, music is in the cards for these folks!, if not just in seperate outfits. Lead vocalist Andrea Zollo is currently playing drums for Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death. Jay Clark has shifted over to the art-punk band Jaguar Love with Johnny Whitney of Blood Brothers; Leona Marrs joined Hint Hint; Derek Fudesco started up The Cave Singers along with members from Hint Hint; and of course, Nick DeWitt is presently working in Dutch Dub and Night Canopy.
Of course, Pretty Girls Make Graves still has a Myspace chock full of great music and fun stuff. I still need a hard copy of The New Romance, myself, but you can be the judge for yourself of which of PGMG's albums is best. Though I hope the point is clear: the end may sometimes merely be a new beginning! Enjoy your weekend, readers.
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