The Donnas - Get Skintight (1999)

It took almost no time for the Donnas to become an underground rock sensation, favorites of punk scenesters and journalists. Almost overnight, the teen quartet released its debut, graduated from high school, and then started popping up in the most unlikely places, including the Rose McGowan teen flick Jawbreaker. It wasn't exactly like they were omnipresent, but the Donnas certainly were primed to break into the major leagues with their second set of Ramones-styled punk-pop, Get Skintight. Stylistically, there is no change from the debut, but Get Skintight does boast a better, catchier set of songs and a ferocious group of performances. The Donnas are undeniably good -- they have the songs and the hooks, a great attitude, and a great look -- but there's something a little strange about a group of teens hero-worshipping music that was made before their birth. It could be argued that the Ramones did the same thing, but not only did they build on music from their youth, they bent the rules. The Ramones were ironic postmodernists, twisting around bubblegum, surf, and teen pop with campy glee. It made their music vibrant and unpredictable and deep, while still being pure fun. The Donnas, in turn, play by the rules the Ramones wrote with their debut album, without any irony or camp -- it's straight-ahead party music, with no apologies. It's the primary difference between the two groups, what separates a good party band from a transcendent one. Ultimately, such criticisms seem like quibbling, because Get Skintight isn't meant as anything other than a great punk party record, which is exactly what it is. But that difference is why listeners raised on old-school punk may find the album a little off.