The Pretty Reckless - Light Me Up (2011)

When you grow up in show business from an early age, well, it's probably going to ensure that you grow up with this certain predilection for provocation. We see it with Jared Leto, whose overblown rock fantasies in 30 Seconds to Mars are a perfect example (have you sat down and watched the "Hurricane" video? Christ almighty). Such is the case, of course, with Taylor Momsen, whom I last remember seeing with little buck teeth trying to talk some sense into the most flamboyant version of the Grinch ever (although I think she's on that show Gossip Girl now, too).  Even if gossip blogs aren't really your thing, we're probably all aware at this point of her new look and her penchant for trashy behavior (and fashion to match).

One thing not many people talk about, however, is how fascinated she is with retro. You'll swear some of her garments were left over from a Venom concert in 1983, or a Hole concert in 1993. Of course, she was an infant in 1993, but hey, what actors-turned-musicians want, actors-turned-musicians get, and with her new band (she fired the original since they didn't fit her vision), Taylor and The Pretty Reckless set out for 11 tracks to recreate rock aesthetics that haven't been dusted off for years.

For the most part, this is a grunge record, which is not to be confused with post-grunge, i.e. pretty much everything from Matchbox Twenty onward. No, the guitars really crunch on this one, and the deviance is wallowed in, not simply championed or flirted with. Truthfully, it's grunge by way of bands like Live and Garbage (you can definitely hear traces of Shirley Manson when Taylor sings) as opposed to Nirvana, but at its best, the music really does give off the feel of a bygone era, when ratty plaid and messy hair was the thing, not neon-colored scarves and fauxhawks.

The main problem with the album is that Momsen's aspirations are often exposed in her lyrics for exactly what they are. Never mind a song named "Zombie," which is thankfully not a Cranberries cover - power ballad "Nothing Left To Lose" in particular seems to be patched together with concepts, not a narrative, which isn't a running theme, but it is a bit of a buzzkill at certain intervals. To that end, some lyrics are just eye-rollers that try to sound intriguing, but just come off at best corny and at worst.... well, this: "Does what I'm wearing seem to shock you? Well that's okay / 'cause what I'm thinking about you is not okay" from the otherwise competent title track.

The album remains compelling, however, thanks to organic musicianship, a few really good riffs and Momsen's natural talent toward vocals. The truth is that Momsen has all the gusto and snarl of someone who's been doing this ten years longer than she has (although granted, she's reportedly a big smoker), and it's a major part in all this coming off as well as it does. The single, "Make Me Wanna Die," lurches forward with visceral power, and the jagged stop/start riffing and strong vocals of "My Medicine" gets the blood pumping pretty well. Plus, "Goin' Down" with a riff straight out of a latter-day Motörhead record, actually does hint toward the menace she strives for (underage sex usually does the trick).

Even in Momsen's most miscalculated excesses, of which threaten to unravel the record, her band are a convincing unit that favor blues leanings to give their sound some character. It works, and it creates an ideal debut for any rock band - it's not perfect, but it doesn't have to be, since it shows off some intriguing building blocks and directions for a real future for themselves, and even better, they sound genuine about it. Take that, Jared Leto.



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