Pretty Girls Make Graves

Some listeners will interpret the Girls' third disc as the sort of mainstream move currently being attempted by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — but the alterations in their sound seem inspired more by creative concerns than by commercial calculation. Instead of replacing former guitarist Nathan Thalen with another ax-wielder, the...

By Michael Roberts

May 4, 2006

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Some listeners will interpret the Girls' third disc as the sort of mainstream move currently being attempted by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — but the alterations in their sound seem inspired more by creative concerns than by commercial calculation. Instead of replacing former guitarist Nathan Thalen with another ax-wielder, the players recruited keyboardist/vocalist Leona Marrs, whose presence smooths some of the group's rough edges without flattening its personality.

Lead singer Andrea Zollo can still whip up a verbal squall, as she does throughout "The Nocturnal House" and toward the conclusion of "Selling the Wind," which also features Marrs' melodica and stirring "ahh-ahh-AHH"s from the band's boys. This time around, though, she seems most interested in exploring the intricacies of the tunes, be they lyrical (like the references to "esteem's corpse" and "Stygian shores" in "Pyrite Pedestal") or musical (check out the dramatic arrangement of the captivating "Pictures of a Night Scene").

Vital isn't as visceral as the combo's early work, but it's just as memorable. Despite the changes, fans should still dig Graves.

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