*** THE CASUAL GAMER ***
| Main | Rating: Commendable |
The Donnas: Spend The Night
"I'd hit it."
The Donnas are comprised of four women who seem to want nothing more than to put on a great rock and roll show, and their album Spend The Night proves just that. At first glance, you might think that the Donnas are some pop trend band, trying to cash in on Avril Lavinge's manufactured "teenage rebellion" success, or that they're next in line to take Kittie's throne as the women of Ozzfest. But don't be fooled, these girls are the real deal.
The Donnas' music is like a seamless blend of the Ramones' energy and songwriting and the rock and roll stylings of AC/DC. The Donnas combine huge hard rock riffs with witty lyrics displaying the everyday workings of a young person's mind. There's no pitiful whining about bad parenting or being the last one picked for dodgeball teams in gym class; it's all easily digested material to ensure a smooth sailing rock experience. There are even guitar solos on the record, and they're actually really good! If I sound sarcastic, it's because you're retarded. Either that, or it's the fact that good guitar solos (and great playing in general) have all but vanished from popular rock music. In light of that, Spend The Night's great guitar work is something to be excited about.
Spend The Night is a fun record, and the only real complaint I have with the record concerns dynamics. You may think I'm just anal or something, but dynamics are important to me. The problem with this record is that the Donnas are set on full blast for almost the entire record. That kind of pacing tends to blur a lot of the songs together, making it hard to distinguish, musically, one song from the next. Also, the guitar tones don't vary much, which only adds to the problem. It would be nice if more of songs had distintive variations in rhythms, tones, or volume.
What the Donnas have done with Spend The Night is created a very pure party record that is designed to rock you from beginning to end. The lyrics are playful and are to be taken with a grain of salt, but the in-your-face guitar megaforce demands your attention. So if you are a fan of good ol' rock 'n' roll, then get this record. If you are scared of cooties or of tarnishing your manhood in the eyes of your male friends, then you'll just be missing out on a good record.