The Donkeys
Living On the Other Side (Dead Oceans)
By Emily Becker
Published: September 20th, 2008 | 9:00am
While Donkeys members Timothy DeNardo, Jessie Gulati, Anthony Lukens, and Sam Sprague are four friends from San Diego who “Just need a little time / For magazines and drinkin’ wine,” their sophomore effort, Living On the Other Side, merits a serious listen. It melds a range of influences from old school folk-rock like the Band or Neil Young to contemporaries like Brothers and Sisters. The Donkeys sonic breadth and musical depth set them apart from countless other bands that blend jangly guitar and pedal steel. They create tight songs brimming with complementary sounds and effortless song craft.
“Walk Through a Cloud” kicks off with a melodic little riff which, while familiar, wasn’t ripped from anyone else’s back catalog. The song is simple enough to hum and sing along to, while the vocal harmonies soar above. Rather than struggling to reinvent Californian country rock, the Donkeys make a great genre record with everything in its place, from the clip-clop rhythms on “Boot On the Seat” to the updated “Oompa Loompa” backdrop on “Gone Gone Gone.” Living On the Other Side is long on variety, with tempos ranging from the upbeat (“Excelsior Lady”) to almost downtrodden (“Dolphin Center”). “Bye Bye Baby” pairs a stomping rhythm with the charming lyric, “I got a pain in the gut / Ooh Doc, what do I got? / Can I get a little bit more of this please?”
Whether it’s a forward-looking lyric or a hooky melody, optimism works its hazy, changeable magic on Living On the Other Side. The Donkeys blend folk-rock confessionals with the endless sun of Southern California, creating a soundtrack equally perfect for reminiscing or French kissing.
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The Donkeys’ official site
The Donkeys’ MySpace page
Issue #35
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