The Donuts are a sugary mixture of garagey organ and twangy guitar drenched power pop with choice
influential ingredients like They Might Be Giants, Elvis Costello, and The Beatles. On this their
3rd full-length album, The Donuts stray a bit from this formula and go for more songs with a rootsy
Americana feel, as well as exploring the acoustic guitar and pedal steel. One thing that hasn't changed
is the quality of songwriting and outright infectious pop hooks. Songs like "Soon" and the title
track "The Monkey Wrench Gang" are the kind of quirky garage pop The Donuts have made their trademark.
On songs like "It Happened To Me" and "Carnation Revolution" is where the Americana influence
creeps in, even more so on a song like "Arrive", an odd and very short, dark, piano ballad. "Detective
Con" and "Spy" are two tunes that are very reminiscent of Revolver-era Beatles. Then you get something
outta left field like "Maya Van Rossum's Blues" which comes across like Bob Dylan and The Band if they
had written a 2 minute pop song or the guitar pickin' and harmonica honkin' melancholy hoedown album
closer "Eats Right Out of Your Hand". The Donuts' The Monkey Wrench Gang is a pretty ambitious record
for a bunch of guys who (literally) practice and record in a garage, but The Donuts pull it off here
making an interesting record with songs that really shine in all of their disjointed harmony.
Peter Santa Maria, Carbon 14 (Issue #27)
February 2006
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