CSS - Donkey

What happened to CSS? Maybe the constant touring finally took its toll. With the departure of Iracema Trevisan, the foursome spent time on the road recording a follow-up to the 2006 self-titled record that shot them to the level of fame they now enjoy. Cansei De Ser Sexy (‘tired of being sexy’ in Portuguese) succeeded on the strength of its charisma and playfulness as much, if not more than, the ironic sexualized image of the band. Donkey, then, should be the perfect name for a follow-up considering CSS’ unique sense of humour (think dozens of utterances of ‘bitch’ in a song about Paris Hilton). So why does half of the album sound as if a group of session musicians could have done better? The opener, Jager Yoga, is utterly forgettable in the ‘5 minutes and you don’t even remember listening to it’ kind of way. Cue a glut of heartless, boring songs about nothing I care to remember, an inspirational (!) song that doesn’t work and there’s not much merit in Donkey. All is not lost, however. The first single, Rat Is Dead, is a fantastic Pixies rocker with revenge fantasies thrown in. Left Behind, although great, is ripe for remixing. Beautiful Song and Air Painter retain the light-hearted nature of Cansei De Ser Sexy, while Move is the best of the lot, bringing synth-rock back into the CSS sound. While these songs dull the disappointment and CSS should be credited for trying new things, Donkey sounds half-finished, as if they got halfway through the recording process and decided to go with whatever they had. Although the album will undoubtedly be salvaged through remixes (a process that's already begun, mind you), hopefully next time CSS can release a fully-realised piece.