Damone – From The Attic 
Label: RCA Records
Rating: 
 

Tracks: Frustrated Unnoticed  Your Girlfriends  Up To You  Feel Bad Vibe  Overchay With Me  On My Mind  Carwash Romance  Driveway Blues  At The Mall  You And I  Leave Me Alone

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I can already hear the derision that this CD and band will produce. The tendency will be to write the group off automatically since they will be viewed as yet another female fronted pop-rock group, ala Avril with a band. Or worst Blink-182 with a female lead vocalist.

Not so fast!  Such assumptions are bound to be made but if experienced with an open mind, then Damone actually offers up a lot more than meets the cynical eye.  Avril’s foundation is derived mostly from hype as the anti-Britney, immature lyrics sang with a Jr. Alanis style and the focus seems to be more on Avril’s fashion than the music.  

Damone on the other hand is simply a cool young melodic pop rock band that just happens to have a female lead singer. As a result the focus seems more focused on delivering melodic, hook driven songs than what lead vocalist Noelle is wearing. 

The songwriting is geared towards the basics with big melodic choruses but there are some surprises as well, like the semi guitar solo in “Up To You” and some solid drumming and ample guitar leads thrown into the mix at just the right times.  

The music is a bit too pop oriented to make Damone fit into the same category as Sleater-Kinney or The Donnas. Instead they come across more as a young female fronted modern version of Cheap Trick.  Noelle delivers some really strong and melodic vocals while the group’s secret weapon seems to be David Pino’s ability to pen classic power-pop gems set within the framework of modern pop-punk. Don’t get me wrong, Damone isn’t yet another pop-punk band, while there are some similar elements to that much derided genre’ Damone takes a more old school approach which ironically makes them standout against their contemporaries as something fresh and new. 

While the suburban children of the 70’s fell in love with the pop prowess of Cheap Trick and could relate to songs like “Surrender” and “I Want You To Want Me”, kids of today may find a similar charm with Damone; a band that is strong on melody but also heavy enough to be rebellious. They should also readily relate to the lyrics and the songs seem like the perfect backdrop to cruising around with your friend and having fun.  

Fun is indeed the order of the day with Damone. This isn’t a band centered around skater fashion or gimmicks but actually a pretty solid young power-pop band that reminds us after a decade of overly serious and depressing music that rock n roll started out as something fun and yes while it is sometimes frivolous, it none the less reminds us to ask ourselves the perpetual question of youth, “Are we having fun yet?”  If you can relate to Damone, then chances are good that you will answer that question with a big smile on your face while your toes tap along to the beat. 

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