The Pretty Reckless – Going To Hell (2014)
I have no idea what ‘Gossip Girl’ is, so the fact that The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momson was in it means exactly fuck all to me. That being said, when you read ‘TV starlet’ goes rock’ you can’t help but have preconceptions. You expect it to be fake. You expect it to be hype. You expect it to be Paramore. You expect it to be anything but what this maelstrom of ass kicking record is. You read it here first: The Pretty Reckless rock as hard as any band out there.
Nothing is over-produced, dressed up or recorded by record company committee. And the band draw their sound from a far wider range of sources than the usual run-of-the-mill ‘Classic Rock’ acts. You’ll hear stoner, garage and indie amidst the hard rocking thunder, but it’s all unified by Momsen’s raucous vocals and on-stage femme fatal persona. ‘Follow Me Down’ is a sleazy tale of female predatory sex which features a rolling riff and is awash with scorching attitude; ‘Going To Hell’ is a scuzzy barnstormer which sits at the cusp between rock and metal; and ‘Heaven Knows’ (the lead single) is a stomping slice of teen rebellion on-par with a peak Joan Jett. Sure, there are some mediocre moments (see the grungy ballad ‘House On A Hill’ or the faux Dylan of ‘Waiting For My Friend’), but the overall effect if a kick to the gut.
Lyrically, it’s all the clichés you’d expect from such tales of bad-assery. Momson plays the fallen woman well, and her vocals are often incredible (see ‘Burn’) – but when she truly opens up and does something organic, as she does on the PJ Harvey/Audioslave hybrid of ‘Blame Me’, she hints at the bucketloads of talent which this band contains.
This record is crack for the ears.
(Disclaimer: my comments on this album were influenced in no way by the fact that Ms. Momsen appears nekkid on the cover; or that it opens with the sound of an orgasm. I’d never be so easily led……)
I have no idea what ‘Gossip Girl’ is, so the fact that The Pretty Reckless frontwoman Taylor Momson was in it means exactly fuck all to me. That being said, when you read ‘TV starlet’ goes rock’ you can’t help but have preconceptions. You expect it to be fake. You expect it to be hype. You expect it to be Paramore. You expect it to be anything but what this maelstrom of ass kicking record is. You read it here first: The Pretty Reckless rock as hard as any band out there.
Nothing is over-produced, dressed up or recorded by record company committee. And the band draw their sound from a far wider range of sources than the usual run-of-the-mill ‘Classic Rock’ acts. You’ll hear stoner, garage and indie amidst the hard rocking thunder, but it’s all unified by Momsen’s raucous vocals and on-stage femme fatal persona. ‘Follow Me Down’ is a sleazy tale of female predatory sex which features a rolling riff and is awash with scorching attitude; ‘Going To Hell’ is a scuzzy barnstormer which sits at the cusp between rock and metal; and ‘Heaven Knows’ (the lead single) is a stomping slice of teen rebellion on-par with a peak Joan Jett. Sure, there are some mediocre moments (see the grungy ballad ‘House On A Hill’ or the faux Dylan of ‘Waiting For My Friend’), but the overall effect if a kick to the gut.
Lyrically, it’s all the clichés you’d expect from such tales of bad-assery. Momson plays the fallen woman well, and her vocals are often incredible (see ‘Burn’) – but when she truly opens up and does something organic, as she does on the PJ Harvey/Audioslave hybrid of ‘Blame Me’, she hints at the bucketloads of talent which this band contains.
This record is crack for the ears.
(Disclaimer: my comments on this album were influenced in no way by the fact that Ms. Momsen appears nekkid on the cover; or that it opens with the sound of an orgasm. I’d never be so easily led……)
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