Good Health

Good Health is the first studio album by Pretty Girls Make Graves. Originally released in 2002 by Lookout Records, it was re-released by Matador Records with an additional 4 songs made up of the band's first self-titled EP. This album is often mistakenly referred to as Is It Broken, Doctor? on some internet discussion boards and file-sharing services due to the inclusion of that phrase on the cover of the album, on which the actual title is not present.

Composition

Musically, Good Health has been aligned with punk, indie rock, emo,^[5] and "twitchy" post-hardcore akin to The Nation of Ulysses.^[6]

Critical reception and legacy

In a 20th anniversary review, Stereogum's Tom Breihan dubbed Health "28 delirious minutes [that are] enough to leave you breathless and stirred." He positively called its sound "fast and urgent and adrenaline-charged", as well as "rich and dynamic."^[5] In a 2022 retrospective list by BrooklynVegan, it placed #33 out of 35 of 2002's best emo & post-hardcore albums. The site's Andrew Sacher wrote that the group "came out of the gate swinging" on the record and that, 20 years on, its tracks "still pack a refreshing punch."^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Speakers Push the Air"	2:50
2.	"If You Hate Your Friends, You're Not Alone"	2:40
3.	"Sad Girls Por Vida"	3:26
4.	"The Get Away"	4:15
5.	"untitled"	1:05
6.	"More Sweet Soul"	3:14
7.	"Ghosts in the Radio"	3:00
8.	"Bring It On Golden Pond"	2:56
9.	"By the Throat"	4:05

Rerelease bonus tracks (*Pretty Girls Make Graves* EP)
No.	Title	Length
10.	"3 Away"	2:45
11.	"Modern Day Emma Goldman"	2:49
12.	"Liquid Courage"	3:26
13.	"Head South"	3:12

Personnel

Andrea Zollo – Vocals
Nick Dewitt – Drums, Vocals, Samples, Keyboards
Derek Fudesco – Bass, Vocals
J. Clark – Guitar, Vocals, Programming, Keyboards
Nathan Thelen – Guitar, Vocals

References

Spano, Charles. "Good Health - Pretty Girls Make Graves". AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
Simpson, Dave (August 27, 2004). "CD: Pretty Girls Make Graves, Good Health". The Guardian. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
Adickes, Kevin (July 4, 2002). "Pretty Girls Make Graves: Good Health Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
Christgau, Robert (September 10, 2002). "A Very Good Year". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
Breihan, Tom (April 8, 2022). "Pretty Girls Make Graves\'\'Good Health\' Turns 20". Stereogum. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
Sacher, Andrew (August 10, 2022). "35 Best Emo & Post-Hardcore Albums of 2002". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 9, 2023.