Pretty Girls Make Graves - Pretty Girls Make Graves EP

Aah, emo. While a select few hardcore originators and worthwhile newbies continue to rock well, there are far too many whiny beeyotches in ill-fitting thriftwear sullying the genre with useless songs about girls, girls, and...um...crying (about girls). Like a condiment or garnish, the difference between this "good" and "bad" emo all comes down to a matter of degree. A little bit of flavor can take an already-tasty meal to the next level, but we all know that ODing on mustard will straight fuck your hotdog UP. Fortunately, Pretty Girls Make Graves are like a perfectly-formed dollop of ketchup atop a mouth-watering, freshly-grilled burger (ok, VEGGIE burger). While the knotty riffs and anguished lyrics about broken hearts, spoiled friendships, and not wanting to "live life in regret" are par for the emo course, the band is able to take these tired ingredients and cook up an engagingly passionate listen. Most of this can be attributed to frontwoman Andrea Zollo's powerful vocals - it is SOOOOO cool to hear a girl scream on the mic in such a bad-ass fashion. Not to take anything away from the rest of the Pretty Girls, however - the melodically inventive guitar interplay, reminiscent of Fugazi at times, raises tracks like "3 Away" and "Head South" (the latter's hardcore breakdowns are particularly cool) to new heights. The only drawback to PGMG's latest is that it's only 4 songs deep - just long enough to whet our rock appetites and leave us starving for more. However, such restraint is key to the band's success - how rare it is to find an emo band with the foresight to hold the pickles. [www.prettygirlsmakegraves.com]