Initially it seemed like a fun, if limited, concept:four Californian high school girls, all allegedly called Donna, playing snarky bubblegum rock that resembled Joan Jett fronting The Ramones. Five albums on, The Donnas miraculously remain a great idea, legal drinking ages, a major deal and endless repetition notwithstanding.
Men continue to be objects of scorn, and the prevailing aesthetic is still of a sleepover circa 1979. Inspiration, however, has pleasingly shifted to incorporate Cheap Trick, so that Spend The Night emerges as the sharp-minded, dumb-riffed album Courtney Love tried to make with Celebrity Skin. Oh, and singer Donna A’s real name is Brett Anderson. Neat.
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