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<\/a>For those unfamiliar with these bastions of indie-surf rock-country-feel-goodery, The Donkeys have been around San Diego for a little more than a decade, releasing three albums prior to \u201cBlack Wave.\u201d The quartet won \u201cBest Rock Band\u201d at the San Diego Music Awards in 2012. Good, now you\u2019re up to speed.<\/p>\n
Black Wave crams 11 tracks into a run time just over 30 minutes. Genre-wise, the blanket term \u201cindie rock\u201d serves for all intents and purposes, although it\u2019s diverse compared to previous releases. There\u2019s a Hawaiian country song, a few pop songs and even a Beatles-in-India-esque song featuring one of those twangy, eastern string instruments (I googled it; it\u2019s called a sitar).<\/p>\n
On first impressions, the band uses some admittedly clich\u00e9d song titles, such as \u201cSunny Daze,\u201d the opening track of this, their fourth studio album, which opens with sounds of pelicans cawing and surf crashing on the beach\u2014something surely without precedent in the Southern California music scene. Throughout much of the album, the lyrics rely frequently on repetition, catering more to the phonetic impact of the words sung.<\/p>\n
Despite all this, The Donkeys are undeniably easy on the ears throughout. Their relaxing, unpretentious sound beckons enjoyment over critical examination.\u00a0And perhaps most impressively, their skill as musicians is readily apparent, but they could not rightfully be labeled showoffs by any recognizable authority on showoffs. Lengthy guitar solos will not be found on Black Wave, nor will seismic instrumental breakdowns or wailing breakdowns. No, The Donkeys are about perpetuating a mellow vibe\u2014plain and simple.<\/p>\n
Attracting some niche media hype for their portrayal of the fictional, yet undeniably groovy band Geronimo Jackson on \u201cLost,\u201d The Donkeys have garnered notable national attention in their own right for being a musically deft indie band\u2014even if not quite cerebral–that mixes in surf music and country far more tastefully than most. In Black Wave–their best album to date\u2014they don\u2019t quite break that mold, but I think it\u2019s a fine mold for a band to find itself in, really.<\/p>\n
Maybe I give their earnestness too much credit, or their creative yearnings too little. It\u2019s true, the drum timings on many of the tracks are inventive where indie pop is concerned, such as their dreamy single \u201cScissor Me Cigs.\u201d Throughout much of the album, warm synth sounds and dirtied electric guitar blend over acoustic strumming for melodies transcending your average indie surf rock.<\/p>\n
Sure, few outside the cult of everlasting Lost enthusiasts might recall the faux-Geronimo Jackson a couple decades from now, but that doesn\u2019t mean their status as a well-honed mass producer of steezy listening is anything to balk at.<\/p>\n