Can't say that what I'd heard about this bunch exactly filled my heart with joy prior to checking this one out. I mean, naming yourselves after a Smiths song is precarious enough, but the fact I'd heard dark mutterings about sounding "like No Doubt" really had me grimacing.
Thankfully, this seems largely erroneous as "This Is Our Emergency" is actually a prett handy debut effort. Yeah, they're rhythmic and the front gal does have slight overtones of Gwen Stefani, but I don't remember she of the big lippy having a penchant for early Gang Of Four as this Seattle-based crowd seem to have. Actually, their hard-edged sound is timely in the sense it does share a spirit with the current crop (i.e The Rapture, Radio Four etc) who are doing their best to reprise the Punk-Funk crossover originally so prevalent in post-punk times.
"This Is Our Emergency" is certainly promising; all angular, counterpoint guitars; itchy drumming dying to fire off all manner of ratchety rolls and splashy cymbal crescendo playing with sub-funk metre melody basslines and sudden spurts of proud pop tunes not dissimilar to early Siouxsie or a more serious Sleater Kinney.
Urgent second track "Speakers Push The Air" arguably steals its' thunder, clubbing us over the head with its' massive rush and frantic (and unlikely) chorus of "Do you remember what the muzak meant?" Can't say I do, actually, but that's probably beside the point. Cracking, hectoring stuff anyway.
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"All Medicated Geniuses" pushes it a bit. It's anchored by a supple, nimble-fingered bassline, but it's all a tad overwrought and desperate to substitute sloganeering for anything that could be construed as a tune, although this is remedied by the dark, stalker-obsessed crawl of final track "Blue Lights". As creepy and intense as early Pere Ubu, when herself roars: "Let's go to my apartment, pull the sheets over our heads," you don't wanna wait around to find out what autoerotic fantasies she's got in mind. Erkk!!
PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES is hardly a consumer-friendly moniker, but it strikes that this band ain't afraid of achieving success the hard way. "This Is Our Emergency" and its' attendant tracks are a good showcase for a band you'd never guess hail from Seattle. In itself that's a strength and enough to get my vote.
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