BANDS:

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80's New Wave/
Post-Punk/
College Bands
90's & Beyond
Virginia, North
Carolina, & DC

Donuts: Buckley
[Chapter 7]

The Donuts are a high-fun/low-impact band.  To call them Costello-esque would be missing the point.  Yes, you can hear the influence, but really its like hearing Elvis minus it.  Thats the unfortunate thing about sounding enough like a legend, but not sounding nearly as great: youre always reminding your audience of what youre not.  Maybe if I didnt read the press release beforehand...

Speaking of which, it may be the funniest one Ive seen yet (I sense some Onion fans in the band).  Their songwriting abilities may not always be up to par, but then again Liberty Bell is a fine song, one of those flashes that warrant the comparisons to great bands.  Leave Her Alone comes close, too fine pop.  Its as frustrating as it is encouraging that you can hear it poking its head in here and there. 

The production, on the other hand, is mostly weak generic-sounding, even.  The Donuts are like so many other indie rock bands with small recording budgets.  Cheap isnt always so bad, though.  You can get great sounds with no money (Bleach, The White Stripes, My Aim Is True).  They just havent figured it out completely.  Still, there are moments (guitars on Liberty Bell, Jumper, It Dont Go Thru). 

So why do I want to see these guys at a bar so badly?  Maybe its the press release, maybe its an attitude that comes across in their songs, but something tells me theyd be a fun night out.  Maybe a live version of this band is what interests me the most.

This album can be purchased at the Donuts Official Website

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