The Donnas
The Donnas (Lookout Records)
By: Alex Steininger
I thought the Ramones broke up? Wait, this isn't the Ramones! No, this is four teenage girls going under the moniker 'The Donnas.' Now only 18 and 19, recording something this energetic would be amazing for any pop-punk band in their twenties. But what's even more amazing is the fact that this is a re-issue of their debut CD and singles, which were recorded when they were 15 and 16 years old. Amazing just doesn't begin to describe them, or the twenty-three tracks on this disc.Keeping their songs under two minutes (for the most part), everything about them points a finger at the kings of pop-punk, The Ramones. Not that there is anything wrong with that, because a good song is a good song.
Dealing with coming of age, girl topics (men, sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll), The Donnas back up the catchy hooks of the guitars with equally hum-able, sing-along anthem lyrics. Take the opening track, "Hey, I'm Gonna Be Your Girl," which optimistically promises "I'm gonna be your girl, and your gonna be my guy...Let's go to my room..."
Each song is built around thick, power-chord guitars. From there they add the proper amount of cymbals, lots of snare, and other hammering drum affects. On top of that, they throw in chunky bass. The final ingredient is the sweet and anything-but-shy female vocals that drip from the song with both force and sincerity.
With you along for the ride, these girls keep pushing you farther and farther into their minds. If high school was this productive nationwide, we wouldn't have to worry about our future going down the drain with the state of kids today. But that's a different story.
The teenage years can be angst-ridden, or they can be fun. Obviously, The Donnas chose the latter of the two. As with the Ramones, a lot of the songs sound the same. But, also with the Ramones, each song is a treat. The lyrics and choruses help separate the songs from one another, and after all is said and done, there isn't one flaw on here. Like I said, a good song is a good song. And here are twenty three of them. I'll give this disc an A.
