Death by Rock and Roll - The Pretty Reckless (2021)
This is the fourth album from The Pretty Reckless and my favorite so far. There are some dark themes on this record, and Taylor Momsen and band have created what feels like the soundtrack to the past several years, from the passing of Chris Cornell in 2017 to a year of civil unrest, turmoil, and of course, pandemic. On the flip side (literally if you have the LP), you also get some glimpses of sunshine peeking through the clouds in tracks like Standing at the Wall and Turning Gold. Taylor Momsen, Ben Philips, and the rest of the band have put together an engaging and listenable album that is as inspiring and hopeful as it is dark. This is the perfect first album to feature on Rock and Roll Reclaimed because it’s obvious to me that Momsen claims her influences from so many more places than most modern hard rock acts. I hear 60s and 70s rock, 70s country, and of course, a healthy dose of dark, heavy, doom-filled guitar riffs. It all works together really well.
It’ll definitely be on my list of top new albums of 2021. At the moment it’s #1 on that list.
5 Highlights
Only Love Can Save Me Now - this is one of the songs on this record that has a real heavy, doomy Soundgarden feel to it - perhaps that’s because Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron guest on it.
25 - This song is haunting and full of really cool harmonies. It sounds like it should be a James Bond theme.
Standing at the Wall: A beautiful song with soaring vocal melodies from Taylor Momsen, and some epic string accompaniment at the end.
Rock and Roll Heaven: Where’s Robbie Robertson? This is a The Band song if I ever heard one, complete with lyrics that tell a story and a catchy, hook-filled chorus.
Harley Darlin: The closing track from the album, this one has the feel of a 70s country song, with lyrics that memorialize friend and producer of the band, Kato Khandwala, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2018. Ride away.
