Until it finally showed up on record store shelves last month, it seemed PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES’ much-talked-about third album, Elan Vital (Matador), might never see the light of day. For much of the last two years the band appeared to be in a state of entropy: second guitarist Nathan Thelen left the group and was replaced by keyboardist Leona Marrs; the record was recorded and mixed only to be scrapped and tried again; and once it was completed, the release date was bumped three times. They kept touring and playing to bigger audiences, thanks to support slots with Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab, but the members were spending just as much time working on their side projects. Elan Vital sounds a little worse for the wear and a touch scattered, but the band achieves a new musicality. Since she no longer has to duke it out with the twin-guitar attack of old, singer Andrea Zollo finds space to show off her dynamism, and the production introduces spare, dancey dropouts and minor, dubby accents (think Sandinista rather than Lee “Scratch” Perry). Even if they’re not there yet, it sounds like the Girls are working toward something more grandiose and durable than killer skate-rock anthems. –Jessica Hopper
