Pretty Flowers - Pretty Flowers EP

A mere three tracks round out Pretty Flowers' second EP, and over the course of 8 and some odd minutes, the Brooklyn four-piece trudges back and forth between American punk rock circa '76 to the advent of the New York new wave scene. With a mere trio of tracks, there's not a lot to say, but I'll attempt to say something. "Riot" sounds like it was recorded in a dumpster. The guitars are exemplary of NYC garage rock; the vocals sound like David Thompson's bleating crossed with Darby Crash's snarl, while the female half of the band counters it in the background, giving the track a slight Blondie feel, but it's subtle at best. "Knife Fight" sounds nothing like its predecessor, applying punk rock's simplicity to early '80s new wave pop, rounded out with group vocal interplay and handclaps. "I've Got Your Love" is all the anti-bombast of the Ramones with more hooks and is easily the disc's standout track. I'm still confused as to the creation of such a brief EP; five songs would make this much more desirable and plausible for retail. Either way, a Pretty Flowers LP is to be highly anticipated. [www.prettyflowers.org]