Albums I Dig...Light Me Up

OK so you know that feeling when you find a great band that isn't really in the limelight yet?  Well I totally have that feeling, and that is thanks to The Pretty Reckless' debut "Light Me Up".  THIS IS A KILLER ROCK N ROLL RECORD.  What is even more amazing is the powerhouse of a voice that leads the band, Taylor Momsen.  It is amazing because the first thing I ever saw her in was the live action remake of How The Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey.  Now she is a full fledged rock n roll bad ass writing and singing the hell out of her creations, and mixing in heavy guitars, schizophrenic drums and a surprising melodic bass.  She says that her biggest influence are The Beatles...well that had me hook line and sinker.  I always respect anyone who can see the major influence and importance that The Beatles had on modern music, and will continue to have forever.


So I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at the thought of an actress fronting a rock band, and releasing an album...I mean how many times have we heard about that?  But the biggest difference is that voice, and that determination.  Taylor isn't using her fame like some of those other "starlets" did.  This isn't Taylor Momsen AND The Pretty Reckless...hell the front cover isn't even the band!  This is the real deal folks, and I can't stress enough how much of a great rock album this is.


It starts with the bluesy crunch and the drag of a cigarette that is My Medicine.  The production of this album also amplifies how important each instrument is in the mix.  The album goes in Since You're Gone, which almost has a Rage Against The Machine groove, and it is clear by the first chorus that this is an album that I need to see live.  The album then takes a turn with the intro of the single Make Me Wanna Die, which almost sounds like a Strawberry Fields Forever influence...but it immediately turns back into a Pretty Reckless number with a riff that any heavy metal band would be jealous of.  What this song does well is it plays the dynamics better then probably any other song on the album, and Taylor's voice sounds so amazing, a real roller coaster.  Throughout the song you can't really tell where she is going to go, and that is part of the fun.


The next track Light Me Up slows things down a little bit musically, but the lyrics don't take a break (Does what I'm wearing seem to shock you...Well that's okay...Cos what I'm thinking about you is not okay.).  The song then has a cool spiral staircase of a melody before the chorus, that is a pure pop rock explosion.  This is a defiant song for Taylor, she smokes, she doesn't care what you think, and she's going to wear whatever she wants...do not fuck with this chick.  Zombie is the next track, and this might have been the song that convinced me to go ahead and buy this album.  This is a song that should make every other band nervous...this song is killer...no pun intended.  For a song called Zombie, it is so damn smooth.  Every little choice the band makes, a little echo here, a repeated scream there, breaths life into this zombie.  Maybe my favorite track on the album.


The next track Just Tonight is another single, and upon hearing it you can tell why.  This is probably the most pop rock sounding song up until this point in the album.  In no way does that make this song "soft", like I've already said a couple times what makes this band for real is Taylor's voice.  This song really showcases it to its full potential.  But if for some reason the last track thought that maybe that was the direction the rest of the album was going, the opening riff of Miss Nothing will end that theory quick. I kind of see Miss Nothing as an extension of Since You're Gone...Taylor is letting you know what she thinks of everything, and isn't someone to be taken lightly.  This song again proves that this singer has an amazing capability to write a GREAT hook for a song.


OK.  I've said it before about Slipknot, but this next song is the kind of song that you turn up real loud and let the neighbors get nervous.  Goin' Down is easily the hardest rocking song on an already hard rocking album.  The subject matter is grim and intense, and the riffage and melody is as in your face and brutal as anything any rock band has released in the past year.  LOOK OUT.  The razor sharp spiral of a confession is definitely a stand out of the album...


I didn’t wanna do it, Father
But I caught him with another woman in the bed I made him
And so I put him in a grave
And now there’s no one left around to get me off
When I want it's a drag

The next day on the television they identified him
By the circumcision that I made him and now I’m on the run
But wait, why did I have to go and kill him
When he was the best I ever had


This band kicks so much ass, I really can't say it enough.


So the band does what any good band would do after a rocker like Goin' Down...slow things down on the next track.  For me one of the first things I listen for in a band is their use of dynamics, and they could have easily tried to match Goin' Down, but that would have been boring, and uninspired, instead they hit you with the ballad that is Nothing Left To Lose.  Again, the lyrics are somewhat grim, but with a hint of optimism.  They are just as strong with a ballad as they are with a hard rocking number.  And again, Taylor's voice is everywhere on this song, love it.


You is the track I was waiting for when I was listening to this album for the first time.  Let's hear the band totally stripped down, vocals, guitar, strings...that is the type of stuff I live for.  And surprise surprise, Taylor hits it out of the park.  This song could easily be a hit single for them, and the fact that they have a song like this AND Make Me Wanna Die...is truly special and a recipe for success.  This band has a beating heart, just as much as a beating fist.


BUT they aren't done yet...the last track Factory Girl starts with a kick drum letting you know it's still there and a the rest of the band soon follows.


"I'M A FACTORY GIRL WON'T YOU PARDON ME!"


The album starts just as strong as it begins.  The song itself sounds like something out of the 80's Aerosmith vault, and that is a damn good thing.  The song gets stronger and stronger as it goes on, and must be a real mother fucker live.


So if you haven't stopped reading this review halfway through to go and buy the album then I guess I didn't do my job, because you really should have bought the album already...it is that good, and it is just another album proving that GREAT music is out there if you look.  I'm pretty psyched about The Pretty Reckless.