lambchops's Full Review: Spend the Night by The Donnas
Always on the lookout for new rock chicks, I was excited to hear of the existence of The Donnas. Apparently formed while the four members still were in high school, the band has since 1998 churned out five full-length albums on the Lookout label.
Now, barely into their twenties, The Donnas have come finally begun to break into the mainstream. Unfortunately for Donna A. (Brett Anderson, vocals), Donna C. (Torry Castellano, drums), Donna F. (Maya Ford, bass), and Donna R. (Allison Robertson, guitar) it is my supposition that their career will be brief. While the four have talent, they are a novelty act. The performances on their most recent release, 2002’s Spend The Night, are respectable but nothing holds the songs together. They are while on the whole entertaining, also irreparably flawed.
The Donnas have little talent for lyrics or for variety. To listen to Spend The Night is boring…no song stands out as good or bad. Anderson’s vocals are predictable following the same flow on each track. She tries vainly to be punk and in the process comes off as sounding like a shallow, poppier, and much less talented Louise Post (Veruca Salt). While they are sold as a punk band, The Donnas are not in reality anything but…they are an easy to digest, thoughtless, uncreative, mainstream rock act with only occasional glimpses of what they perceive mistakenly to be punk.
But I don’t want to sound too critical. The Donnas are palatable just not memorable. They are good for an easy listen, preferably in the car so as to not have to concentrate too hard on the juvenile lyrics. As for the earlier albums, I cannot comment in depth nor will I investigate the band any further to find out. Four proceeded Spend The Night beginning with The Donnas in 1998 and wrapping three years later with The Donnas Turn 21. Maybe one of the albums is better, I just don’t know nor do I particularly care. The songs I have experienced are monotonous and bland, the music, vocals, and lyrics banal.
Returning to issue of the lyrics, it should come as no shock that much of the album speaks directly about sex, drugs (and alcohol), and rock and roll. Wow. I have never been so unimpressed by the lyrical content of thirteen continuous songs in my entire life. These are the words of an obviously young band that know what is expected out of punk music. So they write “punk” lyrics and in doing so sound like a cliché bunch of posers. And if not for the occasionally nice guitar work from Robertson and the initial elation elicited by the album (until a closer listen reveals the MANY flaws of The Donnas and in turn Spend The Night) it would be an even more miserable failure.
If forced to choose one song from this album that I like it would have to be Take It Off. The rock/punk attitude seems a bit more sincere than on most of the other tracks. In addition, the girls yelp in harmony pretty nicely just behind Anderson. Robertson shines brightly. It is her guitar and her hard rock licks that prove most appealing on this track and most of the others.
Also of some moderate interest are tracks like Pass It Around, I Don’t Care (So There), and It’s On The Rocks. But that miniscule interest fades quickly upon digesting the lyrical content a bit. For example, do The Donnas actually think that people will be at all challenged to think or even mildly fascinated by words like these (from Pass It Around):
Why don't you pass it around?
Don't bring the party down
If you don't pass it around,
We'll run you right outta this town!
The lyrics are not the only issues on Spend The Night. Even more damaging are the simple song structures that instead of impressing and sounding inspired instead sound like they were cutting corners. Tracks ranging from Who Invited you and You Wanna Get Me High to Not The One and Please Don’t Tease Me sound incredibly similar and unfortunately for The Donnas this is not a compliment. Only truly talented acts can pull off thirteen tracks that all have similar structures. The Donnas are modestly talented but have a hell of a lot growing to do before they deserve any kind of fan base.
Spend The Night could have been better…it probably should have if The Donnas actually want to have any sort of continuing career. Two things work in favor of the band…the album is short and it is better than Britney, Christina, and most all of usually absorbed pop music. Keep in mind that initially this album will sound decent, but the novelty soon wears off. Skip it.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. It’s On The Rocks | 02. Take It Off | 03. Who Invited You | 04. All Messed Up | 05. Dirty Denim | 06. You Wanna Get Me High | 07. I Don’t Care (So There) | 08. Pass It Around | 09. Too Bad About Your Girl | 10. Not The One | 11. Please Don’t Tease Me | 12. Take Me to the Backseat | 13. 5 O’clock in the Morning
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