The Grand Elegance play keyboard-laden rock music that has only gained 
in popularity in the last couple of years. Bands from all over the indie 
spectrum -- The Locust, Murder City Devils, and the Faint to name a few -- 
seem to be employing it to great effect. So it is little surprise that 
many young bands cop this style. Most don't do a very good job, but a few, 
including the Grand Elegance, do.


This self-titled EP consists of five songs that fall somewhere between the 
Murder City Devils and Song of Zarathustra. That is to say, they are less 
hardcore than Song of Zarathustra but have SoZ's gothic-punk keyboard 
overtones. They are less rock-n-roll than the Murder City Devils, but they 
have a bit more rock atmosphere to them than punk. There's also a strong 
influence of dark and moody pop from the last two decades -- Algebra Suicide
and Sonic Youth are easily called to mind.


This EP is quite a good introduction to The Grand Elegance. In a genre laden 
with cliches and stereotypes, they're slowly carving out their own unique niche.