Pretty Girls Make Graves had a pretty good run. - Oh My Rockness

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Pretty Girls Make Graves had a pretty good run.

May 9, 2007
Coach Pingatore from "Hoop Dreams" said it best, "Well, one goes out the door and another one comes in. That's what it's all about." In this case, Pretty Girls Make Graves are walking out, and Call Me Lightning are sashaying in. But don't pity Pretty Girls now that they've finally decided to hang up their converse for good; they had a most remarkable musical run. (Man, Ping was such a dick.)

If you've been a fan for awhile, you have heard Pretty Girls' sound evolve from punk to pop to post-something. It's a shame we won't be hearing where these guys go next, except for the inevitable new bands that arise out of this band's ashes. Go see one of Seattle's best when they play Gramercy Theatre (we haven't been there yet!), because you won't ever see them around these here parts again (of course, that's what Dinosaur Jr said...and the Pixies...and Slint...and Smashing Pumpkins...and...)

Pretty Girls features (for another month, anyway) ex-members of eight billion bands, including Death Wish Kids, Murder City Devils and Kill Sadie. They put out a good debut album maybe four years back (where does the time go?) called Good Health and followed that up with an even better one called The New Romance. Within the span of those two albums, the Pretty Girls sound had evolved, or "matured."

Today (until June), they lean less on the verse/chorus/verse songs, but instead use a more imaginative structure that builds tension and energy until it explodes in climax. But they'll only cum musically when they're ready. No one puts Pretty Girls in the corner. Fare thee well, our pretties. And thanks for all those melodic guitar lines.

Opening is an exceptional new band who calls themselves Call Me Lightning. Milwaukee's best represent one of Frenchkiss Record's newest signing, so right away you know you're in for some good jerky guitar rock. And the band does not buck the trend, employing a superbly skittish angular sound that propels this punk. But their angularity and scratchy vocal shrieks are nicely supported by melodic overtones that give these songs some feeling. In other words, you can rock and hum to this.

Call Me Lightning's riffs sound similar to their label mates The Plastic Constellations, and if you want to be especially kewl, you can throw in a Minutemen reference in regard to their bass lines, too.

Pretty Girls Make Graves and Call Me Lightning play Gramercy Theatre, on Saturday, May 19th.

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