Gold Medal (by The Donnas, Punk Rock)

The Donnas rock, there's no doubt about it. And they do it with such apparent full-tilt glee on GOLD MEDAL that it's hard not to jump on for the ride. Especially impressive are Allison Robertson's guitar riffs; she anchors the album with strong and imaginative playing, along with Maya Ford (bass) and Torry Castellano (drums) as a powerful and precise rhythm section. Brett Anderson's lead vocals are confident and expressive. But the whole is even greater than its parts; the band chemistry is something really special. You'll find a bit of sexual innuendo (on "It's So Hard") and a drug reference or two (on a song that seems to be anti-drug, actually), as well as a "stalking-my-old-boyfriend" tune. The closest we get to a message song is "Fall Behind Me" ("How long's she gonna be around/And how long do we have to watch her dumb it down/Cause when it's cheap it fades fast/And how long does she think it's gonna last").

On one crystal-clear track after another, you'll hear interesting and well-delivered songs that show off the band members' best qualities, and also show off how much they've grown as artists since their last album. Song lyrics are mild -- clever and interesting without bothering to dig too deep. The real messages are that rock & roll is fun, if you keep practicing you'll get better, and girls can rock at least as hard as the boys.

Released on: October 26, 2004
Label: Atlantic
Genre: Punk Rock