The Donnas - Gold Medal (Japan, 2004)

The Donnas proved themselves more than apt at playing fast and fun party rock in a Ramones-y mold from their teenage get-go in 1998, then quickly amassed a huge following for their increasingly "pro," deliriously fun retro-rock. In 2002, they surprised lots of folks with Spend the Night, an album that showed more lyrical finesse as well as Cheap Trick/ Thin Lizzy-ish pop-rock flourishes. On 2004's Gold Medal, however, the wayback machine continues to spiral backwards, and the result is far less pleasurable. The songs plod along with little reward, most of them "going over like a lead zeppelin," to quote Keith Moon. There are some nice touches, from the Zombies-esque backing vocals on "Dont Break Me Down" to the truly psychedelic guitar solo in "Out of My Hands." But in the end, Gold Medal will likely be remembered as the Donnas album with way too much cowbell on it. --Mike McGonigal