More like ‘Silver Medal’…
Like most follow-ups, ‘Gold Medal’ is surrounded by promises of being ‘the best work of their career’ and the old cliché of the band having ‘grown up’. So in keeping with this the cartoon-like ‘Donna’ monikers have been dropped and seemingly, so have the carefree, reckless songs about drinking and one night stands, and instead, the girls focus on more ‘complicated emotions’ and ‘the difficulty of relationships’.
And hearing this album for the first time it feels as if the ballsy rock n’ roll that made The Donnas such an interesting and exciting band has also been left behind in their race for the finish line. Many of the songs seem to be left distinctly lacking any real raw, rock energy, with tracks like ‘Don’t Break Me Down’ and ‘Is That All You’ve Got For Me’ almost feeling as if they’re being played at half-speed. In fairness, this decision to slow things down could be due to drummer Torry Castellano’s recovery after surgery for tendonitis - but still, when you know what they’re capable of, it’s disappointing.
However, the more you listen it, the better it gets, and there are moments when the band really do pick up the pace and regain their position at the front of the pack. ‘Its So Hard’ recaptures some of the fun, provocative rock n’ roll that characterised much of The Donnas’ previous albums, while ‘Takes One To Know One’ shows that they haven’t lost any of their sassy punk attitude. Similarly, although some of the issues they deal with may have changed, the influence of Classic Rock from the likes of KISS and AC/DC is still present; it’s impossible not to be won over by the gigantic riffs and seduced by the memorable melodies of tracks like ‘Fall Behind Me’ and ‘Revolver’.
Overall, if you were expecting pure sex, drugs and rock n’ roll this album might just leave you wanting more, but the essence of what The Donnas are all about still shines through and although it might not be worthy of the ‘Gold Medal’, its definitely achieves a respectable second place.