Album Review: The Pretty Reckless - 'Death By Rock And Roll'
The Pretty Reckless’s fourth album ‘Death By Rock And Roll’ is a reset as well as a continuation of their hard rock domination.
Two tragedies underpin the record. The death of producer and long-time friend Kato Khandwala runs like a thread through the 50 minutes, starting with his footsteps at the top of the opening title track. When Taylor Momsen howls “I wanna go with a shotgun blast, I wanna go with a motorcycle crash”, it’s a bold set-up for the band’s raucous plan.
The band were also coming to terms with the death of Chris Cornell, after supporting Soundgarden the night he took his own life. Recognising that their unwavering anthem ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now’ shared the Seattle band’s vibe, they got drummer Matt Cameron and guitarist Kim Thayil involved to complete it.
In hits like ‘Make Me Wanna Die’, TPR have always had a theatrical side. This time around, it’s best showcased in ‘25’, pairing Taylor’s vocals with Bond-theme dramatics. The first song written for the album, it shares more parallels with Adele than just the number, as if the north Londoner went hard rock.
Her voice is also highlighted by softer, more reflective tracks, like the stripped back ‘Standing At The Wall’, before it bursts into an epic, or over the acoustic guitar in the heavenly ‘Got So High’.
But there’s more to The Pretty Reckless than their frontwoman. The record’s rock and roll comes just as much from Ben Philips on guitar and Mark Damon on bass, or the crashing drums of Jamie Perkins which continue to propel the album forward.
Recorded at Seattle’s London Bridge Studios – a grunge icon which also birthed successes by Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains – and featuring Tom Morello’s guest feature in ‘And So It Went’, it’s as much an exploration of history as well as the present.
The conflict between life and death glides through the nostalgic ‘Rock and Roll Heaven’, before sailing off to Valhalla ‘Harley Darling’. Opening with a harmonica, it ties everything together with its “ride away” refrain and the sound of a revving engine. Taylor finishes with a beautiful tribute to Kato, singing “Oh, Harley darling, you took my friend, you took everything and now I’m alone again”.
‘Death By Rock And Roll’ channels these tragedies into big rock songs, and spotlights the continued importance of music – rock music – in all our lives, regardless of what happens elsewhere.
On ‘My Bones’, Taylor sings “I carried out my plan”. If that is to take the time-honoured traditions of rock and roll, and build a bridge into the future, the whole band may just have succeeded.
Words by Samuel Draper