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CSS: Donkey

10th July 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

They don't call it a sophomore slump for nothing you know!

Debut album "Cansei de Der Sexy" was the sound of a band fighting for their lives, living on the edge and a thousand other metaphors which correspond to the adjectives 'breathless', 'exciting', 'daring', 'controversial' and 'confrontational'. In contrast "Donkey" is the sound of a band leisurely swatting at a fly, safe in the knowledge that it can do no real harm to them.

Clearly, the factors of market research, the work of their peers, fan expectations and legions of record executives returning rough mixes with little post-it notes attached has gotten too much for them, for this is CSS in somewhat of a nonchalant mood. That said, this is CSS, so it is much like the ThrustSSC only going up to fourth gear. Surrealism is still served up in heaps, on the track "I Fly" Lovefoxxx reincarnates herself as a member of the Musca domestica (Housefly) family, intent on invading the body of a male target, yet always being coughed up. Equally compelling is "Rat Is Dead (Rage)" which takes the lead from "The Brave One" / “Last House on the Left” / “Straightheads” / “Straw Dogs” / “Kill Bill” - take your pick - and sends the protagonist off on a revenge mission against those who have slighted her friends.

"Let's Reggae All Night" could quite easily be the little-sister song to Does It Offend You, Yeah?'s "With a Heavy Heart". "Move" surprisingly features one of the few times when the rap section is not the let-down of an entire alternative/indie album, being as it is, quite acceptable.

Perhaps CSS realised during this album's creation how they were becoming somewhat pedestrian, since on lowlight "Give Up" - which showcases three and a half minutes of musicianship which could only be entertaining to someone who has been chained in Celine Dion's cellar for the last 30 years - they constantly proclaim "Don't give up on us". It's a plea that you will do well to acknowledge, since it does get considerably better. You may have to wait a short while though.

"Air Painter" is definitely a song worth waiting for. Not only does Lovefoxxx give a memorable vocal performance which bounces between hushed, sexy and cracked while always being genuinely affecting, the stars align for the rest of the song too. Synths dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge through the chorus whilst the basic, yet purposeful guitars buffet along riders with pleasing velocity.

The problem with a well-rounded album though, is predominantly the fact that it doesn't have any edge. While it's nice to see that CSS have clearly been working on refining their sound, it would also be nice to see that they have retained the spark that made them an exciting prospect to begin with.

Rating:  6 / 10

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