The Donnas : Releases >>
Information provided by Amazon.ca
American Teenage Rock N Roll M >>
Bitchin >>
Gone from the ranks of the major label (Atlantic) that signed them, the Donnas return on Bitchin' to the ranks of indie rock while still reaching ambitiously for stadium-proportion rawk. From the leather trousers and dope-smoking feather on the cover to the album-opening chowder of slow kick drum thumps and chunky feedback-glinting guitar riffs, the Donnas are after the arena-rock vibe. And this is the stuff that made arenas churn in the 1970s, retro, yes, but potent. They go for AC/DC's simple one-two rhythms, the brawny choruses that became FM radio's signature, and lyrics like this: "The first time I saw your face/I got wasted on your love." Yes, it's reductionist as indie rock goes, but Bitchin' is also exhilarating--the chant-like vocal choruses, the guitar effects, the more-cowbell enthusiasm, the hands-in-the-air pacing. The Donnas are clearly looking to keep rock & roll a collective experience, the stuff, again, that made arena crowds pump their fists through blue smoke all those years ago. --Andrew Bartlett
Get Skintight >>
Gold Medal >>
American Teenage Rock 'n' Roll Machine >>
Spend the Night >>
In 1999 the Donnas reached the age where they could Get Skintight. Then the racy foursome went on to Turn 21 in 2001. And for 2002, theirs is either an invitation or an offer to Spend the Night. And it'll be a whopper of a night. "It's on the Rocks" opens the evening on an anthemic note. The stoner paean "Pass It Around" appears just past midpoint, and "5 O'Clock in the Morning" closes the event. What's in between? Straight-ahead drumbeats, snarling guitars, and sassy vocals are the band's calling cards, and they're all very much in evidence here. Songs like "Take It Off" and "Please Don't Tease" are built upon bouncing melodies that are revved by choppy pop-punk guitar and simple rhymes ("tease" and "knees," for example). The Donnas' party--"Take Me to the Backseat" included--doesn't rage so much as it embraces a kind of postpunk free love that swaggers like the Ramones circa "Rockaway Beach." --Andrew Bartlett
Fall Behind Me >>
Rock You All Night Long >>
Too Bad About Your Girl >>
Drugs Sex And Discotheques >>
